10 Things to Look Forward to During Summer Break
Coming up on the last few weeks of the semester before the long summer break can be extremely bittersweet. You are simultaneously filled with so much excitement and dread that you may feel the need to walk out of your residence hall, look up at the sky and scream at some birds for a while. You may be sad about leaving your college friends who have become your family and a beautiful place you have come to call your second home, but you can’t deny that these 10 things about going home make it seem worth it.
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1. The sound of your pets walking around.
We love our pets! Now when we shout, “DOG” it won’t just be at the sight of a random stranger’s puppy on College Green. It will be your own dog you used to feed cake to when you were a little kid and who sleeps in your room every night. You can get in all the cuddles you want and your pets will surely be spoiled the first few weeks you are back in town. They will be the focal point of everyone’s Snapchat story and we totally aren’t complaining.
2. A clean shower.
We all know that as soon as we get back to our homes, we will be internally screeching with joy over taking the leap into a shower without cheap, plastic shower shoes getting in our way. You won’t need to worry about the mystery giant glob of hair that resembles a small rodent staring back at you while you’re trying to shower. What a feeling! A clean, hot shower with a curtain that actually closes all the way!
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3. The smell of food cooking.
The fresh smell of something baking, even if it’s just pizza rolls, seems like such a novelty. The ability to bake or cook anything on your own (or with mom’s help) sounds like heaven to a college student who has been living off the chicken nuggets from the dining halls or more specially the weird mac ‘n cheese from Boyd that has pears in it. There is none of that at home! You now have the ability to break out the cookbook, try something new and test out your cooking skills, but please, small house fires are not recommended.
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4. The daily flop onto your bed.
We’re sure you can’t wait to wrap yourself in the blankets waiting for you at home, cuddle with the stuffed animal you were slightly too embarrassed to take with you to college, and enjoy the nice big bed you’ve missed so much. You can sleep with no pants on; you can snore as loud as you want, and there are no alarms going off that aren’t yours. What a treat!
5. Not having to lug laundry.
When you go home, you no longer have to procrastinate lugging your huge tote full of dirty clothes down multiple flights of stairs just to get to the overly crowded laundry room where some of the washing machines flood and the dryers leave your clothes still soaking wet after you let them tumble for an hour. You get to do your laundry- for free- in your own home, or you are lucky enough for your parents to take on the task for you just because they’ve missed you so much. Maybe this way you can keep more of your socks, too.
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6. Making as much noise as you want.
Singing at school is fun and stress-relieving, but you are always at risk of someone knocking on the door to remind you it’s quiet hours or someone simply shouting through the cardboard thin wall to tell you to shut up. When you are home, you can sing as loudly as you want wherever you want, and nobody’s around to shut down your talents. So turn on Beyoncé and just belt it out.
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7. The illusion of free time.
During the summer, there are no classes. Technically you have no obligations and a heck of a lot of time that can be dedicated to watching the newest season of House of Cards or all of those movies you were dying to watch. You have no exams, no responsibilities. Live it up!
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8. A group hug with your friends from high school.
Yes, you love your new college friends a heck of a lot, but that doesn’t mean you forgot about the lovable hooligans back home who went through all of the awkward high school moments with you. You can’t wait to go to that first summer bonfire when you get back. Make sure you queue up your funny college stories like the time you sneezed and gave yourself a concussion or the time your RA took you to McDonald’s in a snowstorm and two men had to help push you out of the parking lot while you just took a SnapChat of the ordeal.
9. The quirkiness of your home town.
Although Athens is hands-down one of the most beautiful places in the world, there’s nothing like the quirks your hometown holds for you. There’s just something comforting about going to the grocery store and seeing half the town there, driving through the town square just because, or going to your local festival that celebrates something specific to the town (if you are like me, this festival celebrates the presence of a match factory that has been out of business for years, weird, right)? Get out and embrace all the weird things about being in your hometown.
10. Outings with your family.
Nothing is better about going home for the summer than being reunited with your family. Being home means no more awkward FaceTime calls where your dad doesn’t understand that you can indeed hear him without him yelling into the phone. You are there for four months with the people who love you more than anyone else. You get to dive back into family barbecues where your cousins greet you happily with hugs, the oh-so-competitive game nights, and even those quiet nights at home when everyone is just watching TV together.
