The Pleasures of Home
After struggling through half of the first semester back at school, somehow surviving midterms, and being so fed up with Russell House and fast food that food at school is just about refused, it becomes time for Fall Break.
Fall Break is only four days in length, but those couple days can make all the difference. When school takes over, studying becomes all you think you will ever be able to do, and you think that being sick is just a way of life, you need to go home. Everyone has reached the point where they have been away just enough that they just want to lounge, shop and eat home-cooked meals.
Going home is not only full of pleasure for the students at The University of South Carolina, it may be even more exciting for the parents and families of the students. Although they text and call daily, send care packages, and come for Parent’s Weekend, nothing can replace the feeling of having the whole family under the same roof again: home.
However, everyone is bound to experience different things while at home. Some may come home to their bedroom taken over by a younger sibling because they have always been envious of your attached bathroom; some may return to find their room turned into storage, or worse: your mother’s craft room.
And we all know the greatest pleasure of returning home: seeing our animals! The dogs set up once a month in front of Russell House in order to give us some relief are really cute, and such a relief to find when there’s a huge void in our hearts that only a fuzzy friend can fill. However, nothing can replace our own furry family members. Hugging your dog/cat/bird/iguana again just fills your heart to the brim with joy, and you truly know that you’re home.
When Fall Break is over and we return to our new homes at USC, we will be reenergized with sleep, love, and looking forward to being reunited with our new found school family our friends. Everyone will have different memories of their bedroom, shopping, food, animals, and possibly a short trip, but when we all come back together on Sunday, it will be understood who our new family is: The Gamecocks.