Welcome back, kids. It’s time for our last hurrah.
The much-anticipated spring break has come and gone, and now we return to Binghamton, some of us with golden tans, some with leftover matzo ball soup. But what we all have in common is the knowledge that the spring 2012 semester is quickly coming to a close.
What’s your next step? Even if you’re not graduating, the question of how you’re going to fill your time during the summer months can be daunting. Is it worth taking that unpaid internship since it could look good on your résumé? Do you really want to return to sleep-away camp?
Sorry I asked. I know you’re still anxiously scouring Craigslist on the daily, pretending that you’re actually going to find some great job worth applying for. Believe me, I’m in the same boat.
Instead, I’m putting way more effort into making plans with friends who are soon going to be dispersed not just all over this country, but all over this great planet we call Earth. This summer I plan to keep busy not just by working a part-time job and hitting the beach, but also by exhausting myself with road trips and fun-tivities all over the tri-state area.
Let’s be real. This is the way to do it. While here in Binghamton I contentedly enjoy the blissful confines of my comfy apartment, living at home is another story. Even though the mom’s asking me where I’m going is anything but intrusive and my aunt asking me if there’s a special someone in my life is just her way of expressing interest in my existence, I don’t particularly love the idea of answering to anyone for any reason. I want to run my life on my time.
So I’m going to be the on-the-go version of myself, continuing to get just the right daily dose of family time and employee obligation. This summer, that cheap wine and cheese event and the awesome flea market in the city are going to be what fill my days.
Plus, giving myself something to look forward to, even in the short term, doesn’t seem like the worst idea. I haven’t yet had a mental meltdown about what my post-graduation years will bring, and I don’t particularly enjoy the idea of ridding myself of all distractions and worrying about something I don’t know the answer to.
How many more years of our lives will we realistically be able to spend indulging in daily beach days and three-day vacations in the middle of the work week?
In between writing cover letters and forwarding your résumés to your dad’s cousin’s wife’s boss who just might be able to nab you that entry level sales job you think will pay for your upcoming semester’s Tom & Marty’s tab and then some, make sure to pinky swear your best friend that you’ll visit that awesome place in Brooklyn that serves tongue tacos or the world’s first pizza museum slated to open in Philadelphia this summer.
Believe me, after finals it’ll be time to blow off some steam, and I for one will be glad that I’ll be doing it by challenging myself to rollerblade across the Brooklyn Bridge instead of ripping my mom’s head off.