Column: Summer 'slavecation' lacks spontaneity
July 9, 2008
Summer vacation. When I was young, these two words would titillate my senses. The thought of having two and a half months all to myself without teachers or homework, combined with the structure (or lack thereof) of the last few days of school (basically a giant fair without the Ferris wheel), made the three month period from mid-May to mid-August feel like heaven.
Then a funny thing happened during my freshman year of high school. We actually had to study during the last few days of school thanks to a sinister invention called “final exams.” Sophomore year was even worse. Since I was now 16, I was “encouraged” to get a job, which I did about three weeks before school ended. To recap, in two short years, my final school days each semester shifted from playing volleyball and basketball in the middle school gym to balancing my job as a busboy and studying for Algebra 2. Little did I realize that summer as I used to know it was as much a thing of the past as recess.
Now I am a soon-to-be junior in the School of Journalism. I should be excited that I’m on summer break. No more class, no more stress and plenty of warm weather — what’s not to like? But, summer is no longer a playful, carefree break. Summer break is now as simple a mixture as H2O: three parts work, one part potential vacations/getaways. The vacations are another problem since there are so many possible things to do with different groups of people. Spend a week in the Smoky Mountains with my family? Of course. Float trip in July? Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Go on vacation to Ohio with my friends at home? Hell no. (I have my reasons). Visit my fraternity brother in Colorado? Maybe, if I have the money. See how this ties together?
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying home is bad. I definitely needed a break from Columbia. Leaving behind my girlfriend is no fun, but leaving behind the crazy sleep schedule, outrageous spending habits and recent laziness has been great. I work out more often, eat healthier, get more consistent rest, actually make positive contributions to my bank account and bond with my family when I’m back in St. Charles, Mo. However, I also seldom hang out with friends, I watch too much TV, and I get easily bored in St. Chuck.
My problem with summer break lies in the fact that I don’t like being pigeonholed into routines, which means it’s a good thing I don’t necessarily have a set schedule at work. But this does not mean that my life doesn’t follow a basic routine during the summer. I generally go to bed at 12 a.m., get up at 8 a.m. and either go to work or run errands, work out and try to get something accomplished for the day before my mom comes home. I then eat dinner sometime between 6 and 7 p.m. and either watch TV afterward, or, if I’m lucky, play soccer with some friends.
The main thing that is missing from summer is spontaneity. I can’t just decide to go to San Antonio, Tex., 24 hours before the Big 12 Championship game like I did in December. I can’t just decide to go out on the town on a random Monday like I did multiple times during this past semester. I can’t just treat my job like my 9 a.m. History 1200 class last semester. If I do, I’ll be suspended or fired. I have to be (gulp) responsible and notify my boss a few days in advance before deciding to go anywhere. Summer slavecation seems like a more appropriate title.
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