Me, Myself, And I
When I decided to move to Duluth1 Minnesota for college, I never realized how much it would affect my mom and me. I knew that it would be different, but I was unaware of how different the move would be. I grew up in Becker, Minnesota, which is about two and a half hours away from Duluth. I decided to go to Duluth, because I thought it was a beautiful city that had a lot to offer me. After some hesitation, my mom gave me the final push to move. When I asked her why she pushed me to move she simply stated, ” It would be a good learning experience for both of us.” She was so right. It was definitely a learning experience. The three main things I learned were; how much money it costs to live on your own, how much I would miss “real food”, and how much I depended on my mom.
The first thing I learned was how much it costs to live on your own in comparison to living with parents. When I lived with my mom, I never had to worry about working enough hours to pay rent, utilities, Internet, cable, laundry, and groceries. There are so many things I took for granted living at home. It is strange because while I was having trouble figuring out how to make it on my own, my mom realized how she had more money now that I was gone. Amazing how that works, huh! It is hard to admit, but I honestly had no idea how expensive all of the necessities to live were. I learned that it is very difficult to live on your own and be a full time college student as well. I still find it difficult to balance work, school, and spending time with boyfriends, friends, and family. I never had to think about working enough hours to pay the necessities of life, and at the same time keep up my grades so I can graduate. I understand why my mom would always complain when I would waste food; leave on the lights, open the windows in the summer while the air was on, etc.
The second thing I learned was how much I miss mom’s “real food.” My freshman year I lived off of Ramen noodles and Lean pockets. That food got real old, real fast. I would always look forward to go home and get some “real food.” When I would arrive back home to Becker, the smell of whatever my mom made always smelt so much better than what I remembered. It was hard to make food like my mom made with no oven. It is hard to make food that tastes well using a microwave, although you would be surprised at some the creative things I made in the microwave. I amazed myself at times. Getting a home cooked meal is another thing I took for granted. I think I took a lot of things for granted while I lived at home. If I didn’t move on my own, I probably wouldn’t have realized how good I had it at home.
The final thing I learned was how much I depended on my mom. When I lived at home I didn’t have to worry about making Doctor appointments, mom would always do it. I never had to do my own laundry, call the phone company when something was wrong, and figure out how to fix that leaky sink. I depended on her income to pay the things I consider to be necessity. I depended on her so much. When I moved to Duluth I had to make my own appointments. I had to fix my own leaky sink and call the phone company myself. Although my mom raised me to be independent, I still depended on her for a lot of things. I learned that shortly after I moved on my own.
After moving on my own, there are many things that I found to be different in comparison to living at home. I am still living on my own. It has been three years since I moved away. I have learned many things. Sometimes I learned things the hard way and other times the hard way. It is nice, because although I live on my own I still can call my mom and get advice. I consider myself to be blessed to have a mom that raised me the way she did. I am also grateful that she pushed me to move on my own and be independent. It is amazing how something I thought would be so simple, moving on my own,could be so different and difficult.