As the week wound down into the blissful respite of spring break, it suddenly seemed that I was surrounded by people who were terribly excited about jet-setting off to some exotic locale or another to spend their week free from education.
Maybe I'm bitter, but I can't help but wonder what the entire predisposition is with college students and Spring Break. Perhaps it's a strange form of conditioning - all through childhood and adolescence we're bombarded with a pop culture gleefully exalting the wild and zany times that spring break has to offer (I'm looking at you, MTV). So, once we're finally reached college, the wiring has already been soldered into our heads - spring break unequivocally means partying, preferably someplace far away from school. Behold, the exodus begins!
On behalf of all of the homebodies out there that spent their spring break in the comfort of their own homes, spending your time at home doesn't necessarily mean you're a square. Consider it an act of rebellion, if you will. It's rebellion against that stereotype that all college students are hypersexed, immature, flatulent, and naive. It's rebellion against MTV's transparent psuedoculture. Quite frankly, it's practicality in action.
My decision to stay at home was deliberate, thoughtful, and planned entirely of my own free will. I'm positive that this applies to other students out there as well.
My enmity towards Spring Break travel is also relegated towards needless travel for the sake of it, and not towards enriching and interesting travel (like checking out Paris or going to a collegiate newspaper convention in Seattle).
Look at the many benefits of staying home for Spring Break. First of all, you don't have the inflated expenses associated with traveling. Gas prices, airline fare, lodging and meals are not cheap, people. Let's not forget that if you're going to Cancun, you're going to want to spend your money on something a little bit risqu? and exciting, like bungee jumping from the top of a shoddy and uninspected roadside circus show tower.
As if that isn't dangerous enough, with President Bush's aggressive stance on finishing his daddy's business, you might leave for Puerto Rico in a time of peace, and come back to find your brother has been drafted, or that your room is the only one bereft of its decorative duct tape and plastic sheeting for the holidays.
What's more, the time spent at home can be applied to productive endeavors like catching up on those awesome movies school has prohibited you from seeing, reading a good book, visiting with old friends or otherwise enriching yourself in a way that spring break doesn't offer in its wallowing pits of alcohol.
Granted, boredom may seep into the cracks of your day, but it could be worse - you could be paying good money for it.
