My spring break recap + revelation
Rewind to that moment I was flat on my stomach soaking up the warm sun on the white sands of Cancun while hearing nature’s very own calm lullaby- crashing of turquoise blue waters every second. In the background was the resort blasting its typical darty music just 3 feet away, meanwhile my girls were flicking up pictures on their precious digital cameras. And there I was, in a state of pure bliss sipping on a tasty Blue Hawaiian taking in every beautiful second, I was blessed with at that moment.
Recap
Spring break is one of the best parts of the spring semester due to its lack of events, unlike the fall semester. (Personal opinion of course). After nine to ten weeks of locking in, college students either go feral or take the biggest chill pill just to relax and let loose for a week. In my case, my friends and I were able to participate in both on our four-day trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. This trip was my first time flying internationally without my family and it felt like a big girl moment for sure.
The majority of our days consisted of relaxing by the pool/beach during the day, playing volleyball, meeting several new people, taking pictures, trying a variety of drinks (yes, it is 18+ and legal in Mexico), resting up, and getting ready for dinner and nightlife. The daily routine was super fun but so hard to come back from once the trip ended. Furthermore, the people at the resort including the visitors and staff were just so incredibly friendly and easy to talk to, perhaps it had to deal with the fact that everyone is on vacation and extremely happy while avoiding the realities everyone has back home.
Although the end of a vacation is sometimes the most depressing feeling ever, it’s the memories you make or the lessons you learn that keep the energy of the trip alive and going. I thought I would take time today to talk about what I felt about the trip and what I realized post-vacay.
Revelation
Perhaps, it is a little drastic to say that a short four-day trip changed my perspective on life, but it did show me parts of life I wasn’t thinking about before the trip. For one, it’s crazy to think how many people are on this planet and realize how everyone including yourself has their own stories, problems, and purposes in life. This feeling is known as Sonder, and it didn’t hit me as hard as it did on this trip because I met and talked to so many people from all over the US, Europe, and Canada. It was so refreshing meeting people not from your hometown and learning about what everyone does back home. Secondly, the sense of serenity in speaking to a stranger is underrated. On my trip, I was able to speak so confidently and freely to anyone I met just because I didn’t know them and lacked a preconceived notion about me.
Honestly, I’ve never understood why people come back from a study abroad experience or month-long vacation and say it changed their life, but even with just four days in another country, I am starting to realize why traveling is an addiction for people. The more you travel, the world you know of back home becomes smaller and smaller as you witness more of the world, meet new characters, or experience culture shocks. For me, my world back home got smaller as my overall look at the world expanded right in front of my eyes.
On one of the nights, my friends and I befriended a group of boys who attend Pitt in Pennsylvania, and we all stayed up one night from 1-4 am just chatting about life, exchanging stories, and cracking jokes. Unfortunately, our trip didn’t align with theirs and they left the next afternoon. We connected with a few of the boys on social media, but one of the saddest realizations I had is how exhilarating it is to meet and become friends with people on a vacation but then you may never see them ever again. End of the day, it all becomes just a small conversation- a memory.
Often at times, I catch myself daydreaming about my Roman empire which is nostalgia. How can a moment in time release so much dopamine and happiness but you don’t realize how exciting the moment was until it becomes just another memory in your head? I will spend hours at a time replaying a memory in my head and wish to relive it again. I believe this is why I get so hung up on vacations because it’s just so different and impactful. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have gone on this fun vacation with my friends and I’m counting down the days until I can travel somewhere like this again