Thoughts on Working Over Winter Break

Now that we’re back in schoolーin dorms, in apartments, in houses so tiny they look like a part of one of those Christmas villagesーthe go-to question is “how was your break?” Regardless of how close or how distant you are, my roommate who I met my very first day of college asked me this question,  and so did the lady who scoops mashed potatoes at the dining hall. It’s always the opener of the semester. 

The answers vary, from tales of exotic and fascinating vacations, to simply those who laid on the couch and watched Friends before it disappears. In my case, though, the answer is a little different. I held a part-time job, which I have in common with many college students. However, for this particular break, there happened to be more. In addition, I applied to grad school, finished the collaborative report for my internship, and took a class on-campus that required me to travel back and forth in a commute that was 2.5 hours each way. Now, I feel fortunate to be busy due to opportunities and to work; it is something that comes from the fact that I attend a great university with hardworking people that allow me to work beyond my limits and beyond what I know. I am grateful for it. 

However, I also know that there was a part of me that missed the days-into-nights, sleeping until noon with a diet of chocolate and cheese and Netflix that usually takes up winter break. I was driving back and forth from New Hampshire, where I’m from, to Rhode Island, working part-time, and doing grad school applications at night constantly. Rather than homemade meals and cups of tea, I was mostly working off smoothies, coffee, and to-go sandwiches.  My planner has probably never had so much use during vacation and neither has my car. It was a rather exhausting and wild couple of weeks. I certainly could not have done it without my friends and my family. I am proud of myself for making it through, and I am extremely happy to have finished all my applications and to be back on campus with my college friends. 

Due to the fact that I am a senior, there isn’t much about the new semester that is all that new. Syllabuses eventually blur together and all the on-campus/off-campus coffee shops have been explored. I got up this morning and got dressed and had coffee the way I like it, by myself while staring into space, and I went to breakfast and then to work and it all felt incredibly familiar. In previous semesters, even though I have taken summer classes and always worked through my breaks, the beginning felt like a drag and an unpleasant wake up from streaming bliss. Now? It feels much more like normal–this has been going on for the last few weeks in my life anyway. Yes, my schedule and all of its rushing are back, but it’s really been back for a while. 

I can’t predict the challenges of any new semester or any new period of time. I know it will pick up, things will be busier and a bit more unpredictable, but, for now, I’m just glad it feels so familiar here, and that January is almost over. 

• grad school
• job
• winter break
• work