Now that the winter break is over and days of staying in bed until two o’clock or eating large amounts of cookies have come and gone, we find ourselves back on campus. But as you and your friends sip on some Starbucks over study sessions and already begin stressing over midterms (or is it just me?), you ask each other about your breaks. And honestly, it’s like we all live the same life, with the same family.
Face it — all fathers tell the same dad jokes — and yes, we all get torn apart at family get-togethers over our ripped jeans. Here are five things that definitely happened to you over the break.
1. Having to suddenly need permission to do things
At university and living away from home, you begin to develop a new lifestyle. You could leave your residence or apartment at midnight, not come back for four days and not be bothered. Going home for the holidays, you might as well need permission to use the washroom or submit a formal request to leave the house past 10 pm!
2. Unavoidable questions
During the winter break, you’re bound to see and talk to a bunch of family members, some of which you only see at this time of the year. Coincidentally, they’re the ones with the most questions. A few of my favourite unavoidable yet frequently asked questions include: “are you dating anyone new,” “you look like you lost/gained weight, are you eating properly,” “why don’t you come home more to visit” and of course, “how’s school going?”
3. Your living situations
Going home from university is often a confusing position to be in. It’s almost like when you’re packing to go on vacation — do you unpack your clothes? Live out of your suitcase? Or just stay in pyjamas the whole time? Another issue is deciding how much to pack. Realistically, you know you’re going to wear the same two nice outfits and never leave the house.
4. Good eats and leftovers
Without a doubt this break most, if not all, university students enjoyed the best eating and dining experiences in a while. Some of which probably got to appreciate their first home-cooked meal in way too long (smell ya later Mr. Noodles). On top of being fed copious amounts of food, we can always count on grandma to bless us with those leftovers. Coming back to campus with three bags full of leftovers makes both me and my wallet very happy.
5. Bored, bored, bored!
After the initial first few days of being home and getting to reconnect with siblings and other family members, you start to realize … there’s not a whole lot to do. Apart from family get-togethers or parties, most of the break is spent sitting around bored. And I’d definitely rather be bored at university than at home. Not to mention, university friends live so far from each other and planning to meet up usually takes just as much time as it would to get to one another.