Author: Catherine Giese
Break is the time for chilling with some Netflix, raiding the fridge for food you don’t have to pay for, sleeping so much that your parents have to wake you up to make sure you aren’t dead, and of course, meeting some pretty interesting characters. Some of them are friends, some are family, and some are randos, but they all helped make break a little more colorful.
The Girl Who Showed Up 20 Minutes Before Her Flight
She’s loudly complaining to the people around her in line, the TSA officers, and the airport staff requesting that the plane be held an extra hour for her. Apparently she didn’t realize that security lines take two hours. She’s obviously from the middle of Wyoming where the population is approximately 4 people.
Your Teenage Brother
He picks you up in the car he just acquired after getting his license. Now that he’s official, he is obviously a god at driving and wants you to be impressed with him. He revs the engine and weaves in and out of all the lanes like it’s his job. You arrive at home, fall on your knees, and thank every god that ever existed for your life.
The College Bestie of Your Bestie
She’s super cool. At first you feel a little threatened, but then you just absorb her and make her apart of the fam. You take way too many snapchats with captions about how high school bffs are meeting college besties. When she leaves, you try to convince her to transfer to Cornell so you can have her for yourself.
Your Crazy Uncle
What would a break be without your crazy uncle? He’s completely politically incorrect and every other word out of his mouth is offensive. Your mom spends the whole time giving you The Look and you excuse yourself to the bathroom so many times he probably thinks you have bladder problems.
The Free-Spirited Aunt
She’s fifty years old but she still acts like she’s twenty five. Everyone loves her. She just moved to Hawaii and is currently planning a cross country motorcycle trip. You feel inspired to drop out of college, take an epic road trip and then live out your days on an organic farm.
Your High School Crush
He is now a busboy at the local diner. He’s still beautiful and you still refuse to talk to him.
Your Immigrant Grandparents
They have enough spam and vienna sausage in their pantry to survive the apocalypse for fifty years. They always make way too much food and tell you to eat more while they relive World War II and their memories of walking uphill to school both ways without any arms or legs. As guilty as they make you feel for being privileged, you love them to death and could listen for hours.
Your Random Cousin
Did you know you had a whole other set of cousins? They’re twice or three times removed and you can’t keep their names straight to save your life. One of them determines that you don’t know up from down and begins lecturing you about how to apply for study abroad even though he didn’t go to your school. He also takes it upon himself to explain to you why your humanities degree is useless. You may have just met him, but he’s already a light in your life.
Everyone has their quirks and even if we don’t like to admit it, we love them. At the end of the day, our friends and family are always there for us and all the others are pure entertainment. Here’s to the end of break and the beginning of school!
