Staying on campus for Thanksgiving was not all that bad

‘I started break off the right way—by staying in bed all day long’

“Thanksgiving break is finally over!” said no one ever.

The lazy days spent lying on the couch and indulging in the tranquility of music. The joyful evenings of laughter and playful banter with siblings and cousins. The nostalgia reunion with high school pals (or loved ones), reliving past memories and creating new ones in the process.

Even for someone like me, who spent Thanksgiving on campus (how exciting), the end of break was not particularly appealing.

No one in sight

Wednesday

Like many others, my break officially began on Wednesday and I made sure that I started off the right way—by staying in bed all day long.

The day before, I made several visits to Einstein to store enough bagels for the days to come so I didn’t have to leave my room for food. Netflix and chill and nothing else.

By the time I finished my third bagel of the day, a friend knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to go to Leo’s, as President DeGioia was hosting a dinner that day.

So we headed over, and the food, which consisted of turkey, mashed potato and other holiday favorites, was quite decent. I was happy to finally have some real food, and also to get some fresh air on one of the rooftops. The rooftop decision was more impromptu as we were quite bored of staying in the rooms, so we went up and just sat there, absorbing the view and reveling in thoughts.

Thursday

Thanksgiving Day was a similar routine to the day before, with the slight difference of a free dinner at Epi.

The line was rather spectacular as people lined up long before the scheduled time in the chilly night.

By the time I got there, 15 minutes after the start, the estimated wait time was already 20 minutes plus. The power of free food cannot be underestimated.

After dinner, we considered it necessary to burn off some of the turkey, and what could have been more effective than playing pool? The place was deserted and we were the only ones there, which was amazing as we did not have to wait for or alternate with other groups (yes there is only ONE pool table and we could definitely use more).

Friday

My original plan was to begin working on my homework on Friday (as if that’s gonna happen), and I did make a start for about 20 minutes before I realized it was Black Friday and stores were on sale.

Without a second of hesitation, I put down my pen, closed my books, and called an Uber to Tysons. What could I say about Tysons? Overcrowded would not be an exaggeration. Massive signs of 30 or 50 percent off were my best friends.

Stores like Zara had hundreds of people waiting outside the fitting room and the counter. It was an exhausting but productive day with numerous big bags in my hands.

Saturday

Getting up at 10am in the morning was painful, but worth the private guided tour of the Capitol Building, gifted by my intern friend at the US Senate. We did not have to wait in line for either the tickets or the tour, and we had the chance to walk down the Brumidi Corridor, which was inaccessible to normal tour groups, and enjoy the spectacular paintings and decorations.

After the tour, we went to a Chinese restaurant for a late lunch.

It was my first time having Asian food since I got to campus in August. Have to say, I did not really miss the taste, but it was always nice to have something that brings memories of home.

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