Tag Archives: fall break

Fall Break

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For me, Fall Break is supposed to be a great time to relax a little and spend some quality time with my family and friends. At least, that’s what I imagined as I was driving up I-95 on Friday afternoon.  While it is true that I got to spend a lot of time with my parents and some of my friends, my break was not as restful as I would have hoped.  I ended up working two eight-hour shifts at my job, at Bed Bath and Beyond.  Now, for most people, that doesn’t seem like that’s a hard thing to do, but trust me, eight hours of running around the store and being really nice to everyone makes you tired.  That meant that those days involved nothing more than sitting on the couch and watching TV after work.

There are many positives to Fall Break.  I think by far, the biggest positive was my puppy.  He’s an 18 month old Rottweiler puppy, and he’s adorable.  He’s my biggest fan in my house and always wants to play with me.  He was so excited when I got home that he didn’t stop jumping for twenty minutes.  We spent a lot of time this weekend playing fetch, cuddling, and practicing his tricks (I taught him a new one over the summer, so it’s fun to practice now).  I don’t care what anyone says, there is nothing better than puppy love to lift your spirits.  Of course, seeing my parents was also a positive, since I love spending time with them.  We had a lot of fun spending time together, including family bonding time in Atlantic City! I live 45 minutes away from AC, so it’s fun to go down there for a few hours.  My mom and I also did a lot of shopping on Saturday, since we were on a mission to buy baby gifts for my cousin.  She’s having a baby girl and we wanted to send her a fantastic gift.  We ended up making her a clothesline full of onesies, socks, bibs, and other clothes. Plus, we topped it all of with a Winnie the Pooh blanket that I made for the baby!

The food of the weekend was also definitely a plus.  On Friday night, on our way down the shore, we went to a place called Ott’s Grille.  I had the “Jersey Burger”-a burger with American cheese, bacon, and pork roll.  Yes, it was a heart attack on a plate, but it was absolutely delicious. Saturday morning, I went to my favorite bagel place to get a bagel. I know this seems a little extreme, but Jersey bagels are just so much better than the bagels you can find in Maryland.  Anyone who has tasted a bagel from the Bagel Bin will understand…it’s heavenly.  On Sunday, my mom made a fantastic dinner of pasta with shrimp, spinach, mushrooms, and broccoli with an Alfredo sauce.  And of course, you cannot forget the garlic bread.   If there’s one thing I didn’t do on this break, it’s lose weight.

Even though I love McDaniel, it always feels nice to go home from time to time and get the comforts of home.  It makes me appreciate what I have at home, but it also makes me appreciate the things that I do on my own here, like when I make my own delicious meals in my kitchen.

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It’s important to take a break sometimes too…

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Fall Break means changing leaves, beautiful Fall weather, time with family, and, most importantly, a break from the stress and rigor of school. For me it meant homework, studying, reading, and, most importantly, becoming a recluse so that I wouldn’t fall any further behind in my classes than I already had. I spent Friday and Saturday on campus, and after deciding that I really did miss my parents enough that I had to go home, I through my laundry and my books into my car and drove home.

Anyone will tell you that since Fall Break falls right after midterms, their homework load is usually pretty light. Teachers give students a temporary breather before slamming them in the second half of the semester between homework and eventually finals. I was less than enthused that I had such a heavy homework load, and was not the best guest to my family since I spent most afternoons locked in my room working. Then I realized that I had a sizable presentation due on the history of Wine due on the first day back from break, which added greatly to my stress. I felt alone in my struggle, especially since I didn’t have any of my school friends nearby to lean on.

Thanks to the invention of Skype, I managed to get unite virtually the friends with whom I was working on the presentation. I had expected that I would largely be leading the assignment since that is the way these things go, but each of them told me they had been doing a little bit of work on theirs all along and were finishing them up and even offered to help me do my portion of the project. I was overjoyed but still had a lot to do. At this point my friend Barney texted me and told me that he and my friends Kyle, Carleigh, and Nicole were down in my area and going rollerblading and that I should take a break and join him. After some hesitation I decided that I would rely on the help of my peers in getting the assignment done and allow myself a break.

What a great choice that was. It’s nice when a community, like the one at McDaniel, is so much a part of your life that you’re a part of it even when you’re an hour away. Thanks to my friends I too was able to have a Fall Break too, I was even reminded by Barney to spend my final day at home with my parents instead of with my laptop which was a much needed. I was reminded that while the family I have at home is important to me, the family I have at McDaniel is equally important, possibly more so, because they keep me grounded when I forget what is important. I don’t recommend falling behind on your assignments, but it’s important to realize that working yourself to death is no way to live.

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Trapped on campus? No way!

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McDaniel may be located in suburbia, but that certainly doesn’t mean we get stuck here. As it is Fall Break, many students either went home or embarked on short trips during our short vacation.

If you’re looking to head home during a break, the easiest way to get a ride is through the weekend shuttle service, which makes local stops at Walmart and the mall as well as longer trips to the Owings Mills Metro Station. Additionally, a shuttle is available to transport students to and from BWI Airport/BWI Amtrack station.

For those who aren’t heading home for the break, there’s a ton of options for day trips and overnight excursions. A few ideas include:

1. Backpacking

During my freshman year, I did a weekend backpacking trip with the Outdoor Club on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, and I can’t wait to try it out again. Going with the club rather than on my own was awesome because I got to use the school’s backpack rather than my own and learned what to do from people who had been a ton of times. My favorite part was standing at the middle point of the entire trail!

