Thanksgiving Break is almost here. For many of us it’s the first time we’ll be home since leaving for school in August. I know I was really excited to go home for the break- to leave the hustle and bustle of college life behind for a few days and to relax before finals came around. But I realized once I was home, Thanksgiving break was very different than what I had expected.
My friends were just as busy as I was
When imagining my ideal break, I thought I’d be able to see all of my hometown friends and we’d pick up right where we left off from summer. I thought we’d make plans to go shopping, to the movies, and just hang out. In reality, I spent my break with my family. My family made plans for shopping trips, going out to eat, and other events in order to spend time with me. My friends were just as busy as me and our schedules only coincided long enough to do lunch one day.
We were different people than the last time we saw each other
Even when we met up, it was much harder to fall into our usual camaraderie we had during high school. Since we all go to different colleges, our experiences with professors, classes, and daily life were different. The people we hung out with were different. We still had things in common, but those shared experiences were less important than before. Even though our relationships had changed, they are still great friends.
Home was no longer ‘home’
Besides seeing my family, I was looking forward to being back in my hometown. I was looking forward to seeing the familiar streets I drove on, the familiar restaurants, the mall. I appreciated the comforts my hometown gave me, but after a day or two of being home I remembered why I wanted to go to school out of state. I wanted to have new experiences that being home couldn’t give me. I realized I now called Washington, DC home. While my hometown was nice, home was no longer the place I was, but instead it was the people I was with.
My family dynamic was different
While I was away at school, my brother was still in high school living at home with my parents. I didn’t see my parents every day for them to ask how my day was, how my friends were. Meanwhile, my brother still had that relationship. In fact, his relationship with my parents seemed to have gotten stronger. They were always talking about something going on in his life- about his friends, his classes, how his school team was doing. When I came home for Thanksgiving, I expected my parents to want to know about my life at school since I’d been away for so long, but actually, most of the conversations revolved around things going on at home. I didn’t expect to have to find my place again in my family dynamic, but like with my friends, the relationship we had was a different than before.
I realized I was more independent
Being at college I was in charge of making myself go to class, getting my own meals, and doing my own laundry. No one was there telling me when to do things or how to do them. Because I only had to answer to myself, I definitely became more independent than I already was. When I was home it was nice to have my mom offer to do things for me like she did before I went to college. But, I realized I liked doing those things for myself. I liked not always having to check in with someone. Being home made me realize how much I had grown as a person. It might not have seemed like that when I was sitting in class or exploring DC, but when it came down to it, being away from home made me a stronger person.
Being home after a semester away is always a time of adjustment trying to get your college life and home life to find a common ground. Though your time at home might not be what you imagined, enjoy being home before the craziness of the end of the semester.
Photo Credits:
http://www.brokencode.biz/wp-c…
http://nyulocal.com/wp-content…
http://oels.byu.edu/student/id…
http://www.abetterbagofgroceri…