HOMESICK HENDRIX

BY CHARLOTTE MILLER

Moving out is always a big adjustment, but the addition of making new friends, working with intimidating professors, keeping up with the college workload, and deciding which side of the cafeteria you are going to sit on make the transition even more difficult. With so much on your plate, it’s easy to think back to when life was simpler—until you remember that your mom made you wash the dishes every Tuesday. So what can college students do when we realize that we can’t pet our dog at our demand and are overwhelmed at having to actually figure out how to do our own laundry? It’s different for everybody, but here are some remedies for homesickness from our new freshman who are facing this issue head on.

Freshman Savannah Loving enjoys watching comfort media like movies and shows whenever she misses home. Her two favorite shows, Bob’s Burgers and Rick and Morty, make her feel happy and bring nostalgia. She also enjoys decorating her room and feels relaxed when completing her art homework. Savannah says that, “when I miss my family I usually Facetime them.” Savannah makes sure to keep her family updated on her college life and talks with her mom and Mimi every Sunday. Savannah encourages other homesick students to, “focus one day at a time.”

Whenever freshman Allie Farrar feels lonely or isolated, they enjoy reading. Even the drives going to and from the bookstore help cheer Allie up. When Allie doesn’t have a book in their hands, they find scratch-art to be calming. They also enjoy playing the mobile game Best Fiends to relax (Allie assured me that they were not sponsored, but do urge others to join the app). Allie’s advice for other students feeling lonely and a bit down is, “Don’t wallow in it. You don’t have to and you shouldn’t. It’s not good for the soul.”

Now that we have heard from some of our new students, let’s see what tips one of our seasoned professionals has. Senior Verity Callahan encourages homesick students to call up their families and loved ones to talk about their experience. She said that when she first moved out she used to call her parents and even if she didn’t have anything groundbreaking to share, talking with them would make her feel closer to home. Verity stated that it’s, “easy to feel alienated,” when submerged into a completely new environment. She says that “trying to continue a relationship with parents and friends from high school,” can bring some familiarity and comfort to new students.

In addition to all these methods, Hendrix also offers free counseling services and one of their typical issues that they can help with is, “adjusting to college.” Counselors are available and welcoming no matter the reason for the appointment. You can find the Office of Counseling Services at 1541 Washington Avenue in the white house across the street from the Mills Center.

Food is something that everybody needs. But for most, it goes beyond just a need, becoming a source of comfort. We all have comfort foods: foods that we look forward to eating, or foods that cheer us up after the end of a bad day. For this reason, we all have comfort restaurants as well. Places that make us happy when we go there, for the food, for the atmosphere, for the convenience, or for the inviting nature. I spoke to a few people around campus and got them to share a few of their favorite restaurants with me.

Joseph Washum told me about Don Pepe’s, a Mexican restaurant not too far from campus. The restaurant gives customers the opportunity to build their own meals from a variety of options. The food is affordable, getting takeout is fast and easy, and the restaurant even offers discounts to all Hendrix students, making it a good alternative to the cafeteria for anyone who wants a convenient meal. Joseph also described how the staff is always nice, and how everyone at the restaurant seems to care about what they do. Joseph’s favorite order at Don Pepe’s is the CCR- which stands for chicken, cheese, and rice. A few weeks ago, I went to Don Pepe’s with Joseph and ordered a CCR of my own. The finely cooked chicken and rice with cheese poured over it all truly makes for a delicious meal, and I was even given enough to have leftovers later that day.

Ryan Bomar told me about Stoby’s, a diner near UCA. Stoby’s certainly has a reputation- when an uncle of mine learned I was going to school in Conway, the first question he asked was “have you been to Stoby’s?” Tragically, I have not been to Stoby’s during my time in Conway, but Ryan speaks incredibly highly of the place. She and her girlfriend typically order soup at Stoby’s, with Ryan’s preference being the potato soup. In