Thanksgiving break is weird as a college student. All breaks, really, are weird, but especially this week at the almost-end of the semester that gives you a second to catch your breath before throwing you into the depths of Hell — or as some call them, finals.
This year, we have a slightly longer Thanksgiving break than the typical five-day time off from classes, which most students seem happy about. For those of us who have to travel far, it can be cheaper and less stressful to make it home more than a day in advance of the holiday, especially if family traditions extend past the actual day of Thanksgiving. But for some — such as international students who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving nor have time to travel home, or students who are returning to an unwelcoming home environment — the extended break is not necessarily a gift.
There will never be an easy solution to this. “Just don’t go home,” or “I bet you can find others who are staying on campus,” express things that are easier said than done. Even those who are making it home to see family and friends may still struggle with actually taking a break, as professors assign things over the holiday and make it impossible for us to unplug before finals. So, as you see friends before we all disperse, consider offering these words instead of “Happy Thanksgiving”: may this break be what you need it to be, and nothing else.
If you need to lay on the couch and watch copious amounts of football highlights with your dad;
If you need to catch up on missing assignments to assuage your pre-finals anxiety;
If you need to call a different friend from your dorm room each night to feel less alone;
If you need to take the week to hang out with yourself after everyone and their mother has annoyed you all semester long;
If you need to have a hard conversation with your great-uncle about your sexuality over turkey and mashed potatoes;
Do that. Whatever you need to do to reset, rejuvenate and rest, do that. Take advantage of this time before we all return to the chaos that is the end of the semester.