Living in my hometown and living in another city.

People who have got independent or left their parents’ house to study understand that it is so difficult to leave home. I lived in Guaranda for seventeen years but I had to move to Quito for studying at college. All my childhood memories are related to Guaranda. Now, I have lived in Quito for seven years and life has changed a lot. I’ll compare and contrast both lifestyles.

My life in Guaranda was pretty simple. I lived with my parents and they gave me everything I needed. I was used to going to school in the mornings and when I got back home, my mother always waited with a delicious and warm lunch. My parents have a car, so if we needed something, my father just picked me up wherever I was and dropped me wherever I wanted. And when I got sick, they used to call my doctor, bring me to his office, buy my medicine, cook for me, and keep me warm. Life in Guaranda was wonderful, it was like a dream. I always felt protected, never felt alone, and I’ll always miss my grandmother serving the 6 p.m coffee to all the family.

Well, life in Quito is much more complicated. I live with my sister, but we barely met each other so I had to be responsible for myself. My studying schedules are weird, sometimes I have to get junk food as lunch at a restaurant and other times I’m able to cook when I get home. I understood what is to get stuck in traffic and to get lost due to choosing the wrong bus. When I get sick now is awful, I have to find a doctor in a big city, buy my medicine and cook feeling terrible, and try to take care of myself. Even though life is challenging now, I still feel protected, I don’t feel alone because my family is always present. And I still drink that 6 p.m. coffee remembering my grandmother's laugh.

In conclusion, leaving our parents´ house is always gonna be challenging. In my experience, the biggest difference between both lifestyles is company. As you see, there are more differences than similarities. But it is worth it because we learn to be more responsible.  When you are taken out of your comfort zone, many great things can happen.