It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving break has been over for a while now. This time a week ago we were itching for the arrival of Turkey Day. By now, the planes have landed, the suitcases have been unpacked and, more likely than not, you’ve looked at yourself in the mirror and wondered how it’s possible to experience visible weight gain over the span of five days. Time sure flies when you’re gorging yourself on unhealthy amounts of greasy, roasted bird flesh (that’s the saying, isn’t it?).
Apparently, the general consensus is that coming back to school for a three-week period of classes, studying and finals isn’t something to anticipate. Can you believe it? Some people have even said that they wish it was winter break already so they could just go home and sleep — an opinion with which we at the Clog must respectfully disagree. Personally, we missed Berkeley and can’t understand how anyone else would ever want to stay away from everything our beloved school has to offer.
Where else in the world can you stumble your way through the instructions on a pack of macaroni and cheese for 45 minutes, overcook the noodles until the pot boils over and end up with the kitchen smelling like that bright orange powder that Kraft says is cheese, but is actually probably a combination of strangely edible polymer derivatives? Yes, we definitely missed cooking for ourselves over break. Delicious, nutritious homemade family dinners made with love are all well and good, but by the time Sunday rolled around, we were beyond ready to return to our apartments and burn the kitchen down in a fiery attempt at Tostino’s Pizza Rolls. Or if not that, then to at least wait in line at the Golden Bear Cafe for 20 minutes to get an overpriced drink that’s actually just a Peet’s knockoff and then have it pushed over by an errant squirrel. Only at Berkeley!
We’re not forgetting our other adult responsibilities, either. We could barely go three days without having to do our own laundry before we were begging our parents to let us do the wash instead. How we missed the incessant rumbling of laundry machines older than we are, the feel of a sopping shirt still damp after three dryer cycles and the fleeting sense of loss when we can only find one of our favorite socks. We couldn’t stand having to shower without mildewed shower shoes keeping the soles of our feet centimeters away from floors that had seen decades of grime. We longed for the sense of community that only comes with brushing your teeth next to a person who’s remained a stranger for the past four months. Don’t even get us started about having to waste the day sleeping in until 11 a.m. or noon. As soon as we got back, the first thing we did was get our backpacks ready for that 8 a.m. class.
Roommates waking us up at 3 a.m. Sirens waking us up at 5 a.m. All-nighters, near-vertical hills, only being able to pet strangers’ dogs. It was only a week away, but having to live without all of these wonderful things made us feel like it was a year. We’re going to have to appreciate the next three weeks, Bears, because we’ll be expected to stay at home and relax for a month over winter break when the memory of leaving all these things behind is still so painfully fresh in our minds. It’ll be difficult leaving Berkeley for the holidays, but hopefully — Oski help us — we might just enjoy having a little break.
