I honestly don’t remember packing my stuff up 11 years ago to move away from home into my college dorm. I do remember saying goodbye to my parents at the gas station and being pleasantly surprised that they both cried, even though we’d be seeing each other in less than a week. I found out years later that the only reason my mom cried was that she was worried I’d flunk out and be back at home within the semester. And I deserved that. I graduated high school a completely mediocre student – no honors, no scholarships (except for HOPE which only required a 3.0 at the time), C’s in Chemistry and Algebra II. I wasn’t out partying all the time; I was just lazy and put in very little effort. Plus, not caring about my grades was another way to make myself different from my sisters, and back then, it was really important for me to stand out from them (classic Middle Child Syndrome).
Thankfully, I did not flunk out of college. I spent one year at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia before I transferred to Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. I graduated from GSU in May of 2012 and headed off to graduate school at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. During this time, I spent the summer of 2013 in West Long Branch, New Jersey in an internship at Monmouth University. I took my first full-time professional position at USC before finishing my graduate degree, so I was in Columbia until March of 2015 when I moved to LaGrange, Georgia to work at LaGrange College. Finally, I left LaGrange College in May 2016 to pursue a new career with the federal government in Fairhope, Alabama.
I have thoroughly enjoyed moving around and being away from home this last decade, and I thought it would be fun to reminisce on my time away as I prepare to move back next month. So, here’s what I learned from each of my six homes-away-from-home.
Valdosta, Georgia (August 2007): For my first year of college, I chose to stay very close to home (about 1 hour away) because I was so worried about leaving my family that year. My mom had a massive heart attack in 2006 before my senior year of college, my dad’s mom, Nanny, passed away, and my oldest sister was pregnant with my precious nephew. I just felt so strongly that they needed me nearby. To be honest, we were still living in fear that Momma could have another spontaneous dissection at any time and we could lose her. Somehow, over the next year, my fear melted away and I figured out that my family wouldn’t implode without me. By the end of that school year, I had found my wings and was ready to spread them and move a little further away.
Statesboro, Georgia (August 2008): Being three hours away from home really allowed me to grow into my independence. I consider Statesboro to be the first place I really thrived away from home. It’s no secret that the only reason I knew Georgia Southern existed is that my boyfriend at the time had decided to go there. I didn’t really care to continue doing long-distance with him, so I asked my dad to go check out the campus with me so that maybe I could go there too. I fell in love with Georgia Southern and Statesboro immediately, and every year I spent there just strengthened and deepened that love. It certainly affirmed for me that God puts you in the right place at the right time (even if your original intentions for going are dumb and selfish). My time in Statesboro provided a lot of growth; it was in that place that I became the person I am today.
Columbia, South Carolina (August 2012): I moved to Columbia to try out what I liked to call “big city living” for the first time. I was so sure that I would love being in such a populated area, surrounded by great food and lots of fun things to do. My first year in graduate school, I did love it. I was surrounded by more diversity than I ever had been before, and I gained a profound appreciation of people with different backgrounds and belief systems. It was also in Columbia that I learned how to teach and be taught. Finally, in my second year (after being in NJ that summer), Columbia taught me that big city living wasn’t for me. At least not right now. Traffic makes me angry, and being a very small part of a very large machine (in my work life) wasn’t the best for my quality of life.
West Long Branch, New Jersey (Summer, 2013): New Jersey holds such a special place in my heart. That summer was amazing – living right on the beach, taking the train into New York City, and getting to know the wonderfully kind souls at Monmouth University. It was here that I learned how quickly I could fall in love with people and vice versa (‘cuz they loved me too!). I got to be fully immersed in a different culture (that of the American northeast) which taught me a lot about being Southern, as well. During my time in NJ, my supervisor chose “adventurous” as a word to describe me. This was the first time anyone had used this word to describe me, and it felt like a revelation! I have worn that word like a badge of honor ever since. New Jersey was also where I learned (or finally accepted) that I do, in fact, have an accent.
LaGrange, Georgia (March 2015): LaGrange is where I fell back in love with small town life. Maybe it was just because of current events at the time, but the lovely people I met in LaGrange provided a safe place for me to grow into my beliefs. I developed a professional confidence through my amazing job, where I was made to feel like an essential member of the team. My supervisor and coworkers really believed in me and trusted my expertise, and I had a lot of responsibility and autonomy. LaGrange also allowed me to fall in love with my home state again. I was closer to home than I had been in years – only two and a half hours away – and I found that I really enjoyed spending more time with my family and being closer to them.
Fairhope, Alabama (May 2016): This was probably my toughest move. I really took a leap of faith in leaving my career to pursue something that seemed completely different. I shed a lot of tears over all the changes that were coming at one time and my uncertainty that I would ever find fulfillment, professionally, again. But the Lord provided a wonderful opportunity in a welcoming place for me to start over, and I learned that my fulfillment is truly found in serving others. I am blessed to be in a job where I still get to serve. Moving to Fairhope also taught me that there are so many beautiful places I don’t even know exist! I had never heard of Fairhope before I was offered a job here, and what a precious little town it has turned out to be. I’ve loved introducing friends and family to the area, as well.
All these places brought me wonderful friends and mentors. In my travels, I’ve learned to trust and rely on myself; I’ve learned to love solitude and have become a bit introverted; I’ve discovered my priorities and become confident in my choices to pursue them. Moving away from home made me a real, bonafide adult.
I can’t count the amount of times I’ve told people, “I’ll never go back to Worth County, Georgia – there’s nothing there for me.” But in the last couple of years, my feelings have completely changed. It took me 10 years to have any desire to move back home; but God’s timing is perfect and I know His hand is on this. I’m genuinely excited to take all the lessons living away for 11 years has brought me and bring them back home. I can’t wait to spend more time with my family, reconnect with old friends, be helpful to the people I love most, and get involved in my family’s church. I’m so thankful that my parents are welcoming me back with open arms. I appreciate your prayers as we start packing this weekend and as we do the big move on June 8th and 9th. Next stop: Poulan, Georgia (June 2018).
