Over these past three weeks, I have had the immense joy of finally being able to see two people who mean the absolute world to me. Although I was happy to see them, it made me begin to question when exactly does someone overcome homesickness and when does it really go away? Or does it even go away? Turns out, there is a cure for it after all.

The first person I got to see, of course, was my mom. As embarrassing as it is, we had one of those movie moments where we ran up to each other and plowed into a hug. I knew I was going to cry, that wasn’t much of a surprise to me, but I was completely overcome with happiness. I wonder if anyone else experienced this– I hadn’t seen her in two months and had only held phone conversations nightly. Being able to actually hug her again and smell the same perfume she’s worn since I was a baby blanketed me with such a strong sense of comfort. She immediately ordered me to take a selfie with her. I had never felt more close to home than in that moment.

That whole weekend we shopped and ate, and I never left her side for one second. We went to a small town a few hours away called Jim Thorpe and spent the day catching up. My friends had asked me to go out with them, even though they also had parents in town, and I was completely baffled. How could they leave their parents? They had the rest of the year to go party– I hadn’t seen my mom in what felt like so long. However, once my mom did leave again, I didn’t cry as I had anticipated. The first day they dropped me off, I was a wreck. I didn’t think I could survive the whole two months, but of course, I did. And I would survive four more weeks. I hugged her, and then she was gone. It gets easier, even if you feel as if it won’t. To see my mom again was the most needed thing, and I loved every second of it, but you learn to make a home wherever you are, and by doing that, it becomes so much more gratifying.

The second person I got to see was my best friend in the whole entire world. It’s incredibly hard to keep up with friends in college, especially if you are both away from home, but this is how you make it work: put in the effort. We made sure to FaceTime each other once a week, text at least everyday, and plan one trip. Miraculously, it worked, and it felt as if nothing had ever changed.

I’ve known Brock since I was eight, and he was my first best friend, and still remains my best friend. For Halloween I went up to his school in New York City, NYU. How we managed to pull it off, I honestly don’t know. One moment I was hugging him goodbye, and the next I was on a Megabus to New York. It was the most surreal and gratifying experience. Just like I made sure to stay by my mom’s side the whole weekend and take her through State College, Brock did the same for me. Even though we were in a huge city, I still felt as if I was back with him in Austin. Once you see your loved ones again, it’s no longer saying goodbye, but rather saying that you’ll see them soon. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s completely true. You are no longer upset about missing them or saying goodbye, but simply are humble that you were able to see them at all.

We, as humans, have this miraculous gift to make anyplace we go feel like home. Through time, it becomes easier. You no longer have to force yourself to believe that this is where you belong, you simply feel it. And that, I think, is truly the best part.