BLOG: Finally Going Home
As the number of weeks until Thanksgiving break has dwindled to the point of being counted on one hand, I’ve found myself walking with a little more spring in my step. As I look at this month’s page in my calendar, rather than being panic stricken by the multitude of due dates for projects and papers, I am as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve to see that I have only four papers and a video project between me and a home-cooked meal. There are only two weeks and 500 miles between me and a hug from my mom and dad, a nap on the floor with my cocker spaniel and a good laugh with some old friends.
Of course, nothing’s perfect. I won’t have time to see all of my friends, which will invariably hurt a few feelings. Between visits, lunches and time with family, there won’t be much in the way of true relaxation. All the while in the back of my mind, there will be the reality of another long drive and even more papers and projects to be done. My dog will look at me with the eyes of a betrayed child as I pack my suitcase again. My mom will cry. I will feel like an axe murderer for choosing a school so far away from home.
The 17-year-old Jackie who first applied to the University of South Dakota couldn’t wait to get out of her violent, crime-ridden and bad-driver-infested hometown to double major in CMJ and Native Studies, to make films, to write and meet people like me who enjoy learning for learning’s sake. Two years later, I am living that girl’s dream, only we are now very different people. I suppose it is the most common of life’s clichés that I have come to miss everything I couldn’t wait to leave behind. I imagine one day I’ll even feel the same way about living in a dorm, though I dread the future that would subject me to that sort of sick nostalgia. Yikes.
In any case, I’m counting down. My semester hasn’t been terrible, and home isn’t perfect, but I’m excited for the upcoming break just the same. Even though it hurts every time I have to leave, there really is no greater feeling than coming home again.
