Oh, You're Back

Has it been over a month since my last post? Oops.
But I'm back! Happy Fall!
It's been about a week since I've returned to SU after fall break- which was a great time to come home. But you know what the weird thing was? The world had somehow been able to cope with my absence and had...continued to go on.
Okay, I wasn't expecting some sort of scenario from SpongeBob when Sandy comes back to Bikini Bottom and sees the city in shambles and puts her little butterfly in a jar and then everyone in the city cheers and parades her through the town and she says, "I didn't realize I'd be missed so much. Golly, maybe I should leave town more often!" You know what I mean.
It seems like a lot of freshers felt that way when we all came back and talked about it during our Perspectives class. Really, seven weeks feels like a long time to us. In those busy weeks, we've kind of become new people. More independent, more experienced, more knowledgeable, more friendships grown, another home, and we want to come back home and go "Hey everyone! I come bringing good tidings and happiness! Celebrate my return!" Well, it sounds something like that. Instead of the amazing celebration we believe should happen, we get "Oh, you're back. How is college?" And then the excitement dies down inside of us.
It's kind of like kneading a ball of dough. If you take a piece of the dough out, the bigger portion continues to be kneaded and fills the hole. Then, when you try and integrate that dough again, it's a lot harder, sometimes impossible.
I'm not saying every home for us was completely taken over and we were sent out to spend fall break in the cold. Fall break was great! I loved spending time with my family and hanging with my friends. But... there was an obvious air, excluding my immediate home and friends, of being a foreigner in a place that used to be my main walking grounds. There is a piece of me that knows that my life has turned in a different direction. I have a new role. I'm not a high school student at Boyertown; I'm not a Sunday school teacher at Calvary; I'm not even a piano student at Frederick Living. Now, I'm a Susquehanna student, a Selinsgrove church attender, a handbell choir member, a Circle K server.
So, yeah, it's an interesting feeling, having that awkward sensation of feeling a bit out of place. Slowly, I'm seeing SU becoming my new walking grounds instead of Souderton or Boyertown. But it's a joy to know that there is a home waiting for me, family and close friends that love me and keep me updated. And now, it's an exciting feeling to know that I'm making another home for myself, another place where I'm growing into a single, independent person, creating my own traditions, setting my own schedule, and organizing my own priorities. It's exhilarating.
Hopefully more posts will be coming sooner than a month from now. Until then, enjoy the beautiful fall weather!