BERHANE: Glad to be back to using my brain
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There's really nothing more enjoyable during the holidays than becoming blissfully ignorant of the impending spring semester. Starting just a couple of days after school closes, the pursuit of non-academic endeavors soon becomes more than just a time-filling indulgence. We find ourselves actually enjoying reality TV and Christmas specials; even prehistoric comedy marathons have their shimmer.
Between the odd novel, the family time and the infused political excitement we become media gurus in hibernation. The pregnancy of 16-year-old Nickelodeon starlet Jamie Lynn Spears or her older sister's media frenzy of a court case embody what we're expected to do over the break - have a huge roast dinner and slum in front of controversies in television land.
But unlike academia, entertainment is actually a quick-dry product. There's a strange aftertaste that's detectable weeks before school opens again from the hours you've spent in front of this box. And while we may all be unique, there is this safely guarded secret that bonds us all - we can't wait to get back to college life.
Whether you stayed up till 4 a.m. in a long-winded discussion about the ideas in "Donnie Darko" or you confessed to your class that you actually enjoyed the assigned reading, there's something to be said about the fulfillment you can get from being in a thriving academic environment.
In fact, the relationship between hard work and happiness is an integral part of our history. A friend of mine suggested that America hasn't strayed much from the principles it was built upon. The notion presented by our founding fathers that happiness is achieved by staying busy is evident - still - in the enjoyable mayhem of the college lifestyle.
Mind you, people can stay busy through various mediums. Taking shots till last call and crawling home is just as exhausting as grinding through grueling engineering problems till the library's closing time and walking home. So while we can almost be certain that we have plenty of headaches and hangovers to look forward to as the semester commences, the recent holidays should serve as a pleasant reassurance: "Thank god life isn't just one jingle-infested vacation."
Perhaps as we reflect on the past holiday, we can take a moment to really appreciate the opportunity that we have ahead of us. Interestingly enough, college is a period of time most people in the "real" world are most reminiscent about. There is no doubt this is the epoch of great experiences, a series of exciting encounters before we are shipped off to the mundane. College is a time when we can gather our thoughts around nonprofit ideas simply because we find them interesting.
Honestly though, there's really nothing more enjoyable then when you're at the peak of your vacation fever, right? It's a huge yawn in a cozy bed at noon or hot chocolate in front of the fireplace at 2 a.m. Time ceases to exist; rules fade before us. Yet - even in the midst of this - I remember thinking, "I can't wait till I can wrestle scholastics again without being scolded: 'You're not going to get all college on us again, are you?'"
- Eli Berhane is a junior in biochemistry from Ethiopia.
Between the odd novel, the family time and the infused political excitement we become media gurus in hibernation. The pregnancy of 16-year-old Nickelodeon starlet Jamie Lynn Spears or her older sister's media frenzy of a court case embody what we're expected to do over the break - have a huge roast dinner and slum in front of controversies in television land.
But unlike academia, entertainment is actually a quick-dry product. There's a strange aftertaste that's detectable weeks before school opens again from the hours you've spent in front of this box. And while we may all be unique, there is this safely guarded secret that bonds us all - we can't wait to get back to college life.
Whether you stayed up till 4 a.m. in a long-winded discussion about the ideas in "Donnie Darko" or you confessed to your class that you actually enjoyed the assigned reading, there's something to be said about the fulfillment you can get from being in a thriving academic environment.
In fact, the relationship between hard work and happiness is an integral part of our history. A friend of mine suggested that America hasn't strayed much from the principles it was built upon. The notion presented by our founding fathers that happiness is achieved by staying busy is evident - still - in the enjoyable mayhem of the college lifestyle.
Mind you, people can stay busy through various mediums. Taking shots till last call and crawling home is just as exhausting as grinding through grueling engineering problems till the library's closing time and walking home. So while we can almost be certain that we have plenty of headaches and hangovers to look forward to as the semester commences, the recent holidays should serve as a pleasant reassurance: "Thank god life isn't just one jingle-infested vacation."
Perhaps as we reflect on the past holiday, we can take a moment to really appreciate the opportunity that we have ahead of us. Interestingly enough, college is a period of time most people in the "real" world are most reminiscent about. There is no doubt this is the epoch of great experiences, a series of exciting encounters before we are shipped off to the mundane. College is a time when we can gather our thoughts around nonprofit ideas simply because we find them interesting.
Honestly though, there's really nothing more enjoyable then when you're at the peak of your vacation fever, right? It's a huge yawn in a cozy bed at noon or hot chocolate in front of the fireplace at 2 a.m. Time ceases to exist; rules fade before us. Yet - even in the midst of this - I remember thinking, "I can't wait till I can wrestle scholastics again without being scolded: 'You're not going to get all college on us again, are you?'"
- Eli Berhane is a junior in biochemistry from Ethiopia.
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