Toward the end of December, I was ready to leave campus and go home because I wanted nothing more than to be done with my ridiculous classes and their even more absurd finals. Every morning I woke up and did a mental countdown of how many days it was until I got to hug my dog, shower without shoes, sleep in a real bed, and have a home-cooked meal. On Friday, December 15, that day came. My roommate and I loaded up the car and headed home to the northern suburbs of Chicago.

The weekend I got back to my hometown of Lake Forest, I had seen my college friends more than my high school friends. I had a sleepover at my house with my college roommate and FaceTimed many of my college friends, which might seem strange seeing as we just left, but with our separation anxiety, it's normal. As more of my high school friends came home after their finals hell weeks, I saw them more and more, adding to my ease of getting back into the routine of being home.

Christmas came and went. New Year's came and went. Then the worst came... winter term classes. Yes, winter term can be great for getting a couple classes out of the way, traveling, spending time with your family, etc. But no one tells you how incredibly bored you are going to be. All you do is wake up, do that day's assignment for your class, go home, sleep, repeat.

New Year's Eve fell on a Sunday this year, and for Miami University that marked the “you have a whole four weeks left of winter break” date. In total, us Miami kids are home for about six and a half weeks. Do you know how much you can do it that time? I do. For starters, you can rewatch Gilmore Girls about five times, realistically see about eight good movies in theaters, complete an entire diet, and spend all of your Christmas money on things you do not need for the pure entertainment of tracking your Nordstrom package from California to your front door.

With boredom accounted for, you also have to deal with people who do not appreciate their school’s calendar. I feel like I am being punched in the stomach when half of my high school friends gawk about how excited they are to go back to their campuses and the other half wishes they had more time at home. To the latter, I respond by telling them how I will happily give them at least one of my extra weeks home.

But let's not be sad. There are only a few weeks left until we will all be surrounded once again by Miami's red brick buildings.