Old Strangers

One of my least favorite things about vacation: acquaintances.
I'm very against what Larry David calls "stop and chats". You know exactly what I mean; it's the required minimum conversation when you see someone you know or even vaguely used to know. I'm terrible at them because the entire time, all I can think about is the fact that this person hasn't bothered to contact me within the last year, and I could really care less. The high school alumni stop and chat follows a very basic format, including the required "How's school going?", followed by the mention of a mutual friend, and a vague "You know, we should hang out sometime!", then, "Merry Christmas, see you later". It's so fucking forced. I've done my best to just avoid seeing people altogether. No, I don't want to visit the high school- the tiny freshmen just scare me- why are they so small? Even the upperclassmen seem so young now.
The college experience does so much to distance me from my hometown. It's already hard to remember what I acted like when my world was centered in such a sheltered environment. But now I'm making myself out to be such a worldly, educated individual, which is far from true. I've actually realized that I still have so much to learn. Maybe that's the different from high school to this point. I can allow myself some scorn for the tiny world of high school teenagers while admitting to the fact that, in the scheme of things, I'm really not that much more advanced. I just have a little independence under my belt.
I overheard my mom on the phone yesterday. She said, "Yes, living off campus is a lot of responsibility, but she has a good head on her shoulders". It's good to know at least one person thinks I'm doing all right.