Around this time of year, most college students are counting down the days (or hours) until the semester ends and summer break begins. Finals are lurking just around the corner, research papers are in the midst and students all over the U.S. are wishing the days would move faster so that their brains can take a much needed vacation. In any other circumstance, I would fit perfectly into this category; normally, my count-down calendar is taped to my dorm wall immediately after spring break. This year, however, I find myself begging the gods of time to take a nap and quit ticking away at the clock.

It is a feeling for which I almost feel guilty. Of course I miss my family and friends, and Monmouth College is just as much home to me as my hometown, but I love where I am, and I love the friends I have made here. I know that going home will be refreshing, and while I am sure that I will readjust easily, there is a twinge of fear that it will feel as foreign to me as any foreign country.

With graduation nearing, I am sure that many seniors can relate to my feelings. Home is not only where we grew up anymore. Home is Monmouth, and for many seniors, home is soon to be a new apartment or house in yet another new town. While it is all a little scary and sad, it must be exciting, and I hope that all the seniors find good fortune and luck ahead. With a Monmouth College diploma, how could anything possibly go wrong?

As for me, I have exactly one month left before I travel back to the U.S. I am sure that my last year at Monmouth will be full of exciting classes, fun with friends and lots of memory-making. While I will miss my experience abroad, it will be nice to feel grounded again. It will be amazing to share stories with my family, friends and professors. It will feel so good to be home again in Monmouth.

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