Thanksgiving in Dixie
One of my favorite things about Vanderbilt (other than, like, eight million other things—including, but not limited to, Grins Nutella paninis, really fat squirrels, and the fact that I’m currently wearing Nike shorts in December) is that we get a full week off for Thanksgiving break. This break comes just about two weeks before finals, and it’s a much-needed breather before crunch time hits. Given this exorbitant amount of time, I decided to stay on campus until Wednesday to give tours and work in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as well as getting ahead on some of my work for finals week.
Most of my friends, eager (as I was) to get back to their bigger-than-twin beds and their dogs, were incredulous when I told them I would be sticking around in Nashville. “Why?” they all asked, especially in light of the fact that I was here over Fall Break as well. “Like, don’t you want to be home?” (I believe that one especially blunt friend, never one to beat around the bush, phrased it, “Do you, like, hate your family?”)
Well, yeah! (And no, depending on which question I’m answering here. No, I do not hate my family. As a matter of fact, I’m a pretty big fan of them as a unit.) And the four days I spent back home in Jackson, MS, were exactly the break I needed. However, the fact that Vandy keeps its campus open for students over the break is actually a pretty awesome perk. This meant I could buckle down in Central Library without being distracted by my mom poking her head into my room and asking me if I wanted to see a movie—which she totally did on Friday when I was halfway through a lab report.
And I totally went to see Spectre with her, and it was one hundred percent worth it.
However, a week of that would’ve put me way too behind for comfort, given that the days leading up to break were packed full with preparing for my a capella group’s fall concert.
Not only did I have the run of our library spaces while I was here, I also made it to our last home game of the season against Texas A&M! Well…for the first quarter. After that, I realized that I’d forgotten how to dress for actual winter. (I mean, I’m from Mississippi. I am not equipped for anything below 50 degrees.) So, like the fair-weather football fan that I am, I skipped campus to get dinner at the Smiling Elephant Thai restaurant with a friend who was also still on campus. Needless to say, it was a whole lot warmer there.
