It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 6

Food.

Holiday Spirit.

The inescapable reality of finals.

Yep, it’s that time of year. And we’ve all been feeling the stress. I really needed to get out of this building and I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving in two years, so I decided to surprise my parents for the holiday.

I feel like there is always this expectation that going home is going to be so much better than it is. While it was nice to see my family, it was also hard. I don’t feel like my parents really know who I am anymore. They moved to the east coast three years ago and it’s hard to stay in touch. Neither of my parents went to college, so it’s hard to explain to them exactly what it is that I do (I mean, let’s face it, even college educated people don’t always understand student affairs). Lately, I feel like I talk to my parents the way some people talk to God. You know, most of the time I’m too busy, but when I’m really stressed and upset they’re the people I call. I know that sounds terrible. Well, that is terrible.

Anyway, so I went home for four days. I don’t know what I expected. There was so much I wanted to talk about with my mom and I didn’t realize until she dropped me off at the airport and I started crying in her arms that I hadn’t said much of anything. Instead, I spent a lot of time listening to my grandpa’s adventures with dentures and playing dress up with my cousins. I attempted my first cheesecake (delicious) and bought a new pair of running shoes (finally), but I didn’t hug my family enough.

While I was at home, my mom told me that she was proud of me and how “together” I am. I didn’t tell her that just because you’re getting your master’s doesn’t mean you’re together. This semester has been rough. I’m struggling to stay positive, stay in shape, stay in touch with my friends, stay up-to-date on work and school, and stay in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend who is pushing me farther away every day. Going home gave me a little break from all of that, but I’m realizing that changing locations doesn’t solve your problems. The next three weeks are going to be hard. But soon enough, I’ll be back at home and maybe this time I can really make it count.