It Feels like Home to Me....

I finally discovered the online journal of a dear friend today that tracks his long trip in Europe. As I read through his entries, I felt a keen sense of homesickness. This feeling was quite strange to me as a) I only knew this friend for a few years in college and b) I'd never stayed in Europe remotely long enough to call it my home.

Throughout my life, I've never been great at making long-term friendships; in fact, I've stayed in touch with only one person from my high school. (Two if you count Brian but he's a family friend as well). Hopefully, this tendency toward friendships of convenience has changed over the last 4 years.

I've never lived anywhere for more than 5 years except for Novi where I lived for 7 years before moving to Ann Arbor. When people ask me where my hometown is, Novi is my answer. Still, there is a sense of rootlessness I feel because I've never truly felt any geographic location was home. I can't see myself settling down anywhere long term in the future either. Home has always been symbolized by people. Home was where my family was. Home is where the people I love are.

Although this friend and I spent only a few years together in the same place, he represents a piece of who I was during that time. Those were a rough two years during which I had to lean heavily on those around me. I've matured and changed for the better since then, but there's a part of my identity and personality from those years that I miss. I've heard somewhere once that you feel at home with those you truly love. I think that's why I felt homesick.

Random Thoughts from the Weekend

• There is a fruit fly nest (or whatever they live/breed in) in my kitchen. Thoughts on how to get rid of their home?
  
• I haven't seen some of my roommates for more than 5 minutes at a time since last weekend.
• Tally Hall rocks. Everyone should see them in concert at least once.
• The new students coming to both InterVarsity and my church are overwhelmingly female.
• The nice thing about having a boyfriend who can cook is that I get fed yummy food. The bad thing is that I'll have to learn how to cook more than the 2 dishes I know already.
• Not eating enough fruit has negative consequences on the body.
  
• Acuvue advanced contact lenses are a lot thicker than the original Acuvue lenses.
• When I'm hungry, I prefer a juicy steak with barbecue chips over a dessert buffet.
• I bought a TNIV Bible. I really like the translation.
• I miss playing classical piano.
• The new season of Alias begins this week.
• Chanel Paris' Coco Mademoiselle smells really good. I think it's my new perfume.
  

Happy Thoughts

Things that made me smile today:

• Getting an email from Mrs. Lizzy Douglass
• Planning a weekend trip to Chicago to see my foos
• Movie night with my Deezy-weezy
• J-e-s-u-s
• The fact my stomach growled during the last 2 hours at work
• Late night chats over hot chai on a porch swing

Double Life

I feel like I live in two worlds. From 9-5, I work at an office with people I have been working with since May. Nothing is changing much at work.

After work, I go home to a bustling campus life. We're reaching out to new students, throwing events and activities, staying up till 1 AM socializing, talking about things such as "fall break" and "spring break," neither of which I have anymore.

I realized yesterday at the Barbeque that I don't really connect with freshmen anymore. Last year I was little Miss Social. When people asked me what year I was I could say "oh, I'm a senior" and start all sorts of smalltalk about goals, dreams, majors, classes, etc. This year, they ask me and I would say "oh, I graduated and am working now." The freshmen then physically turn away to talk to a much cooler junior or senior.

NSO for IV and URC is keeping me busy! I can't wait for this evening - I'll finally get to spend more than 1 hour in my apartment since I got back from the west side of the state on Tuesday.

It's September.

Today, I:

• slept in as much as I could
• went to work
• ordered new contacts
• registered for the Psych GRE
• paid my bills
• switched my Internet service
• finished planning the service for Sunday
• emailed lots of people
• mailed my Physiology book which I sold over Ebay
• called my mom =)