It’s been two weeks since I’ve had to take a test, go to a lecture or open a text book; I’ve gotten more sleep in the last 14 days than in the previous semester; I’m finally back with all of my old friends; I’m free to go wherever I want without having to wait for a bus; and it seems like forever since I’ve felt overwhelmed by a to-do list. Yet somehow, I already miss school. I miss all of my friends in Iowa City. I miss sailing and date-parties and all of the other activities that kept me even busier than I liked to be. Honestly, I even miss going to class; I miss studying and learning and meeting friends at coffee shops. Most surprisingly, I miss the little closet of a room I used to live in – the couple hundred square feet where I slept and dressed and lived and studied, and shared space with someone else doing all of the same things.

I had quite the life last year. Enough routine to keep my sleep pattern in order but enough friends and unexpected events to ever keep me from getting bored. Enough space to survive and an organizational scheme that made it comfortable. It’s taking some adjusting to go back to life as it was a year ago–an adjustment probably aggravated by the fact that I’m not the same person I was last summer. I’ve built new time-management skills, new study skills, new leadership skills; and it’s frustrating to not be practicing them anymore. I’ve made a life at Iowa–I have a network of friends a comfortable routine. Truly, I have a home in Iowa City, and after just two weeks, I’m already homesick.