Four Months Later....

So I've been doing the college thing for about four months now, and while (as I've mentioned once or twice) I love school and college life, it feels good to be home. People had warned me that it would feel "weird" and "different" coming back, and while there a little bit of that, it pretty much feels like coming back from any other trip I've taken. In fact it's almost weirder to me that everything is still so familiar.

It's almost like waking up from a dream. Things look fuzzy and out of focus at first, but as your brain slowly adjusts to the fact that you are really are awake, everything appears in all their familiar clarity. There are a few new pictures around, mostly of me, and some new chairs, but after one night even those "new" things seem familiar.

I will admit, however, that my room looks awfully lonely without me. 

"Alena, did you leave anything useful here when you went to college?" 

"Nope. Not a thing." 

That's what makes it weird. It still looks like my room, no they haven't turned it into an exercise room or anything like that, but without all the crafting items strewn about, and shoes and clothes scattered carelessly across the floor, my room just isn't very "Alena'' anymore. 

BUT

Home is still where the leftovers are better than anything found in a cafeteria,

Where ice tea is found in abundance,

Where music is constantly playing.....

.....or being played.  

(I never thought I'd be saying this, but actually I miss hearing my brother practice for hours on end!)

Home is where I feel loved.

Going Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In five days will pack a suitcase, jump in the car, drive an hour and a half to the airport, and after a 50 minute flight, I will land safe and sound back in Houston. Sure, flying home results in only a slightly shorter amount of travel time, and probably a whole lot more stress, but it doesn't matter, I'M GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Obviously, I haven't been back since I left at the beginning of the semester and so I'm REALLY looking forward to this trip. Not only do I get to see family and friends, enjoy some home cooked meals (Daddy always told us we wouldn't appreciate how wonderful of a cook my momma is until we left for college. Boy, was he right!), but I'll also be reunited with my sewing machine and fully equipped and functional kitchen!!!!! 


I'm aware of the fact that things will be different when I get back. Planner that I am, I've already starting thinking about what I wanted to pack for the week and it all suddenly felt really weird to me. While it's be said that home is where your heart is, I'm pretty sure it might as well be where your stuff is. Home is supposed to have everything you need, the fact that I need to pack like I would any other trip in order to go home, is just strange. 


Even stranger is the fact that I'm actually looking forward to these changes. I can't wait to see what's new and different, and while it may be a little disconcerting, I'm taking comfort in the fact that I'm  different too, and, no, I don't just mean the nose ring.


That's all to say, Clear Lake, I can't wait to be back and I'm looking forward to seeing you all and the story swapping :) 

I. Love. College.

College is a social word. I would imagine that the word “college” brings to mind images of good times with friends, walking to and from class, books in hand in crisp autumn air; maybe even a party or two. (Ya, you know you know who you are!)  At least, that’s what I automatically think of when I hear the word. Your mental pictures may be different, but they still represent that particular and specific lifestyle we know as college. As early as I can remember I’ve been told and taught that the college years are some of the best years of your life, so when I went off to college I expected to like it. So the fact that I love college doesn’t really surprise me. 

What DID surprise me, and continues to do so, is how much I love SCHOOL. Of course endless slumber parties (aka dorm life), and extracurricular activities are fun, but, for me, going to class everyday is just as exciting. 

Sure it's a LOT of work.I feel like I spend pretty much every waking moment reading or writing something. (Duh. That's what's college is for you're thinking, but I didn't want you to get the idea that all I'm doing up here is running around having adventures and eating waffles! ....even if I do spend a fair amount of time doing just that. :) )

I like being able to ask questions, and having questions asked of me.  

As a big picture person, I find it really cool how all my classes connect. A concept disused in my leadership class can be explained by a theory learned in my Justice class, which then applies to Shakespeare, and then carries over to how you interpret Blake or Dostoevsky!  And on top of all that, I’m constantly surrounded by really smart people who are equally eager to make these connections.  But more importantly, there’s this fundamental desire to understand how the ideas and concepts learned in the classroom can be applied to our world now. 

That's why I'm loving college.