Although the dates tend to change each year, many schools and related institutions take off for a week’s time. This period of vacation (if one desires to call this week a “vacation”), is usually called “Spring Break”. The reason behind this name is rather obvious. It’s a short period of time where for one week, the school or related application will pause its duties to take a break in the springtime.
The spring break season usually runs from late March through middle-late April, hovering around the time when Easter tends to fall. (Easter is one of those holidays that floats within a four week period, always falling on the first Sunday after the full moon usually between March 25th and April 24th). This year, Easter falls on April 21st, meaning that this very week could be set aside for that spring break many schools, etc. uses as their time for their students to enjoy the sights and sounds of the new and warmer season.
It’s been a tradition among young adults attending college to use this week not to bone up on studies, but to head off to traditional spring break settlements. Florida seems to be the get-go place in the USA, where many of the beach communities from Daytona Beach right down to good ol’ Ft. Lauderdale, the so-called ”birthplace” of the college based spring break getaway, take advantage in receiving these young tourists, assuming that they all behave themselves!
Over the years, other places captured the sense where spring break is the place to go. Padre Island, Texas has been a rather popular destination since it’s a lot cheaper (or was cheaper) that heading off to Florida. One may not be in a chose spot near the ocean, but one is close to Mexico where it always has an “anything goes” attitude. And many college aged people used alternative place to spend their time in the open, such as short trips abroad as many of these spring breakers are very savvy on where to go for the lowest rates possible, thanks to a vast selection of phone apps on getting the best deals around!
However, there has been a verge of sorts where people who have access to a spring break have nowhere to go! It’s not because they can’t find a location to enjoy a seven or so day period outside of their campus. It’s because they hold no desire to go anywhere!
Although this writer can’t speak for any person tied to an institution that uses a spring break holiday in this day and age, when yours truly was in a college-type setting, I never had any desire nor interested to go off for a weeks time to beachcomb during the daylight hours and pub crawl after the sun had set. In other words, I never went on a traditional “spring break”.
There were many reasons why I never spent any time to party with others of my peers. Perhaps the most obvious one was the fact that I couldn’t afford to go anywhere! Surviving on limited funds, I didn’t budget myself to take upon a package tour in heading off to Florida, south Texas, or any other location that was a designated hot spot for spring break. However, some people I once knew did take off for that week’s time.
These people were some roommates of mine living in the apartment complex that I shared in my early college days, There were the four of us–three guys and myself! The trio of guys knew of each other for some time, meaning that they had some kind of brotherly togetherness with one another. I was the misfit. It appeared that they had a fourth person they knew and roomed with. However, at the end of the first semester, he transferred to another school that was more suited for his major. (Forestry, if memory serves.) I was his substitute. Since was was the unofficial “odd man out”, I didn’t have the same bonding with the three other guys, although they did tolerate with me since I was the only one of the bunch that paid all of my share of household expenses in full and on time!
These three guys were planning on another spring break session. (It would be their third and final one as two of these guys were going to graduate, and the other was planning to move in with his girlfriend for the remainder of his school year.) Anyway, that year was for them to head off to a resort off Padre Island. For a week’s time, they were going to stay in some rinky-dink resort while heading off to the beach in the day, and to do some drinking at night. As of course, also hoping to get “lucky” with some co-eds! Although they each had girlfriends of their own, they would still take advantage of what they can find. Their thoughts on this was if they can get away with what they can do, why not? (Do I have to inform you readers that this occurred long before modern technology took its grasp?)
Anyway, I didn’t know about this spring break getaway until three weeks before the spring break period. It seems that these guys were already planning to go long beforehand. They did had room for their other that I replaced, but they didn’t bother to save a spot for me, let alone even offer this opportunity to me! It felt that it was going to be the three of them, and that was it!
At first, I was rather surprised in their decision. Then again, I wasn’t part of their tribe. I was the replacement that just lived with them all. And since these guys were going to break up at the end of the school year, this was going to be their last hurrah before they all headed out into the real world. And I wasn’t part of that social circle.
So on the Friday before the spring break week, they all took off to take a road trip with some person that had access to a van, and drive the 1000 or so miles to south Texas. I had to defend for myself. Since I had nowhere to go, I just took this time as an opportunity to have the entire joint to myself, doing whatever I darned well pleased. I could have even invited anyone I wanted. Yet alas, there wasn’t anyone I knew to invite. So much for hosting secret parties.
So how was these guys’ spring break in Padre Island? From what I can recall, they did do the typical spring break antics. They spent a day in Mexico where they got drunk. Somebody broke into the room they were staying where much of their stuff got ransacked. And yes, they did get lucky with some co-eds from Macalaster College. Outside of that, that is all they told me!
And what did I do for that week’s time? I hung around the student center taking advantage on how empty is was. I could have gone somewhere, but I didn’t have access to a car. In other words, it was an amusing time, but nothing much to write home about!
So in the mean time, enjoy your spring break, assuming you are getting one this year. Even if you have long departed from the hallowed halls of ivy, (assuming you did go to college), there’s always something to do around this time. Then again, we’re always busy with something else as that stands! (See Vol. 24. No. 14 of this here news service for complete details!)
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