Dear Tribune,
Since returning to my hometown from McGill a little over a month ago, I’ve been so extremely bored. I’m out of errands to run—other than bumping into someone from my high school every time I leave my house. If I have to have the, “How was your year?” small talk conversation one more time, I might actually explode. Please please please, if you have any tips on how to survive life in my hometown for the next three grueling months of summer, share them. I’ll take anything.
Thanks, and PLEASE answer soon,
Hometown-Outgrown Student (HOS)
Dear HOS,
Don’t fret: You aren’t alone. All college students have inevitably experienced this homecoming at the end of the school year. No one talks about how difficult it can be going from a free bird exploring and discovering a new city, to a barely-employed and fed-up idler who feels 18 once again. It’s like entering a new (but really, all-too-familiar) reality where everything that happened during the school year doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Thankfully, there are many ways to occupy yourself during your time at home that can give you a sense of agency, take your mind off McGill, and ensure you have interesting updates to share in your small talk.
Spend time with family
It’s important to take a step back and remember what really makes home, home: Your family. Instead of coping with your boredom by scrolling on Reels for an hour or avoiding your ex-situationship on a CVS trip, turn your attention towards greater and more important things (and people). Plan family activities, dinners, movie nights, or even a camping trip! You’ll soon realize—if you haven’t already—that as a college student who spends most of the year away from family, you may have taken the time you have with them for granted. So, make every second count and remind them how much you have missed them!
Try new activities with friends
You most likely tired out all the basic things to do in your town three years ago. When is there a better time than now to get creative, and try something new with your friends? A new sport like pickleball, a painting class you wanted to try in high school but decided not to, or a hiking trip that never made it out of the group chat could all be contenders. Test out new restaurants around your hometown that have opened since you left for university. While these activities themselves may not be absolutely life-changing, the unique journeys they provide will guarantee a few inside jokes. Let the summer be full of reconnection and strengthened hometown friendship; like with our families, we’re not appreciative enough of the now-limited time we have with these friends.
Take road trips (to get out of there)
Step out of your not-so-comfort zone, fill up your tank—even if you’re borrowing your mom’s car—and take a trip out of your hometown! Go to a bordering province or state you’ve been dying to visit, or visit a nearby landmark you’ve always wanted to see. There are endless possibilities when you’re somewhere unfamiliar, like meeting new friends, and potentially even a summer fling.
Look at things through a new perspective
When you’re home, it may feel like you have morphed back into your high school self. But remind yourself this isn’t the case. After a long year, and an even longer winter, in Montreal, you have made countless new connections, memories, and accomplishments. You have lived a completely new life. You most definitely are a matured version of yourself; don’t let being in your hometown take that away from you! So what, you have an awkward interaction with your ex-best friend at a local restaurant? You’re not the same old always-annoyed, constantly-holding-grudges person you used to be. Remember that, and bring everything you’ve learned and experienced at McGill back with you.