Home vs. Boarding School

Home is so different from school.  Home is a place where I feel a relaxing ambience.  This past week has been my first full week back at home since school started and even though I had previously returned home for appointments of various sorts, the previous returns had been filled with an eminent feel of stress and anxiety.  This week, it has been very relaxing at home.  I have definitely cooled down my nerves from my first term at boarding school.

Home is very different from school.  I like both for different reasons.  I feel this is a perfect time to reflect on this topic as I have been fully immersed in boarding school for a solid term.  

HOME

At home, I have more indoor space.  I am one who deeply appreciates being able to move around.  My room is twice as big at home, and I have a whole house to myself.  I like to study in different rooms so being able to choose where I want to study is always a plus.  I find I am a little bit lazier at home.  In general, I consider myself a very active person and many would say they see me always on the move at school.  At home, sometimes I don’t leave the house until 11 AM and that’s usually to go grocery shopping or walk to get lunch.  There’s also no lights out.  Although it seems like such a minute detail, lights out can be stressful.  I often find myself at 10:51 PM rushing to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed before 11 PM.  And…there’s movies at home.  Initially I didn’t miss movies, but after 3 months of abstaining, it was unbearably difficult to always find myself turning to exercise for mental relaxation instead of a movie.  

BOARDING SCHOOL

Of course I’ve mentioned some of the cons to boarding school, such as lights out at 11 PM and the lack of entertainment.  However, there are many pros to living on campus, the most important being that I am outside more.  My dorm is simply too small for me to stay in there past 9 AM on any day, including the weekends.  I wake up earlier and go on morning runs downtown or wake up to play tennis on the weekends; I start my days earlier.  I like how I’m always surrounded by my friends as well.  There are simply more people to talk with and I’m beginning to appreciate that, having grown up an only child.  I can also make my own schedule and decide when I want to be in the dorm and when I want to be elsewhere studying.  I really appreciate the freedom boarding school gives.  I suppose another benefit of living in a boarding school where I have more things to balance on my plate, being responsible with time has become more and more critical.  

At the end of the day, my dorm will always just be my dorm.  Home is where I truly find comfort.  I miss the weekend outings and walks in Boston.  And did I mention the shower pressure at home is better?