Sorry it’s been so long since I last updated. I would like to blame it on the fact that we only had school for half the months of November, December, and January, but the truth is I got too preoccupied with school to keep up my posting duties. But now that we are back in the swing of things with school, I think I will have this under control.
Breaks are always a strange time for me because they are a reminder that I technically have two homes. Since I started college, each consecutive break feels more bizarre as I try to readjust to life under my parent’s roof.
Luckily I have a good relationship with my parents, so there’s never any tension. (They seem completely content with the fact that I am going to graduate with a remarkably unmarketable degree) It’s more a matter of remembering to take them into consideration before doing things. I have a problem remembering to wait till official “dinner time” before eating. I’m used to being on my own: when I get hungry in Emporia, I eat. It’s that simple. But at home, I have to take others into consideration.
But, that being said, there are lots of advantages to being home with the parents. Free rent, free food as far as the eye can see, and luxuries like satellite television and a dishwasher.
Can we talk about the food for a minute? Compared to my fridge in Emporia, my parent’s place is like living in Buffet City. I don’t realize how long I’ve been living off Ramen and Pb and J’s till I am reminded what real food is like. The way I eat at home, my poor parents probably think I’m starving myself while I’m away.
Just like readjusting to my parents can be a task, so is trying to reconnect with old friends from high school. I stay in touch with as many as I can through the wonders of Facebook and whatnot, but it’s still sometimes strange hanging out with someone you haven’t been “real” friends with in over 3 years. It sounds cliché, but I guess it’s a vital part of growing up – you make new friends and your old ones move to the peripheral. Back in high school it was easy to be friends with anyone- you were all stuck in the same building for eight hours a day. Now, when you have to go out of your way to make time to see them, you realize which relationships are built on strong foundations and which were made simply because you were both in PE the same period.
The most surprising thing about breaks is how quickly I begin to miss Emporia. For all the complaining I’ve done in the past about how slow and small Emporia might seem, it’s funny that I start to miss it so quickly. I find myself missing the closeness of the town, and how I can walk anywhere I need to go within 5 minutes. It’s definitely not like that in Wichita; everything’s a 20 min drive with heavy traffic. It makes me realize Emporia has become just as much a home to me as Wichita. It’s amazing a city I’ve only known for four years can have such a strong impact on me.
But, now that I’m back in Emporia I feel a desire to get back home and relax with my family. Grass is always greener I suppose. The transition from holiday break to the new semester is always a tough one – I usually need a few days in Emporia to reboot and get ready for the hectic schedule to come.
I guess that’s the goal of the school break- it’s just something to keep me motivated until it arrives. And then once it arrives I realize I don’t really want to break from what I was doing. (And it only took me 4 years of college to figure this out haha)
What about you guys? What have your experiences been going back home for breaks? And has the experience changed the longer you’ve been in school?
