How Do Emerson Freshman Feel About Thanksgiving Break?

The first extended break of the year is this week, Thanksgiving break. People all over the country are getting ready to pack up the family to eat dinner elsewhere or to add more chairs to the kitchen table. Thanksgiving is a time of appreciating family and friends, which is something that freshman may not have been able to do since moving away for college. People from all over the world come to Emerson, meaning some are going home for the first time this week. But how will we all feel coming back to school? Will we want to leave the comforts of our childhood homes?

I conducted small interviews with Emerson freshman asking them numerous questions of how they feel about break. While they have unique stories, their feelings echo similar sentiments that may be found in many freshmen going through their first trip back home. 

Where are you from?

Allie: Burbank, California; formerly Little Rock, Arkansas

Catherine: Tappahannock, Virginia and Hong Kong, China

Erica: 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but no one is gonna know the town I’m from.

Sydney: Pensacola, Florida

Emily: Falmouth, Massachusetts 

Have you visited home since school started?

Allie: No

Catherine: No

Erica: No

Sydney: No

Emily: Yes

How are you getting home? 

Allie: Flight 

Catherine: Flying to New York for Thanksgiving. My cousin goes to school and lives there. I’m just going to New York, my family is in Hong Kong. I won’t see them until Christmas break.

Erica: I’m flying home and then I’m taking a train back so we’re using two different forms of transportation.

Sydney: Emily’s parents are driving us.

Emily: My parents are picking us up in a car.

On a scale from one to ten, how excited are you to be going home?

Allie: I’m pretty excited… Like a 6 or 7

Catherine: (About returning to Hong Kong) Like an 8 because of the protests. I’m just a little nervous.

Erica: I’d say like an 8 but mostly because I’m excited to see my dog. I’ve seen my parents and my best friend since I’ve come here─they’ve visited but I haven’t seen my dog.

Sydney: Six, because I’m not going home on Thanksgiving.

Emily: Oh I’m pretty excited! Maybe a 7 or 8… yeah 8.

What are you most excited about when you go home?

Allie: I’ve been making a list of restaurants that I want to go to. I get to see a bunch of friends I haven’t seen in like 15 weeks so that’s exciting. But oh my god I’m gonna drive! 

Catherine: See my dogs! My brothers as well, but my dogs

Erica: Seeing my dog. Seeing my best friend. I guess seeing my parents. I don’t know just like being in a chill environment like where I can just be alone for a little bit. I don’t know, I’m excited to have some alone time.

Sydney: She has dogs. Period.

Emily: I’m seeing my friends but that’s really it for plans. Sydney and I are going to the Enchanted Village at Jordan’s Furniture. We’re taking Christmas photos. We should get matching pajamas.

Do you have any plans for going home? 

Allie: I’m gonna go to the beach. I think I have a lot of people that I either want to see or they’re like ‘We need to hang out’ so I’ll probably be busy. Not a lot of time relaxing but I’m excited.

Catherine: New York things. Maybe a little bit of touristy things. The Thanksgiving Day parade!

Erica: I have tickets to see Frozen II the night I get back. I am very excited. I’m going to see Mean Girls, the musical. And then I am also going to a mystery show which is a radio show in Philly that’s hosting a mystery show. Basically they choose a random artist from a list of twelve and you don’t know until you get there. So I have a packed break.

Sydney: I’m gonna meet her family. I’m gonna cook over there. And I plan to do some writing.

Emily: My bed, my bed is pretty comfy. And my siblings, I like my siblings.

How do you spend Thanksgiving?

Allie: We usually switch it up. Last year my dad made us go to his friend’s house and I really didn’t want to go. But this year it’s gonna be at my house and there is going to be this guy here visiting because he’s going to live with us and he wants to meet me. I like going away but I just didn’t like it last year.

Erica: I will be in my general area for Thanksgiving on Thursday but then Friday we always go to Scranton to have a second Thanksgiving with my mom’s family.

Emily: We host but it changes from year to year. This year we host and my neighbors are coming over. 

Do you think you’ll have a hard time coming back to school from break?

Allie: Maybe… I don’t think so because it’s really what─ two weeks that we’ll be back before I’ll be home again for a long time so I’m not really concerned about being upset coming back.

Catherine: 100% because the transition is 2 and a half weeks until we leave for Christmas again. I feel like that’s just a waste.

Erica: Yes, I’m nervous because whenever I would go on breaks in high school it was always like ‘ugh I don’t wanna go back’ but I’m hoping that I like it enough here that when I go home I’m like ‘oh my god I miss it’. Because I don’t know yet. I’m just here… now I’m gonna go home and if I miss it [Emerson] I know I’m in the right place. But I’m a little nervous to find out.

Sydney: Not really because we have like two weeks left and I know I can push through.

Emily: Not for Thanksgiving I guess because we only have two weeks before we leave for Christmas break. I can power through.

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