Midterms have finished and the High School Musical song “What Time is It?” rings in your head constantly. As your term draws to a forced close filled with late-nighters and unnecessary procrastination, you can finally answer <insert well-earned break title here>, or, in this case, “Fall Break time!” However, after I experienced my first Fall Break last year, I knew there was more to this than just having a hiatus from eating school food and trying not to get attacked by the sprinklers.
Leaving for Fall Break is always a momentous occasion. The last-minute packing, stuffing your dirty laundry for your Mom to handle, and saying your goodbyes to the fortunate. During the break, you stare at the notebooks and readings that should be done to be ahead of the game. Then the red devil with bold statements that read “Netflix” summons your soul into a deep abyss of bewilderment as you wonder how you watched endless seasons of three different shows and just noticed the sun setting. By the way, the only food you consumed is what you saw in someone’s Snapchat story. You might make plans, depending on how good your body feels in your bed at that moment in time. If you do and follow through, I commend you wholeheartedly. Soon, Sunday comes rolling along, and you wonder what you could’ve and would’ve done over the break, which you didn't do. The return to Stetson comes with a slight tug at the heart.
Upon returning from break, you expect, along with your fellow students, to be a little happier, wiser, and cleaner, and you hope that your friends will greet you with loving arms. A weird feeling of joy starts to sprout because the anticipation to insert yourself back into the college life is becoming somewhat exhilarating once again.
You have arrived on campus, and everything you thought would occur slaps you back in the face. Everyone looks more depressed than before. Instead of overhearing positive conversations about how someone’s break went, you hear about drama regarding why a drunken night turned for the worse and how their current status is now “baeless.”
Most or all of your friends aren’t on campus yet, and the feeling of abandonment clouds over your head. As a result, you proceed to take a stroll through the campus. You notice the community bathroom hasn’t been cleaned and that the Commons’ food will probably not increase in taste--but the grass is still looking picturesque.
Aside from the disappointment that follows after a break, you have to reminisce over the fact that you were still able to spend time with your family, be blessed with a home-cooked meal, and experience what an authentic bed feels like.
Disclaimer: This is not applicable for all university holidays, especially Winter Break. The month-long rejuvenation period will either rest or wrestle people, but that’s another story for another time.
The future breaks will come and go, but just remember that it is a privilege to be a college student and to always–always–check Blackboard before Monday Morning.
