Unpopular opinions: Homecoming edition
November 1, 2022
Window Seat? No Thank You!
I know I’m not the only one that gets the urge to return to my pimped-out DP crib before I even step foot in the $40+ Uber headed to the airport.
Like many Xavierites on campus, for me to get from point A to point B it takes a cost-efficient form of transportation (Uber/Lyft, plane, bike, bus, etc.) to get me there. From one broke college student to the next: why turn back when you and your pockets can just relax?
From the anxious TSA threatening to throw out all of your Bath & Body Works lotion, to the annoyances of traveling in a talkative Uber during rush hour and don’t even get me started on the prices of the plane tickets. Homecoming, not the T’d festivities that you put your best fit on for, but as in returning home over break … Overrated!
While the return home is often anticipated, I would rather stay where the curfew is nonexistent, and my sense of solidarity flourishes. I go out and come in when I please and more importantly, I’ve gained more sense of responsibility. When I spoke to my homie Journee Scott, a second-year psych/pre-med major from Houston, about her take on this unpopular opinion she was feeling me.
“What makes me want to return to my apartment is seeing my family doing fine without me,” Scott said. “It’s a bittersweet moment because knowing they’re safe and well, I can accomplish what I left home to do. To see my family’s accomplishments and progression from afar is a unique, indescribable feeling. It makes me cherish and respect them more,” Scott said.
Being away from home isn’t always a bad thing. The distance can even be used as motivation. I don’t know about you, but I come from a strict two-parent household meaning I’m in the house by 9 p.m. (before any of the outside festivities begin). My younger brother makes it his job to argue and bother me, but I wouldn’t say we’re good to laugh with them and make memories. Don’t get me wrong. But there also comes a time when you begin to appreciate being on your own and away from home!
(Photo courtesy of Khrystal Camilo)
There are a few families that are chaotic within the first 15 minutes of the reunion. Where the idea of home is the opposite of nurturing and calm. So, quality time might not be an option for everyone. Keeping in mind that not everyone loves homecoming. I was chopping it up with my neighbor Khrystal Camilo, a second-year biology Pre-med major from Boston, Mass., on our way to grab two Spicy Chicken Deluxe – with American cheese.
“When I’m home, I work and keep busy just to avoid being stuck in the house. School isn’t just about pursuing my education anymore; it’s become an outlet for me,” Camilo said. “I’m surrounded by a community that gives me resources to find peace and I’m given my own space something I couldn’t get back at home with such a big family.”
While the majority might’ve traveled home for fall break traveling to the café was easier because the lines were short, and the campus was quiet. Absolutely no foot traffic to hold up the elevators and oh those neighbors who’d usually blast music until 1 a.m. were a distant memory. [At least until Monday night].
Shaheed Johnson, a fellow Xavierite from California, agreed with me as I started to think that maybe this opinion isn’t so unpopular.
“I don’t look forward to the long flights, the layovers, and amount of time I’m allowed home, we have just a few days off which is never enough just to turn right back around,” Johnson said.
A couple of days off is nice but me traveling 818 miles just to spin the block within two days is crazyyy. Can I get an Amen?
I refuse to go back to dealing with “who’s week it is to wash dishes” or eating leftovers for a week straight knowing (even though the home-cooked meals be bussing) the café would at least provide me with daily options and the bread rolls never miss. A window seat? In a cramped car with my gassy little brother or boarding a flight that just so happens to have two crying newborns on board, No Thanks!
Besides, sharing a room with a roomie in your age group is way better than sharing a room with a sibling who doesn’t understand the concept of using the dirty clothes hamper.
