Six Months and a Wave of Homesickness

Who knew the six-month mark would bring with it an overwhelming feeling of homesickness? I think everyone becomes homesick after a big move. After I moved to Oklahoma, I longed for Kansas and my elementary friends. Then about a month into college, I wanted nothing more than to return home to Oklahoma where my family and high school friends were. Funny how Oklahoma had become my new home. Now I miss Kansas and Oklahoma. In the past four years, the two have melded into my unique home, where my family and high school friends in Edmond, and my college friends in Lawrence. Two very different places with two very different sets of people, but both equally close to my heart.

I chose to move to Los Angeles. No one forced me, and I know my family would have been happier if I had chosen a closer destination. In the same way I chose KU, I decided on LA. In high school, I had pretty much packed my bags to either UNC or Duke, but after a KU representative visited my high school I started to question my choices. I was born a Jayhawk and continued to be a loyal fan. Why hadn’t I thought of KU before, and just like that I changed my mind.

For the majority of college, I planned to move to Chicago after graduation. The winter of my senior year was exceptionally cold, which planted a seed of doubt in my mind. I disliked Kansas’s winter. How was I going to survive the sub-zero temperatures of the Windy City? Simply, I wasn’t. Making a list of possible cities, I threw in Los Angeles because it was a big city. One by one I found something wrong with each of the cities on my list. Chicago and New York City- too cold. Kansas City- too overcrowded with KU and MU alums. Oklahoma City- I didn’t want to move home. Dallas- too close to home. Denver- hmm a possibility but not the right available jobs. San Diego- too close to the border. Finally, the only one left was Los Angeles- the land of opportunity.

So that is how I got here, unfortunately moving to LA was a little further away than going to college in Kansas. Moving across the country should come with a manual on how to overcome homesickness. I haven’t found a cure yet. While it was manageable at first, it had become something of a nuisance now. I miss my friends. I miss my parents. I miss my sisters. I miss my nieces. I miss college life and Lawrence. I miss my simple life.

I love LA, and I don’t plan on leaving any time soon. I know the homesickness will pass, just like it did two times before in my life. In the time being, I plan to keep busy and call my family and friends often. The past six months have been a whirlwind, and I can’t believe I have been here this long. Hopefully the next six months will be as exciting, with a little less homesickness.