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My Definition of Home is Changing

This past weekend I went to Boston, Massachusetts to visit some friends. I was excited to leave Hanover or as I like to call it, the middle of the woods. I -- along with many others -- jokingly refer to Dartmouth's location as incredibly remote, to put it in nice terms. We sometimes say that we need to get away and go and visit civilization. For me, it's an incredibly big shift coming from the NY metro area which is so densely populated; to put it in perspective, I attended a high school that had an enrollment of 3,156 while Dartmouth's undergraduate enrollment is 4,3110.

The busy streets of Boston, Massachusetts
When I got to Boston, I realized that the atmosphere, obviously, was much different. The air was different -- it wasn't as fresh and crisp, the people in the city didn't smile as they passed each other like is common in Hanover. I quickly realized how accustomed I had become to life in Hanover. I realized how much I came to like life in Hanover. The relaxed nature of life in Hanover allows you to have fewer worries, it almost allows you to focus more since you aren't being stimulated by your environment as much. I stayed with my friend from Harvard and we began to catch up on everything that had changed in our lives recently. I noticed that when we talked about "home," images of Dartmouth came to my mind instead of my home in New Jersey. I thought of Baker Tower and studying in Sanborn (a study space in one of the libraries on campus), I thought of when I have dinner with my friends at FOCO, and of the times I lay on the green enjoying the last few days of summer. I realized that my definition of "home" has begun to mean Dartmouth. Here, at Dartmouth, I feel at home. I've come to involve myself so much in this space that it's slowly becoming a part of my identity.
Baker lit up slightly different than usual. What comes to mind when I think of "home."
I hope that you too find your home, and if it's here at Dartmouth, welcome to the family. We cannot wait to meet you. Disclaimer: @ my parents who will most likely read this: This does not in any way mean I do not miss my home in NJ.

 

Posted 11/4/2017 at 3:30 PMAll Text Posts