By Qianyu (Margaret) Cheng
The whole campus had covered in snow for three month, but cheers, spring has finally arrived! All students start to lie on the Quad to enjoy the sunshine in the company of friends and squirrels. Enjoy the spring days!
That being said, spring break is ahead one week from now. “What are you going to do for spring break” becomes a hot topic for small talk. To be honest, spring break is my favorite break. The weather is nice, all the ice that blocked the street melted, and we can have a nice whole week of break. So, what am I, an international student going to do during spring break? There are many options: traveling, going back home to visit or staying at Champaign to review for midterms, etc.
Spring break is way shorter than winter break and summer break, so I give up the thought of going back home. (But I already booked the ticket for going back home for the summer!:D) Reviewing for exams is also a good option, but since the weather is so nice, I couldn’t help glancing out when I inside. That’s why I want to travel in spring break. However, how to plan for a perfect travel becomes a question.
When it came to travel with family, my parents always took care of everything for me, so there was basically no need for me to look up things like where to live or where to visit. Now that I am in US, things changes and I have to figure it out myself. Luckily, my friends and Internet always get my back. Wherever I go, I always do some research and plan ahead. Internet is powerful! In that way, everyone can plan the trip easily.
Besides DIY trips, there also are plenty of trips offer by student organizations and university program. Alternative Spring Break, just as my other post depicted, organizes lots of interesting volunteer work for spring break. Many colleges also provides educational and for fun programs for students. That’s a benefit of UofI students: we always have so many fabulous resources!
In my freshman year, I went to a road trip with club and we visited Boston. Road trip means a trip that spends the most of time in vehicle…I am just kidding. You do spend a lot of time on driving, but you save a lot compared to plane tickets as well. It is nice to have a driver with you, so that you can rent a car and DIY the trip yourself. If not, you can still book the plane ticket or bus ticket. That is what we did on sophomore year: fly to Seattle and go sightseeing. We got to see the cherry blossom and our friends’ wedding.
This year, we are going to visit Pittsburgh and I am really excited for things to come. I feel like spring break is not only a break, it is also a time for me to explore a whole new world outside the classroom, and learn new things and spend more time with friends and family. No doubt that the memories of spring break trip will become the treasure of my life.