"What are you doing for spring break?" This is apparently the ultimate question to ask college students around this time of year. Being a college senior is basically the year for one last spring break blowout. We graduate in two months, and it's our last time to party with our best friends before we graduate. Road trips, warm locations, out-of-the-country destinations; all with the friends you love.
Well not for me.
I am in my final semester of college, and in the program I'm in, I am required to do an internship for a whole semester. It is definitely amazing to not have classes anymore and be able to relax a little, but what I didn't think about was the fact that adults don't get spring breaks. I thought that when my college went on spring break, so would I. It apparently doesn't work that way with internships, and I don't get the coveted spring break.
This means I get to watch my family and friends go on fun vacations and get away to somewhere warm, read all the Facebook and Instagram posts about "#springbreak2017," all while spending eight hour days at my job. For the last 19 years of my life, I have done something exciting in the spring. For the first time, I don't get that chance to chill out or the energy to keep on pushing until school is done. On top of all of this, I have to live alone for that whole week while my friends go live it up.
Growing up is hard. Realizing that now I'm actually a grown up now might be the scariest part of this situation. I have been living the easy life of a kid the last 21 years, and depended on people for everything. Now, I am a full time, working adult. Gone are the days of getting a free vacation away without work. Never again will I be able to carelessly skip a few days of class to travel to where ever my heart desires. Paying bills and surviving comes before my never ending wanderlust now.
The point to all of this is that I think this is just one step of many in growing up. Next comes getting a car, finding a well-paying full time job, moving out, and starting my own life independently. It is scary to have the wake up call that, "hey, your not a kid anymore." In a way, it feels like the best years of my life are over. But it's also a sign of growth and change, which is good. Missing out on my final chance at a spring break is going to be awful, but at least I know its a sign that good things are to come.
