By the time you’re reading this column, I’ll be committed to college. Wow. Saying that is giving me shivers and I’m sure when my Mom reads this, she’ll cry for the thousandth time. In just four months, I’ll be walking across a stage in my cap and gown (Not to mention, but in traditional Sloane fashion, I’ve already found my graduation dress). I’ll then spend the rest of summer working at my favorite restaurant, traveling, hanging out with my best friends, and spending time in my house on Janssen.
This winter break was the first one in many years where my family didn’t go anywhere. I spent two and a half weeks in Chicago, taking a lot of time to reflect on the year, and doing things I enjoy that I don’t always get to do during the school year. I started working at my restaurant again, got into an entirely new genre of TV (Spy Dramas), organized my room down to the way picture frames were slanted, and spent lots and lots of time with my immediate family. While there were days when I yearned to be tan, or to be anywhere but this polar vortex of a city, I took the time to acknowledge the fact that I only have so many months left where I actually live in Chicago year round. Sure I’ll come back every summer or during school breaks, but I’m no longer a kid living in my childhood home. Pieces of me will be scattered throughout my college campus and my home on Janssen. My light grey walls with my framed Miranda Priestly portrait will no longer be the last image I see when I fall asleep. Instead it’ll be a new wall, with a new frame, in a new place.
It’s not just my home on Janssen that I’ll be missing. It’s my favorite restaurants and neighborhood charms that I’ll be yearning for. Places like Sushi San, Del Soul, Lou Malnati’s, and Clark and Dickens Starbucks, aren’t like clothes that can travel. As a foodie I know I’ll yearn for a good comfort meal with hints of home. But I also know that all good things must come to an end, and I can’t stay in Chicago forever.
I know what leaving my home is like and though I’m sad to say goodbye to the life saving oasis that is my bed, and the relaxation my own room brings me, I’m also saying goodbye to the people who make living in Chicago so special.
Obviously leaving Parker will be hard, but I didn’t realize that I’m also going to be departing from the teachers that make this place so special. The joy of getting food at school will be lost as the women like Keisha and Alice are no longer there to wish me well and know my code off of the top of their head. The teachers like Ms. Greenie and Mrs. Cuesta who have known me since I was in the readers theater will no longer hug me in the hallways. The teachers who I have built trust with like Ms. Olt and Mr. Bruno will no longer be there when I fail a Calculus test, or get deferred from a school. College will force me to start over; establish new relationships, build up trust, and open myself up. It’ll challenge me.
The last people I’ll be leaving behind are my family. Though only a phone call and maybe a couple hours drive away, my family is really my rock. My dad is the reason I have a smile on my face. He is one of the people who have made Janssen feel like more than a house, but more like a home filled with humor. My brother keeps me in check, and reminds me to work hard. His grit and determination to succeed at things like baseball and basketball truly inspires me. My dog Bruce is my source of happiness and my version of therapy. Truthfully, if I could pick one Demetriou to have for the rest of my life, I’d choose Bruce.
My mom is my rock. A woman who works a full time job, yet somehow makes time to play tennis every week, pick me up from school, go to sports games, and make dinner every night. My home on Janssen might be on fire without her (I know this to be a fact because I almost exploded the air fryer once after it caught on fire. But that’s a story for another column). These are the people that are a part of the pieces I will leave behind in Chicago. Going to college is more about academics and athletics. It’s also about keeping in touch with your roots, remembering your home and how welcome you are in it.
