Coming home for winter break can be hard. Us college students are still nervous that we have assignments to complete and tests to study for, but we also need to get into a new routine to fit our households. This can be a difficult task as we have been keeping the same schedule for the past four months. We aren't used to the way our families have adopted since we've been doing our own thing for so long. It can be a hard transition to get used to in such a short amount of time.
1. When we eat
We can no longer eat dinner at 9 or 10 p.m. because our families eat at normal times. This can be especially hard since we've been eating at weird times for so long that we're not hungry at these earlier times.
2. Not seeing your college friends
This can be really hard to deal with. You see some of your college friends every day, and not getting to see them for over a month can be really hard. I miss a handful of my friends already, and it's only been a couple weeks.
3. Working
If you don't work during the school year, this can definitely be a change. While it's awesome to get the money, having to change gears and get into retail-mode or fast food-mode, etc., can be difficult. As it isn't something you're not used to.
4. Staying in for the night
Some parents have curfews for their kids, even if they're in college. It's gonna be a little different from having complete freedom to having time restrictions. It'll help your parents, but it can put a damper on your plans.
5. Shower schedule
While it's perfectly fine to shower at 2 a.m., doing so in your household, unless you have your own bathroom, can be a challenge. You don't want to wake up your family when they're definitely asleep by then. But, hey, when you need to shower, you need to shower.
6. What we eat
At my apartment, I eat pasta at least four times a week. But now that I'm home, we're eating something different every night. While this isn't a bad thing at all, home cooked meals are the best, it's definitely not something I'm used to.
7. How we spend our time
Without assignments and tests hanging over our heads, it's gonna be hard to figure out what to do with all of this free time. Again, this isn't a bad thing, it's just a change from what we're used to doing each day.
8. Car access
If you have your own car, then you don't have this problem. But in college, at least one of your friends had a car at any time. But coming home, it can be a challenge to have access to a car or a time period to use it.
9. Sleeping
We are used to staying up super late and either getting up early or sleeping in, and those habits carry over to break. Whether you stay up really late despite having an early morning or spending the entire morning sleeping, these sleeping habits don't just go away at the snap of your fingers.
10. Doing chores
If you live in an apartment, this isn't anything new. But if you live in a dorm, this is a change. Not having to do dishes frequently or taking care of a pet or vacuuming is hard to get back into the routine of doing at home.