Realizing you've been away for so long.

College Confidential Community
1

<p>I’ve been in the United States for almost two years now. One summer, and a short winter break I got to spend with my family for that entire time.</p>

<p>Today, it so cruelly dawned on me for how long I’ve been gone from those I love most, how much of their everyday mundane and rich life I’ve missed out on. An e-mail popped out congratulating me on my birthday – signed Mom, Dad, Sister and… Some guy’s name. What the hell, I thought, I suddenly got a brother? Some uncle that’s visiting? A mysterious dog my parents took in and forgot to tell me about?</p>

<p>It took me several minutes to figure out it must be the guy my sister’s been seeing. He’s moved in and everything - it just took a while for me to realize that yes, they’re engaged, yes, this guy I’ve hardly met is part of our family now. I should be able to locate his name on a birthday card. It felt so lonely in that very second, knowing the entire composition of my family has changed – and I wasn’t even around to be part of that, experience that shift together with my parents and sister.</p>

<p>God. I don’t regret taking this opportunity to cross the atlantic, but boy is it depressing at times.</p>

2

<p>I’m sorry.
But it’s family–you always have a place there and it can always shift to include you. Friends are a different matter.</p>

3

<p>I’m scared of something like this happening when I go to college. Hope I keep in touch with everyone.</p>

4

<p>This was really nice frrrph, very sweet. You’re a good kid, I don’t think your place in the family will ever change, not when they have a member like you. Just keep remembering this anytime you start to procrastinate with your studies, and you will remember of the great sacrafices you are making for another type of wisdom, though you already withhold another type that many of us lack. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Oh, thank you for the kind words, they are very muchly appreciated right now. We’ve already been through so much as a family – I wish I could be there to share some good things with them, too.</p>

6

<p>This is why I’m going to college only 2 hours away driving. It would have been great to be in DC/Baltimore, but I didn’t like any colleges in the area.</p>

7

<p>^yeah. I didn’t apply anywhere over 7 hours away. I wanted to be able to get home in a day. I’m only going to be about two hours away from home. which is far enough to be officially “away,” but still not cut off.</p>

8

<p>My family might be moving back to Sweden this summer, and even though we’ve always been a bit dysfunctional, I sort of selfishly hope they won’t have to, because I know I’ll miss them insanely if they do.</p>