By Melanie Delfosse
Despite the freeze hitting Ithaca and the snow and wind we continue to get, it is officially (and finally) spring break for Cornell students. And you should use your nine days (or more if you chose to skip some Friday classes) as best as possible! So if you have nothing planned, here are some ideas for what to do during spring break, both here in Ithaca and elsewhere, along with some advice on what to avoid.
Cultural Enrichment
With your free time, spend some time seeing a performance, music show, play or something else stimulating and entertaining! I will personally be stacking all three, checking out the Lion Dance Competition hosted here at Cornell before heading back home to attend a concert and see a play. While it may be a lot to go through, using your free time to experience something interesting is super fun and gives you something to talk about when you get back. In addition, experiencing something new can teach you more about yourself and the world around you! In any case, it’s something fun to do with other people, so whether you’re in Ithaca or back home, be sure to check out what’s going on around you.
Don’t Just Say “Yes”
Avoid just saying “yes” to everything. While having more than a week of free time may make it seem like you have time to do everything, remember that this is a break. Of course, you should have fun with friends and go to events you’re interested in — but don’t feel compelled to say “yes” to everything! Otherwise, you may end up more drained at the end of the break than you were at the beginning. And remember: this is the last break before our final stretch, so you’ll want to take the time to really enjoy it. Be mindful of how you spend your time.
Explore Nature
While we’ve all been told Ithaca is gorgeous, I, and other similarly busy students, tend to not have time to actually get off campus and explore (especially if, like me, your only experience with hiking in Ithaca is a walk around Beebe Lake). If you are staying in Ithaca (and if going out won’t give you frostbite), take the time off to enjoy the local scenery, exploring the local waterfalls, trails, etc. And if you are heading back home, be sure to enjoy the local weather — it’s probably warmer than up here. I’m planning on checking out the cherry blossoms at home (Washington, D.C.), but wherever home is, you can always take a walk and enjoy the blossoming Spring; it can even help you relax after those prelims (or even worse, getting your grades).
Make a Plan to Finish School Work
While it’s important you don’t overextend yourself by going out all the time, you should also try to avoid spending the entire break bedrotting. And while I, like all other 8 a.m. class sufferers, will enjoy sleeping in and catching up on lost sleep, it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re caught up on all your work before you totally relax — or at least have a haphazard plan to finish by the time you get back to campus. Personally, completing my lab reports first will make binging a new random TV show with my family that much easier.
Reconnect
This one might be a bit tricky because (1) it’s more than likely that most of your non-Cornellian friends have already taken their spring break and (2) it’s hard to relax knowing this break will end sooner rather than later. But you can consider visiting your friends you haven’t seen in a while; invading their homes, raiding their dorms, sitting in on their college lectures. It’s always fun to see friends, but checking out other colleges can also fill you in on what’s “unique” about the Cornell experience, not limited by the fact that some of your friends may have no idea what a “borg” is.
In addition to spending time with friends, if you are heading home, spending time with your family and pets can easily become one of the highlights of your trip — I’ve been saying “I want to see my cats” for the past week every time I’m reminded that I haven’t seen them in months.
“So, who’s he dating now?”
While spending time with friends, I would tentatively recommend trying to avoid starting hometown drama. I say tentatively because honestly, it’s more interesting for everyone if you do. Still, a peaceful and restful break involves minimal drama and maximum relaxation, so it’s best to avoid unnecessary gossip. If you want to go for a safe middle ground, you can try to casually stay updated on any drama or updates if and when you happen to run into any acquaintances from high school. To those who simply don’t care anymore, I applaud you, but (un)fortunately me and my bestie will continue calling each other with the random updates on our old classmates.
All in all, I hope if you had no plans for spring break other than enjoying non-dining hall food for a week, this gives you some ideas on how to sweeten your recess and fully enjoy the time off.
Melanie Delfosse is a first-year in the College of Human Ecology. She can be reached at md2262@cornell.edu.
