My brother left for college. Now what?

My brother Devan recently moved to college over 3,000 miles away from home at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif. I knew this time would come, but I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that came with it. 

Our family recognized that this summer would likely be the last one where all our schedules would allow for us to do our annual summer trip. We went to Tokyo, Singapore, and London; reality kicked in a few weeks later. The day he had to leave Houston was pretty tough on everyone. The next day when we were driving to his college is when it really hit me – my brother would be living somewhere else. 

We got him set up in his dorm, met his roommate, and spent the rest of the day at his college attending all the activities set up for the new students and their families. That evening, the activities were just for the new students, so my parents and I went back to the hotel. The next day went by very slowly, and there were a lot of tears. It wasn’t only that he wouldn’t be living with us anymore, but that he was growing up, and actually becoming an adult. 

It has definitely been different not having him in the house, but I’m also very proud of him. He made this whole life for himself, and he’s going to a great college in a great location. I know that he will love it. 

I would tell other younger siblings that at first, it’s definitely going to be hard, but each day it will get better, and you’ll feel less sad. My advice is to always support and spend time with your brothers and sisters while you can. We FaceTime and text every day now, but I didn’t always take advantage of the time when I could go to his room and say “Hey, wanna watch a movie?” or “Hey, wanna play a board game?” 

In four quick years, this whole thing will happen to me. Of course I’m not prepared for it yet, but I’ll be leaving my family, living somewhere else, and starting a new journey. After my brother left, I have been spending more time with my family and friends – you never know how fast four years can go by.

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