Tomorrow, winter break will finally come to and end for me. By 5pm, I'll have boarded a plane and be on my way back to Tufts to start second semester of sophomore year. I didn't think it would be this hard to say goodbye again-- after all, I had such a wonderful fall semester, and I was actually sad to leave school and go home-- and yet, here I sit, with a heavy heart.
I've always been a homebody. When I was in the first grade, I couldn't attend any field trips because each time I would get on the bus, I would start to cry and beg to go home and see my mom. Sleepovers where a nightmare for me and usually ended up with me calling my mom at 2 in the morning to come pick me up. Homesickness is my biggest ailment, and once again I'm facing the fear of leaving behind what is comfortable. I'll miss the sun rising over mountains behind my house each morning; I'll miss waking up early to get a full day of skiing in; I'll miss spending time with my family; I'll miss my kitty sleeping on my stomach at night. I'll miss doing yoga at my home studio, I'll miss sleeping in my childhood room, I'll miss driving down roads I've known my whole life.
But despite the looming sadness I feel for leaving my home yet again, I also feel a spark of excitement, and I remind myself that while I will miss my home in Salt Lake, I'm returning to another home: one that has become a place of refuge and comfort. Its taken some time, but I with each passing semester at Tufts, I feel a stronger sense of belonging and happiness. And I'm excited to take on spring semester, even with the snow and the cold; because at the end of the day, no matter where I turn, I'll always have a home waiting for me.