Home… a concept that many of us know, yet we all have many different definitions of. For some, it may be where we grew up, for others it may be where we feel loved, wanted and appreciated. However, most will agree that home, in a general sense, is where we live.
This grand setting of college is daunting for most of us first-year and first-generation students especially, yet many must dive headfirst and immerse ourselves into this new world we find we are in quite literally overnight.
As students, we can be split into a vast array of categories, although for the topic of home, there are only two- being either a commuter or a resident, both of which come with their own respective pros and cons. Those who fall under the former, in a way, have a sense of home that we residents do not. They get to see loved ones on a regular basis and can linger in a sense of familiarity, which is a luxury that we residents do not have the pleasure of indulging in.
For us residents, home is something quite different, as we are forced to adapt to this dramatically dissimilar experience. Our reality is different in many ways from those labeled commuters. We are constrained in this setting, and inevitably are mandated to create our own families and homes away from home. Yet, even among us residents, there are some who are ingrained in this reality far deeper than others. Many come from other cities within the boundaries of this state, yet there are plenty who come from out-of-state and even several whose homes are far outside the borders of this country.
Those impaired by great distance, may it be over land or sea, are forced to drastically contort their definitions of home, given how home is so far away. It may be due to isolation from those we love, or starvation of the comfort of familiarity. It may also be from the disconnection of patterns and daily routines that we feel a loneliness that is hard to explain. We make our home, and such is far easier for some than it is for others, as we attempt this herculean task of searching for those we can call brothers and sisters.
However, there is much to be learned in this chaos from being so abruptly uprooted. There are so many methods for us to grow in ways that commuters cannot. Such pressure to create a home requires that we better ourselves and immerse ourselves in a world completely foreign from all we have known. Diamonds are only formed under such pressures of which I can confidently say many of us will become. Indeed, there is darkness in the reality of being a resident, no matter how far home is. Yet, there is certainly a light if we choose to see it. There are many of us who are searching and building our homes from the ground up, completely accepting of anything that life may throw at us, as it will throw plenty.
But we are here together, standing strong despite all odds. Those who are bound to a home created by themselves… you are not alone. Looking around, it is obvious that we are met with open hands from those in similar circumstances. Family is here as we walk through this unknown together. Here on campus, we are a family, regardless of trivial matters such as blood, that is our reality as residents. And as we walk through these next several years together, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Have you seen it yet?
Photo Credits: Alexis Pragides
