One of my roommates doesn't go to this university. She attends a small school about three miles down the road, and for the next few days she has fall break.
If there was one thing that I could change about this awesome school, that would be it. (Well, maybe I would change the football voucher turn-in, but that's an entirely different column). A fall break here at UW-Madison would provide us with some much-needed rest after midterms, and a chance to reenergize before the home stretch of the semester. An established fall break would benefit everyone. The professors and TAs could take a few days to get some grading done or take some time for themselves. Students could take a long weekend, and come back refreshed, alive, awake, alert and enthusiastic.
But no, we don't have this luxury. We're stuck here. Our only chance at a long weekend will be over Thanksgiving. Battling frantic, overachieving, holiday shoppers and restless kids on car trips with their parents are not the ingredients for an awesome break. But a scheduled vacation in the fall semester? Just relax and imagine the possibilities.
Friday afternoon, after a long day of classes, you go back to your place to pick up your suitcase. You sit at your desk and pore over your away message, eventually deciding on the lyrics to the holiday anthem, \Vacation"" by the Go-Go's. You hear a car horn outside, and you race down the steps to pile into your buddy's car. Your fall break has officially begun.
You drive for several hours, stopping for food, sodas, the bathroom and to vacuum out the car after a few unfortunate spills. Eventually, despite yourselves, you get to your destination. It's warm and the frosty drinks flow like a freestyle rapper.
You head to the beach and examine your surroundings, chuckling to yourself about how much fall break rules, and how you can't imagine being anywhere else. Your friends, already drunk, tell you to quit daydreaming and hit the ocean. The rest of your first day is spent outside, enjoying the sunshine and pitchers of margaritas.
You go to clubs and meet some wild foreign exchange students also on fall break. You buy them a few drinks and give the good-looking one your LiveStrong bracelet as an act of patriotism. You down one more shot to celebrate the country, and you head to bed; tired, but laughing and fulfilled.
The next morning you get back in the car. You drive slowly in the parking lot as you reminisce about the last four days. Someone puts in a jam band album and most of you sleep till you're back home. It's been an awesome vacation, but it's time to get back to reality.
The next day, you stroll into class with a tan and a rejuvenated spirit for academics. The eerily observant kid next to you notices your LiveStrong bracelet is missing and asks you what happened. Visibly annoyed but internally excited that someone noticed, you regale him with the story of your fall break and everything that it entailed. Your vivid depiction of the turn of events makes him feel like he was there with you, and brightens his traditionally boring afternoon. All is right with the world. See? Fall break benefits everyone.
Erin is a sophomore majoring in education. Her column runs every Monday in The Daily Cardinal. Erin can be reached at erincanty8285@hotmail.com.
