For the past year, I have been residing in Virginia and living out my dream of becoming a veterinarian. Being six hours away from home has helped me grow in more ways than I originally expected. I have become more independent and enjoy taking care myself and knowing the responsibilities I have to do for that day. As I drove away from my home in the country of the Blue Ridge Mountains I felt a ping of longing as I didn’t want to leave just yet. I had built a life with new friends and it was hard to drive away for the summer. It wasn’t until I pulled in the driveway when I heard my mother calling my name and asking for help in the garden that I remembered the life I had left in Ohio and waiting for me at home.
I decided to take off two weeks before starting my new job for my internship with the USDA. I used this time to visit family and friends. Being someone who always takes an opportunity to travel, I would be lying to say it wasn’t hard to use those weeks catching up with people I haven’t seen in several months instead of taking another trip across the world. While in vet school, it is so hard to keep in touch with everyone that is important in your life and it’s important to still make time for them when you can. Taking these two weeks off has been such a great way to relax and catch up on the lives of the people I had left back at home. As much as I miss the routine and independence of living in Virginia, I can say for the next several weeks of summer; its good to be home.
