Winter break has a curious way of starting off as a form of painstakingly awaited relief from the crushing weight of a 16-week semester, only to end in absolute “take-me-back-to-Bloomington-already” fashion. If you’re beginning to feel this way, then trust me, you’re not alone.
After spending a week gallivanting around the Caribbean, nearly losing my passport in every country I visited, and then returning to the United States - only to binge-watch every episode of Archer on Netflix - I, too, am beginning to experience the withdrawals that come with being away from Bloomington for too long.
Notwithstanding, here are 7 reasons to get you from this...
...to this
1. Syllabus Week
Nothing cures a case of the Bloomington blues better than one of the holiest of weeks of the semester, better known as "Syllabus Week." Chances are more likely than not that your first week of classes will be filled with breaking down your professors’ office hours, all while you pretend to pay attention and inevitably end up browsing (insert: Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.).
Syllabus week is the perfect time to begin becoming re-adapt to waking up before noon and having some actual structure in your life, all while not having any major school requirements looming over your freshly-returned-to-campus heads.
2. Martin Luther King Day
With IU having only canceled class 12 times in the last 100+ years (don’t believe me look here), the odds of getting a day off because of snow, blistering cold, or even a resurgence of the Spanish Flu are despairingly slim. In contrast, what you can be certain of is having a three-day weekend just a week after returning to school – a week which, might I add, is #2 on our list, syllabus week. This means a break for those of you whom actually have homework during the first week *pouring one out for you as I write this*, and - for those of you 21 and older - a chance to put your well-rested livers back to work. “Open to Close,” anyone?
3. Kilroys, Sports, Brothers, Frat Parties, etc.
Nothing will make you appreciate the joys of a college town more than going home and having to pay $10+ for a drink at a non-college bar filled with people who are predominantly twice your age. Coming back to Bloomington provides a much-needed break from such travesties and makes paying even full price for a water long island look like a blessing from above.
What's more is the joy of not destroying your bank account while simultaneously crushing it with the people you love and haven’t seen for nearly a month. Sparing the savageries that come with a night in “the jungle,” the 3 am texts to our exes, and the occasional walk of shame brought on by these institutions, I think it goes without saying that being back at the campus watering holes is most definitely a silver lining in the impending clouds of a soon-to-end winter break.
4. IU Basketball
Sure, at the time of writing this, IU Basketball may be in a bit of a slump. Despite climbing as high as 3rd in the AP Poll, as well already haven beaten two top-5 teams, we’ve most recently lost 3 straight – all of which have been in the state of Indiana – and are on the cusp of being tossed from the top 25 polls altogether.
Mind you, however, this was during a period in which very few students were on campus – further building on my case as to why winter break needs to end. Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that Assembly Hall isn’t Assembly Hall without the 7,800-person student section being filled with, well, students. Thanks to the IU student body, we’ve posted an undefeated fall tailgating record, and, with all fingers crossed, will be the source of energy and encouragement needed to get this team back on track. Como se dice, "Banner Up?"
5. Spring Break
Although you’re probably not counting the down the days quite yet, coming back to school from winter break means that spring break is just a couple months away – a time which, for most, means a week of debauchery, with a group of your best friends, in a climate where evergreen trees are far less common, and palm trees, sunshine, and questionable - but not to be spoken of later - decisions are the norm.
Assuming you make it back from spring break without any derogatory marks on your legal and/or medical records, you can then spend the next few weeks happily awaiting the one biggest reasons you should be amped to return to the Spring Semester.
6. Little 500
If excitement about “the greatest college week of all time” isn’t enough to make you ready to come back to IU, then chances are you’ve been living underneath a rock your entire collegiate career or, even worse, should consider putting in an application to transfer to Purdue *pauses to gag*.
For those uninformed freshmen reading this - or even those of you who need a refresher on the greatness that awaits - Little 500 is homecoming on steroids and is probably best described as “a campus of 40,000+ students (celebrating) a seemingly ordinary (read: extraordinary) bike race by engaging in a week of mind-blowing, wasted beyond your wildest dreams, non-stop parties.”
It is everything you dreamed college would be, while simultaneously being everything your parents hoped it wouldn’t. And, if you happen to be lucky enough, your professors may even cancel classes, quizzes, and even exams *gasp* in an effort to let you indulge in what is the best week of the semester.
7. BOATS
If all this wasn’t enough to get you excited about returning to IU, how about a reminder that spring is undoubtedly a time in which students across campus email their professors with an excuse about being sick, having a funeral to attend, or flat out tell them that drinking on a boat with 50 other people is a bigger priority than attending their class (best of luck on this one) - not to mention boats serves as a nicely needed moment of relief before the grind of finals kicks in. If you’re somehow unsure of what it is I’m referring to, just give this video a quick look over.
So, there you have it, seven amazing, yet far from exhaustive reasons, we should all be ecstatic to return to our home away from home, Bloomington, IN.
As always if you’ve loved, hated, or are otherwise contempt about what you’ve just read, please feel free to share, comment, or even give suggestions on what you’d like to hear next.
Yours truly,
Matt East