2. Exploring nearby cities

With Baltimore, Frederick, Annapolis and Washington, DC all within an hour’s drive from campus, it’s super easy to gather a group of friends and shop and sightsee. The McDaniel shuttle can even help you get to Baltimore for free! My personal favorite is probably downtown Frederick, which is home to some awesome antique malls and stores that specialize in everything from olive oil to loose tea to battery-free children’s toys.

3. Checking out the monuments at Gettysburg

Our campus is only 30 minutes away from the location of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, so heading up to Pennsylvania for a day to check it out is definitely worth it. Beyond the monuments, you can check out the historic town and participate in ghost tours and reenactments. What’s more, you can stop by the Gettysburg outlets on the way home to do some shopping or catch a movie!

4. Heading up to the Big Apple

This is what I’m doing tomorrow to celebrate Fall Break! Some of my housemates have never been, so we’re taking Megabus up just for the day. I haven’t been there for a few years, so I’m excited to explore with some people who are seeing it for the first time! With Megabus, tickets are cheaper the earlier you buy them, so be sure to plan your trip in advance!

No matter if you want to head home and see your family or spend a day in the city, McDaniel makes it easy to travel and is located in a great spot for checking out some awesome places.

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Fall Break Begins

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So Midterms are over for me, thank goodness and today is the Saturday of Fall Break. My midterms were not nearly as bad as I worried they would be. I studied for several hours for each of them and I feel like I did well on them all. The Environmental Policy exam I was really concerned about because I don’t normally take anything environmental was actually my easiest and I haven’t stopped being surprised how much I enjoy that class so far. My Poe midterm was also easier than I thought it would be – I was worried the professor would pick some of the trickier works – for instance Poe has a series of poems that are all very similar called “A Dream,” “The Dream,” “Dreamland,” and “A Dream Within A Dream” and if they had been in the identification section, that would have been cruel. Thankfully, Kachur is not that cruel and I feel like I did really well on that exam. So basically, my midterm week was actually pretty good and I believe I did well.

So right after my last midterm, the Puppy Club had Hudson in Ensor to visit with people. The Puppy Club trains dogs for service – its full name is Canine Companions for Independence, Puppy Club. Hudson is really cute and I always enjoy seeing him around campus. Plus, it is nice to see that the school is willing to allow him into the different buildings and to be around a lot of people, which is important for his training. I saw him before and after lunch and stopped to pet him and say hello both times, and it really did brighten my day. Phil was with me too and at first he was wary of Hudson but he warmed up to him really quickly. He did not hang around him as much as I did, but that was more because he was talking to some friends that were also around at the time.

So on Thursday night, a bunch of us played poker again after anime club – it seems to be turning into a tradition. On Friday afternoon, Phil, Red, and I left campus for fall break. We took Red to her house before going to Phil’s. It was good to see Kaie again and it is good that we have a few days off to unwind after midterms. Nevertheless, I will be glad to get back to school and see what the rest of the semester holds. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my few days of rest and relaxation. Today, for instance, I played video games with friends and spent some time with Phil and his family at dinner time. Plus, we watched the League of Legends world championship, while it is not my game of choice, the two teams put on a good show.

 

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Fall Break

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The halfway point of the semester has arrived and with it comes Fall Break.

It is amazing how fast time flies, yet with the pages of papers I’ve written, the tests I’ve taken, and the projects I’ve done this semester, I am ready for a break.

After surviving a week of midterms, there is nothing students are looking more forward to than five days of relaxation and fun. While some students are choosing to remain on campus for the short break, I will be heading home to New Jersey with my roommate Laura.

Laura and I have been brainstorming things to do over break since October started. This includes sleeping in, outlet shopping, and eating plenty of her mom’s Italian cooking. One day we have plans to go fishing out on the ocean on a charter boat with her father and sister. We would also like to carve some pumpkins or head to Fright Fest at Six Flags.

While our list of things we want to do is a bit ambitious for the short break that we have ahead, whatever we choose to do will be a nice change from the school grind and have us back to school refreshed and ready to continue the semester.

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The Worst is Over! (For Now…)

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I’m very happy that all of my midterms wrapped up yesterday! I handed in my take-home midterm for my evening class, took an in-class science midterm, also turned in an essay draft for my rhetoric class. It was definitely overwhelming that all of this had to happen in one day, but now it’s over, I have a feeling of freedom!

To celebrate the end of midterms week, some of my friends and suite mates and I went out to IHOP for dinner. IHOP is easily within walking distance from campus, but since a couple of my friends have cars, we drove. My strawberry crepe was delicious and I had a really nice time unwinding with some of my favorite on-campus people! I’m also glad we planned our trip to IHOP in advance; I liked having something to look forward to immediately after my midterms ended at this afternoon. And while I was there, I even saw a TARDIS-inspired Smart Car. I’m not a big Doctor Who fan, but it was an exciting find!

But even better, fall break this weekend, and I get to go home! I’ve been using that as motivation as well. Though I have some assignments I’ll need to accomplish over break, I’m very excited to have some time of with my family and my new corgi puppy through Tuesday! In terms of schoolwork, things tend to get a little more intense during the second half of the semester, so having a few good days to rest up will be nice.

Only packing, a better night’s sleep, and my badminton class separate me from break now!

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