They really weren’t lying when they said your years in college will fly by. For me, my college career ran just a few terms short. I was able to get all my major classes done by this fall term of my senior year. The only classes I have left are able to be taken online so I thought, why go back to Eugene (especially during winter term?! AKA the most brutal term ever). Not only would I be going back to the cold, icy, grey world of winter in Eugene, but I would be going back to an empty apartment without my best friend Manon, who has been by my side since freshman year. We both were able to get out of Eugene two terms earlier which was definitely God’s purposeful actions. He knew we could not do this thing called “college” without one another so he made sure we started and ended side by side. Noah, you’re done so early! What are you going to do next?! Well… let me break it down for you. While I am no longer physically in Eugene anymore, I still have to take two more classes which will be online. This works perfectly for me as I will be packing all my things and moving to Charlotte, North Carolina to stay with my amazing god-mom and sister for the rest of the school year. There, I will be working and finding out who really is “Noah”. It will give me a few months to get my mind right, and to be with family who truly loves and welcome me into their home. My god-sister is a senior in high school so it will be nice to have someone around to keep me happy and tell me about all the crushes and drama that come with high school. My god mom will keep me busy. I will have chores. I will keep an eye on things around the house when they are gone for soccer tournaments and all that good stuff. It will be a little slower than I am used to but being a Capricorn… nothing stops me from keeping me busy. I hope to step into the bartending scene and enjoy my last few months of having the freedom to find myself before the summer comes around. While I obviously have an amazing opportunity to take this time to reflect and plan for my future, I can’t help but feel a strong sense of displacement. I grew up in LA. LA is my home. Throughout the past few months, “home” is this out-of-body feeling that I used to have and have to work hard to get to in the near future. I lost both of my childhood homes in the same year of 2016. From there, that feeling of “home” is just a memory now. I lived with my mom and bestfriend, back and forth for the past few months. I lost my last feeling of a home when at my dads for many reasons. Charlotte, in more ways than one, has felt like more of a home and belonging for me than staying in LA. I have a bed to call my own again. The pillow I rest my head on every night. I have a closet. I have my own bathroom. I have a small sliver of “home” again and my heart is slowly growing again. While I know, Charlotte is temporary, my life is already coming out of this depressed and anxious stage. Two months ago, I felt like my presence was a burden to others. Now, miles away from what I am used to, I feel more at home than ever. Cheers to the known, the unknown, and all the fuck-ups that come with life.