By Sara Bartl
Fall break is here! A week without classes in which we will all have some time to take a breather, visit some friends and family, or take a nice trip to refresh yourself. Tabula RASA asked a few students about their plans, it’s nice to see how everyone plans (or does not plan at all) to spend their time. Enjoy your break!
“Planning trips in advance rarely comes easy to me, but travelling is right up my street. So while I may not end up exactly where I intended to during school breaks, I do tend to end up somewhere. This break, through no careful considerations of my own, I have a more concrete schedule lined up. I’m making my way to London, somehow, I haven’t quite figured that part out yet. But when I do eventually get there, I’ll be heading to the Beazley Design Museum to check out my brother’s exhibition. He was nominated for their Design of the Year award for his work as an architect. My parents, an uncle or two, and my eldest brother are flying out to join us. Having been born in London, but not having been back since I was two, I’m looking forward to having a look around town, seeing the house I used to live in, and bringing the depth of visual confirmation to stories my parents told me about the lives they used to lead there.”
Aoife Holohan, Class of 2019, is a Literature major from Ireland.
“After an intense couple of weeks of endless assignments, events, and parties, the fall break is finally on its way. I have been excited for this break even before university started, since I already knew what my plans would look like.
My first thought was that I wanted to stay in the Netherlands, get used to Middelburg without the stress of deadlines, maybe travel around the area and explore the culture. However, after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that I have the next three years to travel in the Netherlands, so I wanted to do something more exciting than that. Luckily, my mum just moved to Slovenia, a perfect trip that did not require a lot of planning. I thought it would be perfect to tour Slovenia, while spending some quality time with my family.
My week will definitely be filled with adventures, starting with a short trip to The Hague and Brussels, Ljubljana, and back to Middelburg just in time for the beginning of classes.”
Natalia Burduli, Class of 2020, is a Law major from Tbilisi, Georgia.
“Even though the fall break is the perfect opportunity to escape the UCR bubble and go abroad to take a final dip in the sunlight before the world turns to four months of depressing darkness, I chose to go home and visit my parents. Contrary to many other Dutch students, I don’t go home every week to play with my pets (although I have to say, I do really miss my tortoises). It’s not that I don’t like to be home, but it is just really inconvenient. So now I actually have the chance to spend some quality time with the people home. I’m mostly looking forward to see my brother, especially the moment when he picks me up from the train station and we just go road tripping and talking. That is how I want to spend my break.”
Joris van Doorn, Class of 2019, is a Psychology and Economics major from the Netherlands
“This fall break I will be going home to my mom’s in Paris. There I finally will see my little sister again after two whole months apart, which I have been really looking forward to. Also, I am excited to have some free time to lounge around the house, have more sleep, and have the opportunity to see other family members and possibly a few friends. We have a few ideas for activities planned out, including going to a museum, seeing a play, visiting an art expo… When I go home it’s quite different from Middleburg in a few ways. I don’t actually have a bedroom there as my mom and sister moved to Paris when I came to Middleburg, so I get the couch. However, I really love going back because I can take a break from chores, get free food, and relax with the people that I love.”
Alexandra Tyan, Class of 2019, is a Biology major from France and Lebanon.
“Breaks are the only moment of the year when I can escape this UCR cocoon and see the “outside world”. My parents live in Geneva so I usually try to combine a personal cultural trip with a trip to see my parents within the very short week that is spring/fall break. This semester I have decided to spend a couple of days at a friends’ place in Paris. We met through a Facebook group when we were both au pairs in London two years ago, and have stayed in touch ever since. The second half of the break I will spend in Geneva at my parents’, either studying (aka. watching series) in the living room, or hiking up mountains.”
Katrin Benzler, Class of 2019, is a Psychology and Sociology major from Heidelberg, Germany.
Featured Image Source: Gerjanne Hoek Photography
