As I am finishing up my last undergraduate spring break, I look back and have some mixed emotions. I am happy and proud of everything I have accomplished, but I am also sad to be done with college. It truly has been a transformative experience I will never forget. For this one, I chose to stay home the entire week and relax rather than make plans to go away. The beginning of the semester was very stressful and left me exhausted as I navigated scheduling time for classes, homework, work, extracurriculars, and social life. On top of all of this, I also had to find time to balance my self-care and make sure I was taking good care of myself.
Although it was not the most eventful or exciting spring break, I took a lot of time to reflect and relax, and thus learning a lot about myself. Spending time at home with family is underrated, especially at college age. When you live in the dorms, it is very easy to think about how nice it is to be on your own. That is all I have focused on this year as after being on lockdown for a year, I felt I lost a sense of my independence. I missed so many things about being home that I did not realize. Here are five of the benefits I experienced from staying at home for my spring break!
- PETS
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I miss my pets when I am away at school, but I never realized how much I missed them until I returned home. I try to stop by my house for a quick visit once a week. This gives me enough time to see my pets for a bit, but it is not nearly the same as living with them. Nothing compares to holding your dog in your arms as you go to sleep for the night or waking up to a cat purring in your face. It was refreshing to spend more time with my cats and dogs and get the opportunity to cuddle with them all week.
- SHOWER
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Having sensitive skin and eczema forces me to bring better quality skincare and shower products to school in the first place. Because of that, and my obsession with cleaning everything before I set foot in the dorm showers, I never minded them. It can get annoying as I spray down the shower with bleach before using it, but it was never something that bothered me much. However, nothing quite beats a shower from home. For a brief moment, I forgot how nice it was to shower without having to spray bleach, wear shoes, or hurry to get in before anyone saw me. I am also pretty sure the water pressure and showerhead at my home are better than the ones at school in the dorms.
- FOOD
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Out of all of the things I missed about being home, the food was definitely at the top of the list. I have finally learned how to make dining hall meals more palatable, and I generally enjoy the school food more as a result of that. But there is genuinely nothing that beats a home-cooked meal, especially if your mom is really into cooking. There was also something refreshing about making my eggs and tea in the morning rather than relying on someone else to do it for me. I spent a whole week eating delicious home-cooked meals, making it hard for me to go back to eating in dining halls!
- QUIET NIGHTS
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As much as I love the people I live with in the dorms, something is refreshing about being home with your family. It is easy for me to get distracted hanging out with friends and staying up way past my desired bedtime. It can also get loud in the dorms due to a lot of friends hanging out late at night. I forgot how nice it was to have complete silence after 8 pm and sleep in peace. I also enjoyed going to bed before midnight most nights which allowed me to come back to school feeling recharged. There is not nearly enough emphasis on rest and recharge during the semester breaks!
- SAVING MONEY
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When I am back home, I spend almost no money. I stay at home, spend time with my family, and do not leave the house much. When I am at school, I am constantly driving around with friends, making impromptu coffee runs, or even caving and paying for takeout food. It is especially difficult when everything you could want to eat or drink is right at your fingertips at school! It almost feels like an impossible amount of effort to leave the house and drive somewhere when I am home.
- NOT HAVING TO LEAVE
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If you think about it, living in the dorms forces you to put more effort into doing simple, everyday tasks. You need to walk down the hall out of your living space to shower, do laundry, or go to the bathroom. You also need to leave your residence hall to get food. It felt nice to lounge around in my pajamas and not need to wear shoes and a mask to grab a snack or clean my clothes. I think I took for granted how accessible necessities were at my home.
Spring break came and went, and now it is the final stretch to summer! No matter what activities you enjoyed during the break, reflect on the good and let the spirit of relaxation drive you to finish strong!