Living Far From Home Is Tough, But There Are Things We Learn While Staying Away From Our Loving Family

I remember as a kid, I couldn't wait to leave home because 'freedom and independence' were so fascinating as ideas. Besides, who wouldn't want to stay with friends all the time? But just when the realization of being away from love and luxury hits you, don't you just pray for a little extra time? Well, I did. The realization not only comes with a sudden deep found love for family but it also teaches you a lot of life lessons. And for this very fact, we should all at least once leave our homes and live on our own. On this note, let's talk about the 17 things we learned when we started staying away from family.

1. The first thing you learn is that living alone is very, very difficult.

2. Living away from family is expensive. Now, you have to buy all the stuff on your own from grocery to toiletries to clothes and everything.

3. If you don't clean your room and cupboard, no one else will.

4. You are always stuck between paying your electricity bill and going on a movie date with friends.

5. You finally know what it is to do your laundry, even though you procrastinate till all your clothes have piled up, but there is no other option, right? (It's moments like these you wish to make your housemaid your best friend).

6. You miss your mother waking you up and letting you sleep for that extra 5 mins because, with 10 alarms and a snooze button, you're almost always late.

7. You learn to make eggs, coffee and anytime-anything sandwiches with absolute expertise.

8. After being broke for the initial months, you're finally trying to make a budget that you can actually stick upon.

9. From being dependent on your parents to drop you at you friend's place, you jumped directly to traveling cross-cities all by yourself.

10. This world is harsh outside your warm, sheltered home.

11. You learn to buy everything you need at the cheapest best, followed by the remarkable ability to bargain.

12. There's nothing more delicious than the home-cooked food you always fussed about.

13. With that said, "ghar ka khaana" now matters more to you than pizzas, burgers and noodles that you munch upon whenever you don't want to cook or eat the same daal-roti of your hostel.

14. You understand the true meaning of being home-sick.

15. However, whenever you get back home, it takes time to get accustomed to having meals on time and sleeping at night (hostels make you insomniac if assignments and work don't).

16. You learn how to pack your suitcase. Where some have started making check-lists, the rest of us just stuff in whatever we think may be required, but at least now we know how to do it on our own.

17. No matter how much you like being with your friends, you learn that family will always be your constant. And you make it a point to call them at least once in a day.

As much as we love our independence and not having anyone to tell us what to do all the time, we love staying away from home. But none of that changes the fact that we always look forward to vacations and long-weekends so that we can head back, sleep in the comfy bed ever, be pampered and spend some quality time with family. Because distance makes you realize just how much you love them!