Everyone looks forward to going home for the holidays, right? The atmosphere, the family, and most importantly, the not being at school part. But I have a hard time agreeing with that. Frankly, I’d much rather stay at school and do the holiday season in the comforts of my apartment than at my own home.
How could you hate breaks from school, you ask? That's easy. In my experience, coming home loses value each time you do it. The deeper you are into college, the more of a chore it becomes. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED coming home when I was a freshman. I did it quite frequently, having little countdowns until Thanksgiving, Christmas, even Spring Break. There was nothing that excited me more than seeing my dad’s truck turn into our neighborhood, and eventually pulling up to my house. It made all the hard days at Denison worth it. For a week off, a month off, to celebrate the best times of year.
But it changes. The excitement of being in your house, in your hometown, slowly becomes boring, hollow. You feel like you are leaving more behind on campus, than what you are coming back to at home. For starters, living under your parents roof again after months of independence. I’m not sure about you, but I am not too keen on relinquishing the freedom that college gives me. What do you mean, I can't eat pizza and drink beer in my underwear on a Tuesday night dad? It’s a free country! The things you get so accustomed to in college don’t fly so well at home in front of your folks.
What about playing catch up with your home friends, listening to them tell you what you’ve missed since they have seen you last? This is always the hardest to me. It’s exhausting, to say the least. All I hear is the new days drama, whose sleeping with who, who's doing what with whatever group, and where the party is tonight. Friends are talking but nobody is SAYING much of anything.
Besides the friends, home possesses the one thing almost every college student is able to avoid while class is in session: interrogation by various family members. Getting bombarded with, “How’s school going?” and “Are you still single?” can make even the most patient person blow a gasket. At school, our peers don't ask us these questions, they probably know the answers even better than we do. There is being an inquisitor, and then there is your grandma across the table on Thanksgiving Day. We’ve all been there.
Some people won’t agree with me, insisting that break is something to strive for, and the perfect release from a long, long semester. Good. I applaud you. I’m happy you love break. But when you get to where I am, you’ll see this break is more of a necessary chore, than a needed one. I used to count down the days until I could leave college, now I count down the days until I can get back.
But don't worry, Grandma. I'll have full answers to all your questions. As always.
