Not many of my peers can say they left campus early (on December 6) for winter break, and even fewer can say they came back early (on January 9).
That time away from campus was so restorative. I could cook and eat the home-cooked meals I had craved for a long time, and I got to spend much-needed time with my family. But after two weeks, I remembered why I liked going off to college: I could sleep in and work when I wanted to.
Coming back to campus on the relatively warm winter day was alarming. A place that was normally crowded with hungry and sleep-deprived college students was empty. I saw the occasional student walking around campus, but it wasn’t the same. It felt like I was in a lonely place.
Now, I wasn’t actually alone. I called my friends often and even went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with one of them. But between sleeping, eating, and calling friends, I had one question: What do I do with my free time?
Since school was not in session, it was hard for me to find a school-related project to work on or a campus event to go to. Even watching TV shows and movies got tiring at some point. The moment I stepped foot on campus in the fall, I always had something I needed to do or somewhere I needed to go. So, I had to really, and I mean really, think about what I did in my free time before I went to college.
While I was once again craving home-cooked meals, I took comfort in the fact that I had time to do the things I enjoy, like playing video games or reading a book on campus, something that I wished I had more time for during the busy semester.
My friends couldn’t imagine spending winter break on campus by themselves. But I’d say it was a pleasure because I was given the opportunity to focus on myself and myself alone.
