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.