There is No Place like Home
The day has finally arrived. The car is packed to the top. We leave school, look back and see the Eastern University sign slowly disappearing in the distance. Then before I know it, the Maryland Welcomes You sign flashes by. As I enter the town in which I have lived my entire life memories come flooding in. My driveway acts as if it is pulling us in and butterflies are flitting around in my stomach. I spy my little black Honda Accord, which I long to drive and which seems to be quietly calling my name to take it for a spin. But my house looks even more inviting with its bright Christmas lights and familiar shutters. The car slowly makes it up the driveway as I let out a long sigh of relief. The wait was over, home was right in front of me. The same time that I get out of the car, my family pours out the front door with arms wide open.
I believe that what Dorothy says is true, “there is no place like home.” Sometimes its takes a long period away from the place we call home, to realize how much it truly means to us. We cannot so easily click our heels and go home as Dorothy did though. For me, home is where my four favorite people reside, my mom, dad, brother, and sister. When spending hours and hours with these people daily and 17 plus years, their presence is too normal to truly appreciate. But now that they are no longer within reach, I realize how much they mean to me. Home is not just a roof over our heads or a place to sleep at night. It’s an oasis, to which we love to retreat back to.
Home is the only place I feel I can truly be myself. Home is where we celebrate our happiest moments, like a college acceptance letter or a Redskin’s win. Home is my mom’s spaghetti and cheesecake, my dad’s soft laugh, my sister’s beautiful smile, and my brother’s humor. It’s a place where I can be lazy, and lay on the couch all day watching movies …Remember the Titans, The Goonies, and Ever After to name a few. It’s a place where I can be active and shoot hoops in my driveway, challenging my dad to a game of around the world.
This is the place I will never forget and always miss when I am away. Creating a “home” away from home takes time and effort. For those students who go to a college hours away from home like myself, we must leave everything behind, everything we once knew. We have a new beginning and a totally different lifestyle. We never forget our family and friends; we just learn to live without them. The past few months away have made me realize that there is truly no place like home.