This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Poly chapter.

Starting college is a big step. For many, it is the first time away from home; the first step towards independence. The typical college experience involves off to school and then returning to your hometown on breaks. However, if your parents end up moving while you’re in college, whether for a job, for financial reasons, or just for a change, it creates a totally different experience. Going “home” means going to a completely new environment. Here are some of the experiences that you’ll recognize if your parents move while you’re in college.

1. Getting lost in your own neighborhood

Which street do I turn on?

2. You don’t know the roads

You need to use your GPS in order to get anywhere.

3. Lack of social contact

You go from constant social interactions at school, to knowing hardly anybody.

4. Feeling like a tourist

Everything is new and unfamiliar. It’s a strange feeling, but kind of exciting at the same time.

5. Your parents go new places without you

“No Mom and Dad, I’m positive that you didn’t take me to [insert site/local restaurant chain/ store…]”

6. Not knowing where to find things in the house

Where are the utensils? The toilet paper? It feels like you need a map just to navigate your own house.

7. Unfamiliar restaurants

You don’t know what to expect when you go out to eat

8. Dealing with flights if they move to a different state.

It feels like you’re constantly at the airport.

9. Your friends back home forget that you moved

“When do you come back for break? Oh wait, you don’t live here anymore.”

Although having your parents move while you’re in college might seem like an unwanted situation at first, there are actually a lot of positives that come with it. It is a chance to gain a whole new experience and learn what it’s like to live in a setting different from what you’re used to. Whether it is a different city, a different state, or just a few miles away from where you grew up, if you find yourself in this situation, look at it as an adventure. You never know, you might really enjoy living in this new place.

9 Things You’ll Understand If Your Parents Move While You’re In College