Missing Home

I miss home. I am starting to realize more and more that I am hiding it without meaning too. I have started to notice that I do one of two things when someone mentions something that I miss about home. I either continue on with the topic and recall great stories from that place, time or person, or I make a joke or change the topic in some way. I either talk about it so much it becomes annoying, or I change the subject immediately. I miss everything that I left.

I mean, traveling the world is great, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that requires sacrifices, and I wouldn't regret coming on this trip for a second. I just miss those lunches where we wouldn't even finish our food because we laughed all lunch long. I miss the sleepovers where all the secrets came out the later it got, and were all forgotten by morning. I miss those PE days where we would talk through the whole class and dodge the occasional ball. I miss those walks to the bus stop in the middle of February when we talk about life and problems and get it all out. I miss the Friday night parties when we'd walk home at midnight and crash in our beds. I could go on and on, but I won't because it's annoying when someone goes on about their problems forever.

I have talked to people over the phone, Google hangouts, Instagram, and text. It's not the same as going to school and seeing over 300 people you recognize in a day. It's a pretty drastic change when you go from seeing everyone everyday, to seeing absolutely no one you recognize for months at a time. It's like being left on an island, with everything you need to live, including your intermediate family, but without anyone else. It's like being surrounded by a pool of people, who can't speak, and don't want to be friends with you anyway (I'm not saying that Germans don't want to be friends with us, I'm just trying to prove a point). After a while, I can definitely say that our family has gotten closer, and that's a really nice thing but, you need variety in your life.

I am seeing now though that I can make it through this trip and be okay. It has almost been three months since we left, and they have flown by fast. This tells me that the remaining nine-ish months of travel will fly by as these have. I am excited to see the rest of the world, but I am also very excited to come home and see my friends.