Don’t get me wrong: I like relaxing as much as the next college student. And I know I’m supposed to relish every break my school (Ithaca College) gives me, but I don’t. I’ll even say something that sounds like heresy: I think Winter Break drags on too long.
Christmas presents, New Year’s Eve parties, Mom and Dad cleaning up after you, not having to set an alarm, free food—Winter Break sounds like paradise (and for most students, it probably is). However, I’ve found after the holidays are over, I fall into an unfortunate, lazy pattern of lounging on my parents’ couch, streaming Netflix.
But I love college! And I’ll admit it, I’m a little addicted to the stress: balancing classes with work, student organizations, and social life while managing to stay (mostly) sane and sleeping once in a while. I don’t want—or need—nearly five weeks of free time. By the second week of break I’m rested and refreshed, ready to get off the couch and write a paper or cram for an exam. I want to work toward getting my degree and maybe learn a few things, not just stay home and lounge around for three more weeks.
Okay, to be fair: I didn’t actually have to do nothing. I could have tried to earn some money, volunteered at an animal shelter, or pursued a new hobby. But my first two years of college I fell into what I call “the lazy trap”: I start sleeping in and bumming around the house . . . and before I know it, I can’t stop sleeping in and bumming around the house. (Although I did manage to complete a few 1,000-piece puzzles last Winter Break, my proudest and only accomplishments.)
This year, though, I resisted. I came back to Ithaca and spent the second half of my break interning at CAM. Goodbye, Winter Break. Hello, life.