Homesick: Time to Make Your USC Home Your New Home
By: Sydney Fiorentino ’24
As we are nearing the end of the semester, some of us just want to go home. For me, it has been a constant push for me to finish finals before wanting to jump on a plane. I have not been home since school started, but I have been lucky enough to see my family when they came down to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. However, I know some of my friends have not gotten the chance to go home yet. While some of us may feel more homesick than others, it is hard to do things when you miss your old room or comfy bed or even family members.
All I want to do is go home, and throughout the first months of school, my apartment near USC did not feel like my home. My school home felt more like a place I slept at, but it did not feel like the place I wanted to spend all my time at and stay in at. The first two months of school, I spent time everywhere but my apartment. I would go study at the library, take naps at my friend’s apartment, or eat at the dining hall. My home just did not feel like my home: it was a place with a bed, bland walls, and a dirty kitchen.
After two months I came to the realization that I spent more time out than I did sleeping in my apartment. I was paying all this money to live somewhere that did not feel like my home, so what did I do? I started to force myself to do more things at home. I studied at my desk, cooked more, took naps at my own place. But how’d this make my apartment suddenly feel homier? Well here are some things I did:
1. Added Posters
One way to make your household more homey is by adding things to the walls. For my apartment, the walls were grey and white, and it just felt like a box. I started adding decor: cork boards pinned with photos to create a vision board, posters with some of my favorite artists, and pictures framed of my favorite cities. Find some posters, framed albums, a white board, or any wall decor to spice up your apartment and fill the walls with things you like!
2. Added Lights
Add some cute lights to make your apartment look aesthetic and feel cozy! Either LEDs, butterfly lights, shaped lights, lava lamps, star projector, or anything that makes your home more comfortable. I added LED lights and just bought a moon shaped light for myself. The main goal for a room is to feel safe and cozy, and adding adorable lights will do just that.
3. Cleaned To Make My Apartment Prettier
A dirty apartment is something I don’t always want to go home to. I try to keep up the appearance of my apartment so I’ll want to come back to it. When my apartment was constantly dirty, I never wanted to go home and walk around it in socks. The floors were unclean, the tables and chairs were full of junk, so I took time to clean everything and make the rooms neat. By doing so, I now want to go home and relax in my clean apartment.
By making your apartment clean, adding to the walls, and putting cute lights around the apartment, these types of things will persuade you to come back home and make your house or apartment feel like a home. I know these things did for me!
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