I never had trouble leaving home before.

Maybe it’s because of all the traveling my family did as a kid, but I equated the opportunity to leave home as a chance for an adventure. Sometimes I worried I might miss out on things while I was gone. I was studying abroad the fall semester of my senior year, and FOMO (fear of missing out) was definitely on my mind. But I soon found that the exciting experiences I had while away greatly out-weighed any losses.

In fact, after I left New Zealand and returned to the states I felt a surprisingly strong sense of nostalgia. I flew away from the summer of the southern hemisphere and returned to one of the coldest and snowiest Boston winters. It was more than missing the sunshine, though. My heart ached when I reminisced about the memories, the ad...

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