Spring Break: Which side are you on?

By Evan Walsh, Chief Copy Editor and Sara Hollabaugh, Online Editor


By Evan Walsh

I can’t imagine there are too many bad ways to spend spring break. And I’ve got to admit Sara’s Spring break plans are wor-
thy of envy. But there will always be those college students among us that simply cannot get/take a break from reality. Even if the university tells you to get lost March 11 and 19.

I have been part of that Delaware Spring Break crowd for four years now, and although it’s not the most desirable option, it may be the most necessary. Spring break at OWU is carte blanche for study time. In the environs of a student-less Ohio Wesleyan I am completely distraction free.

Ahhh.

Does it bug me that I will never experience the joys of Panama City Beach? For many, it is the quintessential college experience. A true rite of passage for any undergrad. Replete with fellow co-eds enjoying the same hedonistic pleasures that our society is so fond of it would make sense that it would.

But it really doesn’t … Is something wrong with me?

I’d like to think there isn’t. I’d like to think I’m just lazy.

Organizing a Spring break trip is exhaustive and requires leadership. No thanks.

If I don’t even have enough time during the Ohio Wesleyan school week to get my work done, how the hell can you expect me to find time to waste to make plans to get wasted?

Even if I did, I can’t afford these excursions. No matter how cheap and seemingly affordable. You see, college is that special time where many young men and women are introduced to the practice of budgeting.

[This is more of a concept than an actual practice for me.] So, come late February I’m about as financially soluble as the country of Greece.

Should I ever come into possession of the requisite funds I would like to take a trip. Greece sounds pretty nice and I’ve even heard we’re financially alike.

Lastly, Spring Break destinations scare me. They seem like the perfect place for everything to go wrong- it’s “Murphy’s Law” in a bathing suit. There’s a reason no one tells their parents about their plans for Spring Break.

So if you’re sticking around for the break, don’t feel bad. Spring break isn’t for everyone.

 

By Sara Hollabaugh

 

I remember watching every reality show of the early to mid 2000s and how, when it came time for spring break, the phrase constantly repeated was “it’s spring break b**ches!”

I grew up with television, movies and advertisements campaigning the best and biggest parties of the year happening over spring break with alcohol, women in bikinis and endless fun on the beaches of Florida, Mexico and other exotic places in the Caribbean.

I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t think they looked totally fun and that I wanted to go on a quintessential spring break trip when I was younger.

However, I knew deep down I was never going to be that girl.

To be honest, I wasn’t cheeky enough in high school, and I’m really not now, either. But no matter the type of spring break I partake in, that week in mid-march is hands down one of my favorite weeks every single year.

Why? Because I grew up going to those beaches of exotic places in the Caribbean such as Dominican Republic, Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

Let me stop you right there before your brain skips to the thought of how ridiculous that sounds. Trust me, I know.

But I was lucky enough to go on extremely amazing vacations growing up. I zip lined, climbed high ropes courses, and rode horses on the beach, all while experiencing different cultures from the local people of each place.

I not only did really fun activities, but met other kids from all over the world. I made friends from Canada, France and and different parts of the United States that I had not yet been to.

When I stayed at a resort in a foreign place, I felt like I was in my own little world and on an adventure.

While we did spend hours on the beaches, my mom never let me get away with doing nothing all day. I was encouraged to go to the kids club, urged to make new friends, pressed to try new things.

And that’s one of the most rewarding parts about my spring break experiences. I never did the drunken trip with wild concerts. I never danced in a crowd at a spring break concert with profanities shouted every second.

I didn’t do those insanely crazy things, but I turned that sense of recklessness into a sense of adventure. And I think that’s what makes spring break such an enjoyable time.

So no, you won’t find me drunk on a beach surround by thousands of people yelling “spring break b**ches,” but you will probably find me making the most of my 7 day break.