When I walk into the house, I can enjoy the smell of a home-cooked meal after a day at school. I can open the front door and smell the hot pozole verde my mom just finished making right on the stove. She makes the best home-cooked meals and I would have been homesick without her cooking.
When it came time to go to college, I did not want to leave the comfort of my house and my family. I am the youngest of four and if I left, I would be the last one to leave the nest, and I did not want to do that at the moment. (Still don’t.)
Plus, commuting from home to Whittier College has been more affordable. I'm thankful that I have parents that do not charge me rent and they help me when I financially need assistance. The expense of paying for room and board was more than we wanted to pay, and I wanted to avoid going into debt.
My commute also keeps me on my toes and helps me with time management with both work and school life. The car rides are also a good time for me to de-stress, to just hear music and take a break from working on homework or studying. Hearing some reggaeton on my way home really helps my nerves calm down. The feeling of putting on a song that makes me sing in the car is the best kind of song.
It’s also the people I drive home to, and stay near to, that make going to college nearby the right choice for me. It’s been a privilege to spend time with family while attending Whittier College. I am so grateful to have not missed any family events, like the birth of my nephew last year. I got to see him the very day he was born because I was home. I’m there for tough times, too, like when my uncle passed away and my family needed all of the support they could get, especially my aunt. I did not have to be on the sidelines watching; I was there with her and my cousins through that hard time.
If I would have been dorming in college, I would not have been able to be there for my family like I was. That's why I enjoy being a commuter.
