When I was a little kid, I never realized the impact that my sister going away to college would have on me. I used to think it would be one of the best days of my life because I wouldn’t have to share a car with her anymore. I wouldn't have to listen to her complain about every little detail that happened to her each day, and I wouldn’t be kept up until two o'clock in the morning hearing her talk to her friends at night. The realization that she was going to be leaving for college and only coming home a few times a year finally hit me, and I was devastated.

When the day finally came for my sister to leave, it was the end of the summer before my junior year of high school. She was going to college in Tennessee, which was about seven hours away, so I had limited chances to see her. My sister had never been gone from my family for longer than two weeks, so we were all really nervous about being apart from each other for so long. Before my sister was to leave for the airport, my mom, my sister, and I were all crying on my mom’s bed, and I can still remember us all sitting on the fluffy blanket on her bed and sobbing and talking about how much we were going to miss each other. My sister finally had all her things together and was ready to head out of the door. My entire family was standing in my living room waiting to tell my sister goodbye, and I still remember the sight of them all hugging her and talking about all the memories that they had with her. My mom had made her a scrapbook filled with pictures of my sister and our family that she had made for my sister’s senior year.  As my sister was flipping through the colorful pages in the book, I could see her eyes starting to water, and I could tell how much the time she spent with her family meant to her. There was the sound of people sobbing and the smell of my dog, who had just rolled in a puddle of mud, running around the house. I was sad to tell her goodbye because we would no longer be able to go on our midnight trips to Taco Bell or watch our favorite movies on the weekend together. I hugged her tightly for about two minutes before my mom pulled as apart and told us that they had to leave, or they were going to be late for the airport. As she was driving away, we waved to each other knowing that we would get to see each other in a few short months. Once my sister left, I thought I was going to be alright because I got over the fact that I was going to be the only child left in my house. I was thinking to myself that the hard part was over because I had said my goodbyes and shed plenty of tears. Although I was upset that she was leaving, I was also happy because she was going to experience living on her own and having more independence.

My sister leaving for college was one of the hardest thing that I have experienced because I wasn’t going to see one of the closest people to me as often as I used to. The first few weeks were tough because it was all a new experience to me, but as the weeks went on, it became easier because I was getting used to the fact that I was not going to get to see her each day. Since she has been gone, we have facetimed several times a week, and it doesn’t seem as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Even though my sister leaving for college was very difficult for me, I also think it was one of the best things that has happened to us because I talk to me sister more often because I realized how important she was to me, and we have grown closer to each other since she has left.