I can’t say that I live really far from home. The flight from Boston Logan to Palm Beach International is about 3 hours, which isn’t much compared to some friends who have 37 hours of travel to get home. That being said, I rarely go home because it’s pretty costly and time consuming. Going away to college was something that I really wanted to do, but not everyone wants to have to board a plane in order to visit their friends and family. I totally get that. Sometimes, I just wish that I could be home with my mom, and take a break from the cold weather campus. Those moments when I just want to go home aren’t as common as expected. I love visiting home, but I love being at Tufts too.
The first night I spent on campus was a little bit tough. My mom was still in town, but I looked around at a new room with a stranger’s belongings surrounding me (Hi Sophie!). When I left my room to head over to the bathrooms (which I had been terrified of before I saw how clean they were), I looked in the common room and saw all of my new hallmates hanging out and getting to know each other. I joined in and met the coolest group of people EVER. There was a French foreign exchange student who became a mime and has a better grasp of the English language than I do. A pair of roommates living two doors down from me would quiz each other on classical music facts. We even had a Chinese major who stumbled into studying the Chinese language at Tufts after studying Latin for six years prior to college Seriously, I seem to be surrounded by ridiculously interesting people all the time.
Almost every night since I’ve been at school has been spent hanging out with friends. These are the people that I celebrate/mourn exam scores and bounce both profound and ridiculous ideas off of. Two weekends ago, I turned 20 and I didn’t spend a moment alone. All sorts of friends came together to celebrate with me. This is SO cheesy, but I honestly think that the community of people I’ve gotten to know in college is special. Of course, I miss home occasionally. The flip side is that when I do go home for that one month out of the year, I can only make it a week before I start to miss my friends here at Tufts. If you are worried about leaving home, whether you are 3 hours away or 37 hours away, I hope that I can ease your mind by saying the surrounding yourself by friends (who give phenomenal hugs) is the best way to ease the transition.