Home is the place students escape to when they need a break from “college life.” It is where students go when they want a decent meal and a comfortable bed to sleep in; however, not all students are a hop, skip or jump away from home. For some students the escape from college life, to a home-cooked meal and comfortable bed are far away from Hamden.
The students at Quinnipiac come from all different states and countries. Sophomore Kayln Hundley’s home is in Gulf Breeze, Fla., part of the panhandle. Junior Abel James resides in St. Lucia in the West Indies. Sophomore Alexander Achigb comes from Port-Harcourt Riverstate Nigeria. Sophomore Francis Mavula is from Ottawa, Canada. All of them know what it is like to live far from home. They all agree there are both advantages and disadvantages to being a long way from home.
“I get to see a completely new part of the country and experience a different culture; it’s tons of fun – the accents and different words that are used for certain things. Also, I’ve met some amazing people which make’s it all worth it,” Hundley said.
James feels that living far from home has taught him many valuable lessons such as being independent. “You have to learn to quickly adapt,” James said.
Making your own decisions is a plus to living away from home. Along with the advantage of making your own decisions comes the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being able to see new things and experiencing different things from back home are what make living far away enjoyable and rewarding for these students.
Along with the advantages of living far from home come the disadvantages.
Missing loved ones and not being able to see them on a regular basis is a drawback. Another downside is that these students are not able to be home for different events and things that happen while they are away. Also, not being able to go home on weekends is a negative aspect of living far from home.
There are also many differences between home and here. The weather, food and attitudes are some things that are different for these students.
“Sometimes it gets lonely in the sense that you have been away for so long,” James said.
After graduation, a deciding factor whether these students will continue to live far away or return closer to home will depend on where the jobs are. “I’m not really sure what I’m going to do when I graduate, wherever I can get a job,” Hundley said.
For these students going home is something eagerly anticipated, since it happens only a few times a year. In Florida, St. Lucia, Nigeria and Canada there are home-cooked meals to be had, and cozy beds to be slept in and students that cannot wait to get to them.
“There’s an essence [about home] that is unexplainable,” Hundley said.
