Published 2012-05-15T15:06:00Z”/>
Ben Hames
Some students at Chico State may not have been home or seen their loved ones in a few days, weeks or even months.
In the nine months I have spent in the U.S. away from my parents, I haven’t exactly become a changed man, but I have learned a lot from my experiences.
Being away from my family members has made me realize just how much they mean to me and that I value them more since they are the only family I have.
Before, I wanted to be by myself to live my own life and get away from parental constraints.
But now there is nothing I want more than to be held in my mother’s embrace.
It’s not that I hate it here and desperately want to return to my homeland, but I am looking forward to going home after I have made the most of my stay here.
I have been able to go to far more wonderful locations than I had ever imagined like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and even Mexico.
Home is where the heart is, and it will be an almighty rush of emotion as the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of my hometown come back to me upon my return. Say what you want about British cuisine. I miss good, old-fashioned fish and chips.
I miss my fair share of London: the red buses, the food, even the accent and how people talk. It’s surprising how much you value something after it’s gone.
I wanted to get out of London. I wanted to see what else was out there, travel the world. California is an amazing place, and I will always have a spot for it in my heart.
But this experience has taught me to be proud of my roots. I can say with confidence that my cultural identity has increased 10 times compared to what it was before coming here.
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<strong>Ben Hames can be reached at</strong>
<em>[email protected]</em>
