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I was over nine hours (by car) away from home, and I couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to stay in their state for college. This seemed like the dream life.

LIM made my transition seamless and easy. There were amazing student life activities, orientation was a chance to find your own little family, and the classes kept me captivated in learning.

When I was forced to return home to Ohio in March due to coronavirus, it felt as if something had been stolen from me. My freedom, my independence, my whole life. But with that sense of loss came something new, a chance to reconnect with my home. I bonded again with my parents and siblings. I became overly comfortable with the fact my best friend was never more than a short drive away.

I remember seeing this quote just before I moved back, it read something like, “you must leave the life you love to find a life you love enough more.” That’s exactly how it felt coming back to the city over the summer. I wasn’t sure how to move from one home to another.

I guess I could say I was a “late bloomer” to homesickness. Sure, I’d miss my family and friends, but it was never quite the extreme of homesickness I saw others around me feeling. With time, it did come, and I was left to learn how to balance my “original” home and my “new” home.

Some tips I have with learning that balance are to stay busy. If you’re living life to the fullest in New York, you’ll remember why you moved here in the first place. We can’t let the homesickness control us. But with that said, text, call, and facetime your family and friends as much as you need to.