Coming Home

This weekend is my first at home since I moved into my dorm. It was a rather surreal experience. It's weird to think about a point in my life where my home suddenly stops really feeling like home... As far as the love of my family, it will always be my home, and home-cooked meals will always have a special place in my heart (especially when compared to dining hall food), yet after living with Jack for a month, having most of my necessary possessions in my dorm, and a new era of my life being introduced, it's scary to think of home as something other than home.

Of course coming back to my girlfriend is something that is special. Seeing my little sister and listening to her bubble along about what is going on is fun. And working again, however tiring and monotonous it feels after a one month hiatus, makes me feel a little better. It's nice to have constants in your life. College is such an amorphous, strange experience for me, and having ties to things I know helps keep me balanced and grounded with all of the new experiences.

I advise everyone to take their first visit home seriously. While we have all been having a great time connecting with new people, enjoying new clubs and groups and stressing over quizzes, it is important to remember that our home is a place (I hope for most of us) that has helped us get where we are. When we go back home we can remember moments that helped us become who we are, helped guide us into this great experience at the University. Enjoy the food put in front of you; there is something about food produced for 4 instead of 4000 that is just more enjoyable sometimes. Tell your parents about what has been happening, keep them in the loop (and censor stories as necessary.)

Maybe this is just me as a nerd in CSE, but even doing a little bit of homework at home where I used to helps me focus and gives me a little nostalgia about awful problems in physics, difficult readings and fun projects. It is good to embrace your new experiences; clinging onto the past is never a healthy or productive way to succeed. I just think that it is important to remember your roots, remember the significant experiences in your life. Doing so will help you be more self-aware. In my mind self-awareness is one of the most important traits that helps one really enjoy life. When you know who you are, you can tailor what you do to who you are, rather than the other way around.

Remember to thank your parents, your siblings, teachers, friends or anyone else who really impacted your life and helped you get where you are. Those who helped drive you to your goals, whether directly or indirectly, deserve an enormous amount of thanks from you. There are so many teachers and friends that I need to thank for everything they did to help me get into the college I wanted and helped prepare me for this academic onslaught.

Keep in mind those who helped you. Remember your roots. Enjoy any stay at home that you get, even if it is just for your own bed or a home-cooked meal. And if you do all of this, your past will drive you forward into the future that you have dreamed of.