Leila Durmaz is a journalism freshman and Mustang Daily freshman columnist.
Freshman year is a time of firsts. The first time we’re separated from family and friends who we’re used to seeing and talking to everyday, the first time we’re paired with a complete stranger to live with, the (hopefully not) first time we have to do our own laundry and the first time we have to stress about choosing classes for the next quarter (such a frustrating task).
Through the many firsts of freshman year, whether good or bad, are things that you will probably remember for the rest of your life . There are quite a few firsts that you wouldn’t think would be a big deal but actually are.
One event I would categorize under the seemingly-not-important-but-actually-important-firsts-of-freshman-year would be our first break: Thanksgiving break.
Thanksgiving break might not seem like a big deal to those who have already visited home for one or more of the weekends in the last two-and-a-half months we’ve been in college, but I’d like to think it is. I have yet to go home, so obviously, I might find Thanksgiving break to be more exciting than those who have gone home, but it doesn’t change the fact that this upcoming break will be so nice.
It’s the first break that we get to go home from our first quarter of college. The first time we get to escape the stress and excitement of college and rest in the long-awaited comfort of our homes (and beds). It’s the first break where we can escape the independence we were given by going to college and can be with the people who have helped us our whole lives: our family and friends.
This break will be nothing but refreshing with the aroma and taste of great homemade food — not to mention Thanksgiving food, which is arguably one of the major things that most of us are looking forward to, the comfort of our family, friends, pets and bed, and being able to take warm showers without having to wear flip-flops (I’m anticipating that to feel somewhat weird).
It’s so easy to get caught up in the scheme of things in college that sometimes we forget about those back home and the simplicity that existed in our lives. While we try to juggle classes, speeches, papers, friends, sleep, meals and probably a dozen more things, we lose sight of how simple things once were.
We forget that we only ever had to sign up for classes once a year for school and always could come back to a home-cooked meal. We didn’t have to worry about calling our parents and siblings every day and updating them on our daily lives because they were always within reach — literally — whenever we needed or wanted to talk. We forget that we never had to deal with carrying our laundry down the stairs (or hall) in the new laundry hamper we bought for college.
There are so many more things that we learn to appreciate while we’re away at college, from our family friends to things like a kitchen only a few steps away. Thanksgiving break is a time to go back to those simple things and rest for the week we have off. There’s no need to stress about getting classes, that speech due the week after break or the reading that you just haven’t done. Okay, who am I kidding, we probably will be spending some time stressing or worrying about that stuff, especially because getting the classes that I want is harder than I thought it would be.
And I just realized next week is dead week — the week before finals — so maybe taking a break might be a little bit of a challenge knowing that this is the last week before finals week and the end of the quarter, but it’s important to take a break here and there, and this week is the week to do it.
So eat your pumpkin/pecan/apple pie and take an actual break this Thanksgiving. You deserve one.