Winter break has finally come to a close, which means back to class, back to not ever finishing those reading assignments and back to setting 10 alarms for your 11 a.m. (no judgment). Going into break, we all succumb to similar dreams and hopes for how to spend our break — actually listening to a podcast, seeing your friends from home, going to the gym, cooking a new recipe, doing the sightseeing in your town that you should have done growing up. In reality, almost none of this happens. I have decided to break down our time off into the few things most of us did in comparison to how we planned to spend our glorious five weeks off.
1. Hanging out with friends
Expectation: “We HAVE to see each other over break!”
Reality: “Sorry I can’t hang out. I’m busy tonight.”
You were not busy that night, or the night before or the night before that. You were sitting in your house, wearing pajamas you never changed out of because you had not left your house since you woke up that morning. You want to see your friends, but after a quick cost-benefit analysis comparing “putting in effort to leave your couch” vs. “the amount of fun you’ll have not sitting on your couch,” you know your couch is better than any friend could ever be. The only tough decision was figuring out which season of “Parks and Recreation” you were going to rewatch.
2. Seeing your family
Expectation: “Mom! Dad! Brother Number One! Brother Number Two! I’ve missed you all so much and want to hang out with you every day!”
Reality: “Mom! Dad! Brother Number One! Brother Number Two! Don’t ask me any annoying questions like if I have a significant other or a job yet!”
Everyone knows going home is great for the honeymoon period. Your room is clean. Your mom gives you a big hug and tells you how much she missed you. Your brothers are not annoying for two seconds. You have a nice family dinner and catch up and fill each other in on funny stories you missed out on. Then your little sister steals your sweater, and all hell breaks loose. Then your brother leaves an essentially empty milk carton in the fridge when you plan on having cereal for breakfast. Suddenly, distant memories of incessant bickering you experienced growing up somehow do not seem so distant anymore, and you start to check your calendar to count down the days until you can return to school.
3. Apply for jobs and internships
Expectation: “I am going to be employed by the time I return to school!”
Reality: “Another cover letter?”
The end of the fall semester is marked by finals-induced stress. You use this to justify putting off job or internship applications because you’ll “focus on it when finals are over.” This is the biggest lie we tell ourselves next to “I won’t stop at Moo Thru on my way back to school.” Finally, after a week or two of avoiding applications, you muster up the energy and maturity to get back to work. This translates to bookmarking job applications and filling out all the basic information, AKA your first and last name. You make it to the section where you attach your resume, swear you will write a cover letter for it later and get back to doing anything else.
4. Catching up on Sleep
Expectation: “I’m going to fix my sleep cycle!”
Reality: “Why am I still awake at 4 a.m.?!”
I definitely get caught in the trap of thinking that finals ruin my sleep schedule and that I will be able to “fix it” once I get home for break. Instead, my sleep schedule at the end of the semester is definitely healthier than my sleep cycle during break. I would wake up at 9 a.m. every morning because “Leah has to walk the dog now that she’s home.” However, I would find myself with a sudden urge at three in the morning to listen to the entirety of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” or to terrorize myself by reading a Reddit thread titled “Creepy Things Little Kids Say to Their Parents.” I know this is not a unique experience because, just yesterday, I had a friend tell me he went to bed at 7 a.m. and woke up at 5 p.m. every day during break — basically, he went full nocturnal. Frightening.
5. Bracing Yourself for Frigid Weather
Expectation: “It has to snow during break!”
Reality: “Is it acceptable to wear shorts?”
Despite the historic warm autumn we had, I was convinced I would see some snowflakes this break. If you are from anywhere other than the Midwest or New England, you were faced with the reality of global warming ruining all expectations for a White Christmas. It was 60 degrees in Northern Virginia on Christmas, and I am still upset about it. We didn’t even use our fireplace while I was home. Instead, I enjoyed the luxury of wearing running shorts to the gym in December. Fortunately, the snow is coming for us before we even make it through a full week of classes. It’s like a second Christmas — meet me with your sled on Nameless Field Saturday. Also, if you have a shovel, let me know so the City of Charlottesville doesn’t fine my roommates and me for not shoveling our sidewalk.
Leah’s column runs biweekly. She can be reached at l.retta@cavalierdaily.com.
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