Dear Homesick Student,
There is a myriad of emotions that come with moving away for college and leaving your friends behind. Maybe all of your friends are headed separate directions and you are worried you won’t be able to stay in touch. Or maybe you are one of the few going away or out of state with a fear of missing out.
Personally, all of my friends went a different direction. Yep. We are all over the United States. And while that is kinda cool, it also really sucks. Not only is it merely impossible for me to visit anyone, but the time zones really mess up communication. These are just things I am learning to deal with in college. Modern technology has actually blessed me with the ability to see my friends everyday. I can see how my friends are doing on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, and occasionally, I can have a full fledged iMessage conversation. As the school year started to progress, I started to develop homesickness, but what made it worse was a developing fear to go home. I no longer really knew what was happening in my friends lives. I didn’t know one had a boyfriend. I didn’t know one joined a sorority. It seemed weird that I was out of the loop. But I guess they’re out of the loop, too. I started to fear that I would go home and everyone would be different. That things would be weird.
As you start a new journey and begin to make new friends, staying in touch with the old ones will be hard. But it’s not impossible. You won’t always know what’s going on every minute of every person’s day, but that’s ok. They won’t really know about yours either. When you go home, things will be different. Lunch dates will become more of a catch-up than a gossip-sesh. Hangouts will more often be goodbyes again. And you may not get to see everyone you hoped you would. But this is all just a part of growing up. Be excited to hear about your friends’ new lives, for they are probably excited to hear about yours. Dynamics might change and hangouts might feel different, but trust that those worth staying in touch with will. Whether you send a text, a simple snap of your day, or make time for a weekly FaceTime sesh, don’t forget to play your part and put in your effort.
College might be moving with full speed ahead, but it’s ok to slow it down.
Sincerely,
A Student with Hope