Summer can be a tricky time. Especially summer after your first year of college. You’re excited to be going home and seeing family and friends you may not have seen in a while but you’re also sad to leave all your college friendships you built over the past year. Being an international student from Mumbai, I definitely went through this dilemma. I wanted to go home but I was also sad to leave campus. There is also so much pressure to ‘make your perfect summer’ and do all these cool things like travel or get a cool internship that makes your resume look good etc. Even though summer can be long and boring I chose to stay home and not do an internship or job shadow. Here is why!
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Taking time for myself
The transition from high school to college can be tricky and is a major life adjustment. Amidst all the chaos or making new friends, taking new classes and getting to know the campus, you often forget to take time for self-care in your first year of college. Eating healthy and being fit takes a backseat and you get preoccupied with work, clubs and new opportunities. Always being surrounded by people can also get exhausting and as much as I love my friends in college alone time is needed. I took this summer to be with myself and get back in touch and really take the time for self-care and health.
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Spending quality time with family and friends
Not being home for almost a year is difficult and living away from the people you spent all your life with is difficult and hard. I used this summer as a time to spend quality time with my friends and family from back home and it was something I didn’t know I needed.
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Figuring out what I really want to do
Not knowing your major in college is great but when it comes to finding an Internship you don’t know where to look. I took this summer as a time to really look into my future options, doing online courses, meeting and talking to various people. It gave me a chance to reflect and introspect on my interests and explore my options.
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Traveling
I also did a little traveling with my family. This was a much-needed vacation after and chaotic and amazing college year. I’ve always loved traveling and not doing an Internship allowed me to travel with my family.
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Volunteering with my local community
Summer can get long and boring so I took time volunteering with the children in my local community. This was one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences and made me realize and value how important giving back to society really is.
This summer of rejuvenation geared me up for sophomore year and even though I was sad to leave home I was excited to start another year of classes and excitement.