So you’re reading the Manitoban again — this probably means that you’re back at school and have fallen into that old routine. Yes, with the new year comes the new semester, dragging us from our comfortable homes back into classrooms and lecture theatres.
Depending on when your exams ended, you could of had up to a four-week break from school! However, many others were not as fortunate and got only a few weeks of vacation — regardless of how much time you had off, we all have to eventually come back. We leave our Christmas dinners and the warmth of the fireplace for pens, paper and computers. So, how do you feel about coming back?
I went around University Centre asking people how they felt about being back in the swing of things. The responses varied according to the individual but there were really only two approaches to coming back.
Some people were excited to return to school, while others wished that they had a longer.
“I wish it could have been a longer break; [ . . . ] I would have more time off and would have had some time to work and make some cash.” said Wally Fotiuk.
Fotiuk speaks for the majority of those who wished for a longer break. As I talked with people around campus, they kept mentioning the same thing when referring to having a longer vacation: time.
After all, time is one of the most important factors in our lives: We live in the constraints of time and in time we do everything — there is really no escaping it.
But time is not the only reason for not wanting to return to school, the fact that you are returning to school can be reason enough. There could be several reasons for this, but we’ll leave it at that.
Warren Peabody takes a vastly different approach.
“I am very excited about coming back,” he said. “I am excited to continue my social work [program].”
After the craziness of the holiday season, it is somewhat relieving to find your life returning to a somewhat predictable layout. Peabody is also loving what he is learning — this is a monumental factor in looking forward to coming back to school. If you are not enjoying the material that you are taking in, then why would you look forward to returning to it?
As much as Peabody and those like him are excited to return to school, what if their holidays could be longer? “I went to visit family, so more time visiting family is always good,” said Peabody.
It is hard for anyone to deny being granted more holiday time as the idea is rather mouthwatering, but don’t count on getting more holiday time. That doesn’t look like it is going to happen anytime soon.
Whether you are excited to be back in school or could have done with more holiday time, it is time to face the facts: we have started a new semester. Now, if the fact that we have started a new semester is particularly upsetting to you, think about it this way: you are halfway done the school year. If that is no consolation, Reading Week is only a month and a bit away.
