Thanksgiving is over, the comfort of home and family is traded for a different kind of comfort, that of school. You jump back into your daily routine at college and all is well. Next thing you know, final exams hit, and you're packing up to head back home. WHERE DID THE TIME GO? WHAT IS THIS STRANGE PARADOX WE ARE IN? The three weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break elicit a myriad of feelings, and in my case, an existential crisis. But fear not! Perhaps by seeing your inevitable roller coaster of emotions broken down for you paired with some hilarious pictures of my man Bernie Sanders, you can take solace in the fact that at least your struggles are shared by many.
1. You get off the airplane/bus/train from home like a boss and walk back onto campus filled with the utmost joy
This is YOUR TURF! Home was fun but college is where you belong. It has all your favorite people, the familiar and convenient centrality of everything you could ever need, outrageous theme parties, and of course, late-night 2 a.m. pizza slices for questionably cheap.
2. You remember the sheer amount of work you have to do and your joy becomes quite short lived
Ohhh that's right...I have a 14-page paper due Thursday, don't I? And I should probably start making flashcards for my finals. And WAIT I took an extra shift at work this week? When am I gonna have time to do any of this?
3. You become nostalgic for a time when your life was more carefree...
You dream of warmer days where the days bled into one another and were filled with music festivals, great food, late nights, and sleeping till noon. Summer, how I miss thee!
4. The stress of exams brings you back to reality and you suddenly feel helpless, much like a bottle-fed baby who can't keep its head up
You simply crumble under the stress of all your responsibilities. Perhaps you'll take a 10-hour nap, hide from reality in your bright blue comforter, or for the more extreme, vow to never leave your apartment and instead order in for every meal and listen to your "Woe is Me" playlist on Spotify (I don't have one but I can assure you, it's in development).
5. A day-one homie decides to bring you back to reality and, consequently, your old self
6. You overcompensate for the brief amount of time you have left this semester by turning into a reckless seeker of fun who has abandoned all common sense
WE ONLY HAVE THREE WEEKS LEFT? Time to stay up past your bedtime, go out every night, and do whatever it is you crazy kids do when you’re not studying...as you can tell, the author of this article is quite the party animal!
7. Reluctantly, between bouts of partying and recklessness, you study up for all your approaching exams and essays whose deadlines are quite rudely creeping up on you without warning
Enough said. This is the worst.
8. As friends begin to leave campus for winter break, you brainstorm a ridiculous game plan on how to get them to stay
What do you MEAN I’m not going to see you until next year? No. Nope. Nuh uh. Absolutely not. You’re coming with me in my suitcase. My family can adopt you! There’s no way we’re spending this much time apart!
9. You come to terms with the fact that you too are headed back home for the holidays
10. Despite your sadness about leaving college, you feel lucky that you have two amazing worlds, school and home, filled with love and the fondest of memories.
Leaving school sure is a bummer but you’ll FaceTime your college friends like every day! Plus, you'll have home-cooked meals, your queen-sized bed, and your old stomping grounds at your fingertips! Enjoy it while it lasts, because you’ll be headed back to college in just a month and have the privilege of experiencing this emotional whirlwind yet again come spring semester.
