Every school break is filled with trials and tribulations. With spring break upon us, let's dissect the vacation real-time.
Stage 1: Ecstasy
Midterms are over, the sun is shining bright and you feel like a freed bird from captivity. The world looks a little happier and optimistic than usual. You act super friendly to everyone, to whom you’d probably snarl on a regular day. You pack and absolutely can't wait to get home to your family, start your personal down time or get back to figuring out your life. All in all, life is looking up, and there are a million possibilities for the next week.
Stage 2: Happiness
Since you’re home, the family gets together for the weekend, and you gorge yourself of homemade food – you’ve been deprived of it for too long. You tell your family good ol’ college campus stories over the dinner table, and it seems like the conversation just can't stop. You have just got so much to say! You hit up your high school friends and make plans for a huge dinner (at Bareburger, of course). After that’s (finally) been decided, you visit your old high school, start surfing Netflix for a show to binge watch and spend time lounging on the couch, surfing the web. You might not have been shopping in a while, so you catch up on all the latest trends. Why were you living under a rock? Oh yeah, midterms.
Stage 3: First weekend’s over
Things start to be falling back into place. You realize how much you’ve missed home and how much you appreciate home, wherever it may be. You become introspective and think about how you’ve changed over the last semester. You look at the calendar and realize there are about 69 days until the school year is over. Why the heck does each year seem to move faster than the last? You decide to live it up this day because you deserve to. I mean, too much work is not good for your brain, right?
Stage 4: Drops of doubt are forming
You get up, and you feel like making yourself look extra good today! Of course, you look fire every day, but today, you’ve just got the feels, and somehow, everything falls into place. Your hair, confidence and inner power are just on point. Nothing can stop you now. Also, tonight is your big get-together with your old buds. You start browsing your memories with them and reminisce high school days. Your mom starts nagging you about this and that, and you get into a little rift with your younger brother. Whatever, nothing is standing in your way today, you think, as you head out for dinner. The calories will be waiting for you with open arms. Pump your chest, chin up and shoulders squared; you’re heading out tonight!
Stage 5: That less-than-a-week feeling
You get up and look at the time. Oh my gosh, what time is it? It’s half past noon, and you’ve done absolutely nothing for half of the day already! You recount last night, which was filled with laughter, good food and dancing. Then, you remember how utterly exhausted you were when you climbed into bed at three in the morning. This always happens when I’m with them, you think. And you can’t blame anyone – it had been months since you’ve all last talked! Now, you’ve sat down in your PJs, trying to organize what you need to do today when you come upon a dreadful realization: There’s less than a week of break left! Since when? You become antsy and start furiously making a game plan to tackle your workload. You even get kind of mad at yourself for sleeping in. You really don’t want to see the coming of next week, but the passage of time lends you no mercy as hours whiz by your eyes.
Stage 6: Everything is an obstacle
You’re doing your work, but then random people you know want to hang out with you! You say yes, and suddenly, your schedule is packed. You calm yourself, saying if you just stick to the plan, you will finish everything in time. You really did want to get ahead in your classes, but you can always do that tomorrow. You start noticing stark differences between your school life and home life. Maybe you eat fruits less often at home. Or you’re becoming a blob at home. Your family is getting more used to having you home, so the charm has worn off and it’s back to normalcy.
Stage 7: Crank that!
Today, you lock yourself up and tell yourself this is going to get done. With a surge of motivation, you crank out your work left and right. Despite your efficiency, you realize how much more work you need to accomplish and you let out a groan of despair. Why is it even legal to assign work over the break? You try working smart and in increments of time. This day passes all too quickly and while you’ve completed a good amount of work, you wish you did twice as much in that time. You walk out of your room and realize you’re super hungry. Dinner is quick, and you are continually running your to-do list in your head.
Stage 8: Dread and reality
It’s the day before you have to head back to campus because, of course, you have morning classes on Monday. You’re worried and drowning in work you should have done earlier. You also remember all of the little things you needed to get from home to bring back to campus, and you spend a good portion of time aggregating these items. You also remember this is the only break in the spring semester, and finals are actually not that far off. You start freaking out, wondering what you’ve even learned this year. At the same time, a part of you is ready to get back to being your productive self. You get packing and set up everything you need to bring back by the door. This just sucks.
