Freshman year of college is filled with anxiousness and excitement. New students anticipate dorm life, classes and their new-found social life. Soon, these new students become accustomed to their new lives and soon forget the ritual of their previous lives at home. However, when returning home for the first time in October for fall break, students are reminded about what they miss most about the comfort of home. These are the top five things students are reminded of their love for when they first return home.
5. Home Cooked Meals
In high school, it is easy to get sick of your mom’s monotonous recipes. At first, coming to college leads to an abundant number of choices in the dining hall. After finding certain meals they like though, students find themselves constantly waiting on the same line, for the same food day after day. Soon enough, these repetitive small portions become old and a home-cooked meal is craved. Coming home and being served a hot, substantial meal by my mom is something I took for granted before becoming a “fine diner” at the South Quad Dining Hall.
4. Your Own Shower
While I cannot complain about the newly renovated bathrooms of East Quad, taking a shower in my own shower for fall break was definitely a blessing. Don’t get me wrong, East Quad showers definitely get the job done, the pressure is up to par and the temperature is satisfactory, but sometimes a girl just needs to take a twenty minute shower with music blasting. It is also not pleasant knowing that each time you walk in the shower the first thing you will do is have to somehow dispose of the mountains of someone else’s hair compiled on the floor.
3. Your Bed
Growing up, I was always attached to my bed. I used to say it was my hardest goodbye and favorite hello. When going to college, these sentiments did not change. Although it was exciting to design a new college bed, nothing could replace the comfort of my fuzzy queen sized bed, empty at home. At college, sleep is a figment of imagination: late nights and early mornings make students walking zombies. Fall break, allowing students to catch up on sleep, is very necessary.
2. Family
Being the youngest of three, with siblings who are five and seven years older than I am, I spent a significant amount of my life as the only child. I would very often fight and bicker with my parents and grow frustrated with the amount of attention that was always on me. From a very early age, I could not wait to escape my family and go to college. After spending time at school though, not constantly under the watch of my parents, I quickly learned the true value of my family and how much I could miss them. Coming home after spending two months away, made clear to me how much I love and appreciate my family.
1. Your Dog
I know what most of you may be thinking. Is a dog really more important than your family? While family is of course paramount, the best thing about fall break is seeing your dog. Waiting for my mom to send me pictures of my dog on a daily basis simply is not sufficient. Knowing that fall break would allow endless cuddles with my dog made midterms week that much more bearable. It is safe to say I miss my dog more than my parents at school and waiting until Thanksgiving to see my dog would not have been possible. Seeing all of the snapchat stories over fall break of students showing off their dogs’ furry faces proved the best thing of fall break was reuniting with furry friends!
Images Courtesy of Giphy and Yahoo