Home...and home.

Home. It's an unclear term that I don't take lightly anymore. Before college, home was on 150th St, nowhere else. Then I moved to Orange City. Now Stegenga Hall is where I feel most at "home." It's obviously normal for me to put down roots somewhere after living there for five months. But people get confused when I say that I am homesick, because it is usually the opposite place that they were thinking of. When describing my breaks, I usually say that they were "a bit too long...I got homesick on the last day or so."
Of course, it was the most confusing for my church family, because they were clearly thinking of my home in the middle of nowhere. Much as I dislike living in town, I love Orange City because of the people I live with.
When I say that I am homesick for college, I am certainly not thinking of my empty dorm room with no roommate. I am thinking of the visit from two girls on my wing the night that my roommate moved out. They stopped by to see if I was lonely yet. While it was a small gesture, it meant a great deal to me that they took the time to check on me.
When I say that I am homesick for college, I am not thinking of the cafeteria food--although it is definitely not horrible. I am thinking of the crowded table of 3N girls, along with dear Alexis, at 5 or 6 every night. I'll say one thing for the new caf tables: they certainly don't give you extra room when you have six or seven people sitting around them! I'm not complaining, though.
When I say that I am homesick for college, I am not thinking of the homework. I am thinking of the long nights spent in my friends' rooms watching ridiculous videos on Youtube...oh, and studying. That's always a great part too. ;)
When I say that I am homesick for college, I am not thinking of walking to class after Publishing gets out late, as usual. I am thinking of walking with one of my classmates who lives in another hall and just having that five minutes to puff out sentences about what has been on our minds as we hurry to our next class.
When I say I am homesick for college, I am not thinking of the early mornings. I am thinking of my breakfast crew: Kelly, Amanda, Ella, Elisa, Meghan, and Paul (and occasionally Olivia or Josh). For nearly four months, we have been meeting at about 8:15 every morning in the caf to eat together. Sometimes others join us, and it is a come and go setup. I am sure that most of the other patrons of the cafeteria think we are little strange; after all, what other group meows at each other and talks about books we have read while throwing in Adventure Time references every other sentence or so?
I could go on for several more paragraphs, but I will spare all of you the reading of it on this post. The point is hopefully quite clear: I am quite capable of being homesick for college. I never get homesick for Gravity...when I am home, it is lovely, though. No worries there. :)
So yes. Christmas break is about a third of the way over, and I am having a good time at...er...home. But I will be ready to go...er...home...when the time comes.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year if I miss posting again in 2012. I promise I will post about the year in review soon, though.

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