I’ve been 28 hours into Fall Break so far, and I can say, it’s been an awesome 28 hours.
Although my hometown is actually Manchester, Iowa, a small town in the Northeastern part of the state, I’ve recently taken to calling Hope my home. Someone around campus might say, “Hey Sophie, what are you up to?” and I’ll reply “Aw, I think I’m just gonna head home for a while” (in reference to my dorm.)
But Fall Break came around, and I was actually headed back home to Iowa to see my family for the first time since Orientation.
My mom drove the 6-7 hours it takes to get from Manchester to Holland and picked me up yesterday afternoon and then we proceeded to drive the 6-7 hours it takes to get back home as well. Not to get all mushy and stuff, but I’m so grateful that she traveled over 12 hours in one day just so we could get in an extra six hours of talk time in the car together. We had a blast catching up face-to-face with all of the fun happening in both of our lives.
Upon returning back home, I found the same house, same family, same dog, essentially same everything that I left here when I came to Hope. There was even the same fruit snacks I left behind in our pantry because no one eats fruit snacks in my household except for me (although I can’t quite decide yet if I should eat them or not. That’s still to be determined.)
Today I’ve seen a bunch of people all around town who are super excited to see me, and I’m super excited to see them, too. It’s fun to catch up with them and see how things are going.
Sometimes people ask me, “How does it feel to be so far away from home?” and I’ve often answered that “Hope feels like home to me”, which couldn’t be more true. I do feel like I’m home when I’m at Hope.
But now that I’ve returned to my usual stomping grounds, I’ve gotten a little bit of a different perspective.
No matter where you go to college, how far away you go, or what type of school you choose, you’ll still be farther away than you’ve ever been to the ties you had when you were growing up and throughout high school. That’s what is truly awesome about college. When you go to college, you open a door that leads to new relationships, new perspectives, and new experiences… then you come home and find what you left back home is still waiting for you when you return.
Enjoy the time with your family this weekend — I know I will be!
Want to keep up with Iowa events this weekend and what’s going on at Hope? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @hopesophie17. If you have any questions, comments, or just want more information, definitely send me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.
Happy Fall Break!