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The hardest part about attending graduate school is being away from my family (insert “aw” noise).  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am originally from the Metro-Detroit area where my family currently resides.  Although I haven’t lived at “home” in the last five years, relocating to Chicago is the biggest move I have made.

For Halloween I went back to visit my family for a weekend trip.  Seeing as I am from Michigan, and a four hour drive from home, a weekend trip is completely feasible.  Visiting family and friends always makes me nostalgic, and a little home-sick.  Homesickness is something I dealt with all throughout my first year of the DMT & C program.  During the first year semesters I counted down the days till I got to go back and visit, and of course I was insanely jealous of anything artistic happening in Detroit.

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Now that I have a year of living in Chicago under my belt, things are a bit different.  I don’t miss home as much anymore, minus my adorable nephew (pictured above), and I feel more grounded in the culture of Chicago.  With an internship at Anixter Center, part-time job, and class, maybe I am just too damn busy to be feeling nostalgic?

I think I now understand the importance of moving away to receive the education I am getting at Columbia College Chicago, which I was less cognizant of during my first year in the program.  After all, it is likely that if one pursues the field of dance/movement therapy, he/she will relocate since there are only six accredited programs.  Not only am I receiving an amazing education at Columbia, I also live in this amazing city that provides me with so many opportunities to learn, stretch, and grow.  It may have been hard to move, but I think I have taken a step in the right direction of who I want to be, both as a person and a dance/movement therapist.  It is hard on my family too, but they understand how important my education is to me.  And who knows–maybe I can take what I learn back home with me?

Every time I drive back to Chicago from Detroit I get a little sad, but then I see the city skyline from I-94 and all is well.