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Originally Posted by luxinterior

I understand that in many cases it's good to "see the world" or whatever if you have the opportunity, but it's still not for everyone, no matter which way you turn it. My only real opportunity to do so is through college, but I have no desire to spend that much time anywhere if I have to do it college style (which to me means dorm life coupled with having no actual money to do anything, because let's face it, few things come by free). The whole experience is bad enough as it is. And it's just made worse when you have to put yourself in the middle of some place that's not even familiar to you. I don't like the feeling of constantly being at college, which is how I felt in Chicago. Being in a dorm room is much worse than being in a classroom setting. And now at community college, I only spend a few hours a day at school, and then I can go home, which makes it all much more tolerable.

Like I said, I would be interested in traveling the world and etc, but it's not a realistic expectation in any way. Once I'm out of school, the opportunity probably won't present itself. And coupling school with a new place pretty much ruins the new place for me, so there is little hope that I'll ever attempt both at the same time.

Hmm... see, i understand this a bit. growing up in a 3rd-world country i of course lived at home while attending college. i didn't have to worry about money, clothes, food, anything because i had that safety net and i could devote myself 100% to studying-- same as all my school peers (it's just a different culture). however, i came to the u.s. and i was sooooo liberating to be FAR from everyone! but i know a lot of people (cousins, uncles, etc) who have lived in the same house their whole lives and they are good productive people, have healthy families, etc).

now, about dorms, they are shit, because you're a natural introvert and dorms are loud fucking horrid places with no privacy. so i understand the stress upon your nervous system. but you can still find a quite room somewhere where an adult lives & make the most of it.

in any case, yeah, going away not a model for everyone. not everyone is born to be "adventurous". emily dickinson lived all her life in the same house.

however, on the subject of friends, etc-- life changes, friends change, everyone goes off & creates their own lives whether they stay in their hometown or go abroad, and it sucks but you'll have to adapt to the fact that your highschool friends won't stay the same one way or another, and in fact if they stay the same it's a sign that something is wrong with them. you change too, everybody changes, for good or bad, and that's life.

in other words, the paradise of your childhood and teenage years is forever gone and you can't go back, i'm afraid. have a ceremony and bury it some place nice, cos it's not coming back...