Being back definitely allowed me to see things in a different light. To be honest I didn't really miss home the first few months I was in college. Perhaps it was partly due to the fact that it's so easy to be preoccupied - even when there isn't anything to do. On top of that, T-mobile's terrible network had given me excuses for unanswered and unreturned calls. I got to experience the renowned collegiate freedom (almost without consequences), and it was as if the world halted to my pleasure. Coming back though, I realized much has happened in my absence: the shift and addition of furnitures, the sudden passings of Mr Wong and Mr. Law, etc. But amidst all of that and regardless of my neglect, I was happy to find that I still have a place here that will always welcome me. Getting off from the airport by myself and seeing my parents looking for me outside the concourse, sitting inside the car with someone handing you a nice warm jacket, and going into my room to see it all tidy and clean - those are the things that I had taken for granted for way too long.
College is nice and I do enjoy it. But for those of you who are fidgeting to get out of your house for it, appreciate what you have now, too. Before your mother's nagging disappears from your ears, embrace the time that you still have with her. And before you hold another bitter grudge against your father for not letting you going out for the night, savor the fact that someone is doing his best to look out for you. Because once you are on your own, you will have none of that. And after all, home will always be where the heart is.
