Summer holidays. That sacred time from June to September that marks the beginning of freedom for all of us that call ourselves scholars. While widely dreamed of during assignment or exam season, the reality of summer break is far from what you see in the films. The first thing you’re going to want to do is either drink or sleep. That’s a fact. But the first symptoms of summer-itis start the next morning.
1) The Study:
In the morning you’ll wake up with the fear, but for the first couple of days after you’re finished exams, you’re going to feel like overwhelming guilt because of the fact that you’re not studying. Even though you assure yourself that you have nothing to study, you cant shake the feeling that you are forgetting to do something. Its crippling and seriously impacts your supposed guilt-free Netflix time.
2) The Dreams:
The first week after I had finished exams, I was dreaming about failing exams. The dreams of being in the exam hall and having no idea what is put in front of you, or the dream about waking up and realising that you had in fact missed your exam. These dreams haunt my soul and are my psyche’s cruel way of ruining my favourite activity; sleep.
3) The Boredom:
This kicks in around week five or six. Having enjoyed the first initial weeks of freedom and even work, week five hits the mid way point where you just don’t want to do anything. Having no schedule to follow or nothing that you absolutely have to do seriously starts to get to you. It creates a hole in your life that not even beer can fill.
4) The Fatigue:
Then comes the tiredness. After extensive research into the matter, I have found that you can indeed get tired from doing nothing. A harrowing, but true fact of life. Sitting on the couch can in fact lead to exhaustion. This kicks in around week eight.
5) The Longing:
The final and perhaps most horrifying symptom of summer holidays kicks in the in final week so summer. Around this time, you have had your summer fun, done irreparable damage to your liver and bank account, and it finally sinks in. You are looking forward to going back to college/school. It surprises even you but it’s true. The smell of new stationary. The shiny new pencil case and notebook untouched by unworthy hands. Its like a drug. You know it’s bad for you, you know you’ll regret it in the very near future, but be damned if you can’t wait to get back to the confinement of the education system. God damn you social conditioning. GOD DAMN YOU.
Ava Hollingsworth