Write about leaving home.

Honestly, I am not sure if I have yet to leave home. I live in an apartment near my university, about a two hours drive away from my parents, brothers, and pets. Half of my belongings stay in my apartment, while the other half stay with my family. I never know which place to call home. In one domain, I cook and clean for myself, but in the other are the people I love most in the world.

The first time I drove away from my family home, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of excitement and nostalgia. I did not have any sentimental attachment to the house we had recently moved into, but memories of my home town rushed through my mind as quickly as I drove through it. There was the Publix where I begged my mom to buy me “gross cookies,” the Sonic that my friends and I walked to from my childhood home for milkshakes, and the dojo where I grew mentally and physically through karate. The road, itself, carried more memories than I could ever describe.

The further I got from home, the more I thought about my final destination—college. My lifetime of education had more than adequately prepared me for college, but I had no idea what to expect. For the first time in my life, no one was going to make sure that I made it out of the house in time for class, and I would be living with people I had never met.

More than anything, I felt fiercely independent. My life was officially my own. I could receive full credit for my accomplishments and only had myself to blame for my faults. From a developmental perspective, moving away from home and having almost complete independence was the best method possible for me to develop into a mature adult. Granted, I am not sure that I am actually mature OR an adult.

Despite the distance, I leave one home to visit the other very often. As much as I love seeing my family and animals, I find it difficult to leave my independence behind at college. Living in two completely different realms is difficult, especially when you can go out to buy pizza at 2AM in one, but have a curfew in the other. Just like everything in life, leaving home required learning balance, and coming home even more so.