By Anna-Rose Zayan

So, you’ve heard about spring break. Before I came here, I was convinced it was a long break in the middle of April—similar to what I’m used to calling  Easter Break—where everyone goes to the beach and has the time of their life. Well, the first part is wrong—it’s a week at the start of March, but everyone does go to the beach and has the time of their life.

In my case, I went to Montréal in Canada, because I have a couple of friends from school who live there and I wanted to visit them. After that, I went to Miami, Florida. Now, let me tell you—packing for both -10°C/14°F and 30°C/86°F is a difficult task. Difficult, but absolutely worth it. Despite having a few problems with my plane on the day I was supposed to leave for Canada (cancelled because of bad weather), I made it. I had a great time catching up with my friends, going to one of their university lectures, trying poutine and visiting the Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Fine Arts. I absolutely loved the city, and the cold (even though I was repeatedly told it “wasn’t even that bad”) made me feel like I got the full experience. 

It was a bit of a shock to go from freezing to boiling in Miami, and the only tip I can give you is the most obvious one buy sunscreen or you’ll have a sunstroke like me. There, I met with my international friends from Temple and we visited the city, went to the beach and had pizza that even the Italians approved of. I’ll admit I really didn’t want to leave, but once I was back in my Philadelphia room, I was really glad to be home.

Getting back into the rhythm of classes after a full week of hanging out with friends and seeing a whole new part of the world was difficult, but keeping in mind that everyone was in the same situation as me was really helpful. Also, if you’re the type of person who finds it really difficult to go back to “real life” after a break, remember that Philly is close to a lot of great places! Both New York and Washington DC are only a few hours away by bus or train, so you can spend the weekend there. A week after Spring break, a couple of my friends and I went to New York, and we have even organised another trip to Miami because we enjoyed it so much the first time.

The toughest thing to acknowledge at the end of Spring break, though, is that I am already halfway through the semester. In eight weeks, I’ll be back home in London, getting ready to go see my friends on our university campus in Norwich. This makes me realise how much I still want to do—I’ve barely explored Philly in my two months here! Despite all I haven’t done yet, I’m also seeing how much I’ve accomplished. Getting accustomed to a whole new lifestyle, learning how to use the resources at Temple, meeting so many people and making new friends… This makes me really excited for the next two months; there are so many things I still have time to do!