Getting Back into the Groove

Well, summer has started. For me, that means I’ve wrapped up my classes, moved out of my dorm room, taken a roadtrip from LA to San Francisco with my dad (in my dying ’98 Volvo S70, no less), moved into my grandparent’s guest bedroom, and started my community management/strategy internship with Livefyre. It’s been busy, and to be completely honest, it doesn’t feel like summer has started at all. This past week, I’ve been struggling with a lot of emotions as I’ve tried to adjust to my new lifestyle in the Bay Area. On the one hand, I’m excited about a lot of my opportunities and I know it will be a great summer. On the other hand, I’ve been struck by a huge bout of homesickness. I’m not sure what exactly has sparked it, but it’s been rough. I’d like to go back home and spend time with my family. I won’t be able to go home until August, and until then, I’ll have only spent one week at home in a total of seven months. I suppose this is all part of the “growing up, moving out” mentality I’m supposed to be adopting. I don’t even feel that immature or anything — I don’t get homesick at school much. It’s just hit me recently.

Part of me believes that I’m starting to realize the “real world” is knocking on my door, and rather loudly. One year from now, I’ll be a college graduate, and I’ll be on my own, really out in the real world. It’s left me wondering why I’m spending my last summer in school living away from home and working a full-time job. The answer is simple: that’s what’s expected. To be successful after school, I have to start working now. I really enjoy being a part of the Livefyre team, but the pure and simple truth is that I’d like to be at home, relaxing with my dog, reading, and playing video games for the entire summer. Of course, we can’t all get what we want. Nor can we relax and chill out for the entire summer just because we want to. Laziness is tempting, I’ll admit. So, with those thoughts in mind, I’m going to take a deep breath and give this homesickness a kick in the pants. At the very least, it can serve as a good reminder that I love my family, my home, and that I’m well loved in return.

Also, I know my last few weeks at home before I go back to Scripps (a week early — I get to work orientation, huzzah!) in August will be especially sweet, since I’ll have been looking forward to them for so long. Countdowns on the calendar are always fun, anyway. Right? Right! In the meantime, I’ll be working my tail off at Livefyre, taking some golf lessons (not sure how that’ll turn out…), and doing some thesis research. I’m sure that, before I know it, it’ll be August!