Going Home for the Holidays

With the Holidays just around the corner, students are finalizing their plans to return home. After a stressful semester, there is no place like home. Time with family, a few weeks away from school and holiday cheer are all things students look forward to at the end of their dreaded exams.

Some students however, have a long distance to travel if they wish to go home for the holidays. Whether they fly, drive or take a bus, students find ways to get home, no matter how far the distance.

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“I can’t wait to get home, but I am not looking forward to the 19-hour flight,” said accounting student Rhadika Patel who is originally from India. “Being stuck in a plane for so long makes me go crazy. I always make sure to bring lots of books, watch movies, and try my best to sleep.”

Those that are not lucky enough to need a flight home, are stuck driving through the nights in order to make it home for the holiday season.

“I leave right after my last exam, no matter what time it is,” said Courtney Starr, a graphic design student. “It’s torture to have to spend another night in Auburn after your exams, the only place you want to be is home.”

Starr lives in Baltimore and has to make a 13-hour drive from Auburn.

“While driving, I make sure to bring my Ipod and at least one book on tape,” said Starr. “The book helps me stay entertained and alert when I am driving by myself.”

Some students head North to states like Maryland and Pennsylvania, while others head South to Mississippi, Louisiana and even Texas.

“I load up the truck and start driving, 16 hours later I’m back home in Dallas,” said Russell McKeown, a senior in Agriculture.

No matter what direction students are headed, they all make sure to keep the drive as pleasurable as possible.

“It’s all about passing the time,” said McKeown. “A trip home can fly by if I make sure I have some good tunes and a charged cell phone. My poor friends are stuck talking with me the whole way home. It’s my way of passing the hours.”

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, the break from school is greeted with open arms by all students.

“India does not celebrate Christmas, so when I am home I go to fashion shows and movie premiers with my sister,” said Patel.

“The break is welcome no matter what your religion,” said Starr. “The older you get and the farther you are away from your family, the more you appreciate the time you get to spend with them.”

“After being away for a semester, I have realized the Christmas presents are not what is important, its being with my family that matters the most to me,” said McKeown.