Thanksgiving is such a teaser for our month long winter break. Being “home for the holidays” starts when we head home to stuff our faces with delicious food. The weather gets colder, Chicago gets decked out in holiday decorations and we start making plans and arrangements for our next extended stay at home. At this time, college students, like myself, start getting antsy about wrapping up the semester. The doom of finals sets in shortly after Thanksgiving break, further making us anxious to just finish another long semester and head home back into relaxation, comfort and carefree living. When college students first arrive home, we can only think about how we want to stay forever; since we missed our homes, families and friends so much. Why would we ever want to head back to school, to the anxiety and the busyness? Well, as it turns out, every January, I surprise myself and start getting super eager to return back to college, contradicting everything I thought at the beginning of my break. Here’s why:
1. As much as I love them, I am starting to get tired of spending time with my family.
The thing I am always most excited for when I go home for a break is that first hug that I get from my mom and my dad. Yes, I get excited to sleep in my own bed, cuddle with my pets, eat a home-cooked meal and I am definitely excited to be lazy all day, but for me, nothing compares to seeing my parents after several weeks of being apart. For the first couple days at home, I am so happy that I never want to leave. Still, we spend so much time together that by the end of the four weeks, I can’t help but get a little tired of hanging out with them. It’s just a fact! It happens every year and I know I am certainly not the only one who experiences this. I know that when I head back to Chicago, I will begin to miss my mom and dad very soon after I move back into my dorm.
2. I sleep so much that I am just not tired anymore.
As a supreme nap queen, I planned to take a nap every day of break. Winter break is waking up at 11am, then taking a nap at 3pm, because those five hours of being awake,and doing nothing, really made you tired. Laziness is in its fullest form for these couple of weeks. However, by the end of break, I have simply slept so much that my body does not want to sleep any longer. I never thought I would get to this point, but it happened; I am just not tired anymore. I know I am ready to go back to school when I would rather be occupied with school and activities all day, than lay around and nap. I can’t wait to resume my busy lifestyle!
3. I’m excited for new beginnings.
As sappy as this sounds, each semester is the turning of a new leaf… a new chapter in this book called college. We go through the agony of class registration, but in the end, everything works out okay. When I was once all worked up about what classes I could get into, how the timing would work with my schedule, the professor and their reviews, etc., I now see that my schedule is just fine and I am actually pretty excited to go through my courses and learn the new material that will prepare me for my career and the rest of my life. A new semester always brings new friends, fresh opportunities, exciting stories to tell, unique moments and original memories. I am ready for the new experiences that are awaiting in this next semester!
4. I miss my friends.
Luckily, I got to see some of my friends over this break. But, it’s not always easy to see your friends who live states away from you. I miss my friends, whether they live close or far. Being away at school in Chicago obviously puts me in a completely different routine than when I am at home on break in the suburbs. I am eager to pick up my routine that allows me to spend time with my friends regularly. I’m ready to see my them for meals, explore a new neighborhood with them and stay up late laughing together at stupid memes on Facebook. My friends and I have made plenty of plans and goals for this semester, and I am excited to act on those commitments.
5. Simply put, I’m bored af.
I am tired of doing nothing. It was nice at first, but as I have mentioned, I am so ready to be busy again. I want to do more things that feel meaningful, and while on a long break, it is very easy to fall under the spell of laziness. I am guilty of a lack of motivation and I know that my drive and energy will be restored once I am back on campus.
Good luck to all my fellow Ramblers in this coming semester! Hopefully you all had a nice and well-deserved break, but can also relate to these feelings.