Connections

I have to be honest. The number one thing I miss most about home are my dogs.

I love my family, I really do, but my dogs are such a vital part of my home. Somewhere I’ve heard that a home is not a home without a pet, and it wasn’t I moved to college that I fully agreed with this statement.

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When I rushed for sororities, most of my conversations with girls were how much we missed our pets. Numerous girls whipped out their phones to show me pictures of their dogs. One girl started crying she missed them so much. In fact, most of my Tweets are surrounded by the topic of dogs, because I know most people can relate to it. We all love our pets.

Why is that? Why are we so obsessed with pets, and dogs in particular, to the point where we get emotional just being away from them? Keep in mind, I am fully a part of the group of people that will cry once they see their dogs again, but why? Some say that dogs are the most pure form of spirit on this earth. They can do no harm, no foul in our hearts. We are almost disgustingly infatuated with out animals, and we can all relate to each other through it.

chip

This post isn’t completely about dogs, but is certainly one of the leeways to it. Upon being at Penn for over a month, I have observed and studied different scenarios in which people connect to each other just by a single word. Dogs, food, stress, etc. We all miss aspects of home, and finding other people to relate to us about them makes us feel more at ease.

For example, I will show someone a picture of my dogs. The responses: “What are their names?” “What kind are they?” “They look just like my dogs!” “Ugh, I miss my dogs so much.” A connection with one dog, any dog, leads to a recognition, which leads to a memory of home. Someone mentioned their dogs, and you can instantly picture yours just by the word.

People can connect in the most odd, yet mundane ways possible. Food is a popular observance, as well. One time during dinner I mentioned to my friends that I missed Chuy’s, a Mexican food restaurant. Obviously, none of them had any idea what I was talking about, except for one girl. She exploded with recognition, joy, and instantly asked where I was from. I said Texas. It turned out that she was also from Texas, and had yet to meet someone who knew what Chuy’s was.

https://www.chuys.com/
Chuy’s Logo

That sense of familiarity leads up to feel at home. Even those of you who live “right outside of Philly,” connect with other people similar to you every single day. Even if you’re from Texas, like me, it’s easy to find one connection. These connects make us feel not only one with our surroundings, but one with each other, and thus make living away from home a little easier.

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