Winter break during a pandemic is not always as bad as it sounds. A long break is warranted after such a successful return. Compared to the rest of the world, where the restrictions are much more restrictive, I believe that Blue Mountain College did wonderfully for the first semester back. There were obstacles to overcome and unexpected problems to resolve, especially regarding online classes and the method in which to handle said classes. The quote “The road to greatness is paved one stone at a time” by Liran Baron is a good way to describe the journey. After such a semester, a long break was much appreciated by all students.
I spoke to a few of my classmates and friends that attend Blue Mountain, and their answers all varied in some ways and in others remained very much the same. A fellow classmate, Dylan Sullivan, had this to say: “Honestly, the break was long, but I feel as though I didn’t really get the chance to enjoy it to the fullest. What was supposed to be a break became more work for me to do, because my tuition isn’t going to pay itself.” He said this jokingly, but it is the truth. Others said that they just took this free time to play video games, because they did not have nearly as much free time during the fall semester. Others said that “there’s no rest for the wicked”, because not only did they have part-time jobs, they also took winter session classes to help their workload for the next semester in some way. There were still others who set aside time to contact family members over the holidays to wish them well on the days they unfortunately could not be together.
All in all, these breaks are always appreciated to varying degrees. Some students, like myself, cannot help but look forward to the breaks and sometimes intensely fixate on them. It becomes their lifeline in some ways. To say that these breaks are necessary would be the understatement of the century, truth be told. Sometimes, these respites are well warranted to refresh our brains and prepare us for the next semester, because as we students get closer to our goal, the more demanding it becomes. While learning will always remain a valuable asset, the breaks make it that much sweeter for all those involved.
