Seeing people leave throughout the day is both exciting and sad at the same time.

Mid-semester break is something that doesn’t mean much to me. Living in the same town as your college means that you either have the choice of driving the ten minutes home or just staying in the dorms.

I’ve had people suggest I go home so I can reconnect with my family - I’m just going to go ahead and guess that they don’t know my home is literally five miles away. Others say that it’s good to spend a few days at home and unwind. Unwinding in my mind usually means getting away from stressful situations. Spending a weekend with only my brother and dad is not exactly my idea of unwinding.

I love my family, I really do, but when I have the option of staying in a dorm with nobody around, why wouldn’t I take that opportunity?

I get to watch people pack their bags and leave for the weekend. I say my goodbyes to my friends and wish them safe travels before closing the door to my dorm room and letting out a big sigh. Out of the fifteen or so girls on my floor, I was the only person left.

Being able to watch Netflix on full volume without headphones is actually a luxury when you try it for the first time in your dorm room.

Those are the good things about staying over mid-semester break.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t downsides to the situation.

It gets lonely. With no one to talk to or even do homework with, a person can find themselves thinking of the most absurd things to keep themselves busy. Or they just sleep the entire day, which is not going to help once classes come back into their lives.

Without people around campus, walking along the paths is almost scary. You don’t pass the normal people that you do every day - instead, you’re just walking alone in the cold.

Even though it’s scary, and sometimes lonely, staying over mid-semester break is something I see as a positive. Not only am I able to take some time and walk around campus without the stress of classes or other people watching me, but I’m also able to just take time for myself. Relax, sleep, and get homework done without worrying about others knocking on my door.

Despite what others say, I’m happy that I decided to stay over the break, because who knows what I’m going to find out about this school while I’m on my own.