Maud and the Psychological Importance of Spring Break

There is a certain set of questions each RA student should be able to answer whenever, wherever. These questions are, in sequence:

1. So… what exactly do you study?

2. Why Middelburg?

3. Are you on break again?!

The first couple of times you get asked either of these, you try to come up with a decent response. Well, our university uses the American Liberal Arts and Sciences system, which basically means we get to study all the subjects we're interested in, and even get a Degree at the end of our three years here… actually, Middelburg is a pretty nice town, and its tininess only contributes to the sense of community at RA… yes, I am on break again, but the reason our vacations are so long is because we work so hard throughout the semester. No, really. (Or, as one of my neighbors once deftly put it, "Hard work pays off.")

After a while, though, it gets tiring to repeat the same things over and over again – no matter how well-meant the question – and you start cutting down your standard answer template. Nowadays, I tend to just tell people I study "mainly" English language and literature. When they voice their doubt regarding Middelburg's authority as a student town, I merely shrug. And, yeah, I have the week off, and I ain't apologizing for it because it's great.

It's spring break. Half of the semester is behind us; we're half-way through, half-way there, and most of us have built up a buffer of acceptable grades to fall back on in case things go a little sour. Midterms are mostly over. Of course there are always essays to be written and presentations to be prepared, but this week we can actually afford to procRAstinate for once.

I went into this break with the full intention of writing at least three of the five essays I have to hand in this semester. By Monday, I'd finished one and started working on a second one. I was on schedule. I figured I deserved a real break for a day, so on Tuesday I met up with one of my best friends at Starbucks Schiphol. The next day, two of my intRAweek brothers – one of whom was an American exchange student; he was here to visit the Dutch friends he made – came over to my hometown. Coincidentally, one of my intRAweek sisters called me that night and asked what my plans for the rest of the break were.

You can probably guess what happened; I won't have to spell out for you. It is Sunday now, and I am still frantically working on that second essay. I can't even say that I really mind. I spent my spring break immersed in coffee, sushi, sun, good music and even better company. It was a nice week. Yes, essays are important, but so is mental health. And at least now I'm well-rested and psychologically all ready for the second half of the semester…

My name is Maud and I am a second-year student of Linguistics & Literary Studies. These are a few of my favorite things: books, sneakers, loud music, and coffee.