It’s getting to that time of the holiday. You know, that time. The time where suddenly (as much as you love being at home), you want to be in Berkeley more. When you start missing your friends, Bancroft and maybe even Crossroads. Okay that’s a lie, no one misses Crossroads, but you know what I mean.

But with just over a week left to go before school starts, there are some essential things you have to do at home to make sure that you’re fully prepared for four months away from the comforts of your room. And I don’t mean clean-your-room essential, I mean renew-your-love-for-home-family-and-sleep essential. So here’s my list of things you really should do before you leave home for school.

1. Go be a tourist: Imagine what it would be like to see your home town for the very first time. What kind of things would you show your friends if they came to visit?

   Telegraph is a tourist spot, right?

   Grab some people and go be a tourist in your home for a day. Not only does it kill some time, it refreshes your memories (you did grow up there after all), and it’ll make for a nice trip down memory lane.

2. Spend some time with your family: Your parents miss you when you’re gone. It’s the simple truth, even if you think otherwise. So take a day or two out of your busy schedule and just catch up with them. In my case, that means sitting with my dad on Sunday mornings as he reads the paper and I waste time on the Internet. A lot of days, I’ll drag my mom shopping, indulging both of us for a while.
3. Eat at all your favorite restaurants: You’re not getting any of this food for a good four months. Make sure you get plenty of it while you’re on break so that you don’t start craving certain dishes mid semester and get cranky when you cant have them.
4. Sleep: This may seem obvious but a lot of people forget all about this one. As a Cal student, you average about five hours of sleep a night regularly (if you’re lucky), so take advantage of the fact that for one more blissful week, you can sleep as much as you like. Passing out halfway through the day for a few hours shall not be frowned upon during holidays.
5. Plan things out: Sounds dumb right? Who wants to think about school when you’re on break? But it’s that time remember? We’re dangerously close to the beginning of the semester, and you really should start thinking about ordering textbooks, getting resumes in line (sorry, life is staring me in the eyes and all I can think about is getting a job!) and even what housing you’re going to be looking at for next fall. It’s never too early, I promise. That way when school gets crazy, you’ll be on top of everything

   I Clearly Accomplished A Lot This Break

6. Cook! Bake! Experiment!: What better kitchen to experiment in than the one at home? This way, no one will see your initial failures – let’s face it, practice is the only thing that makes perfect, and by the time anyone does see you in the kitchen, you’ll be a pro. Being at home and doing nothing is the best time to develop some handy life skills, like cooking up a lasagna or pasta sauce.
7. Relax: Listen to music, read some books. You’re really not going to get the chance to fully catch your breath once the semester starts, so do it now, while you still can.
8. Catch up with old friends: One meeting goes a long way. These people have probably known you for a while, and the least you owe them is at least one coffee. Meet old friends, see what they’re up to, remember the fun times in your friendship.
9. Organize your closet: Every time it comes to me leaving home, I have a huge problem. All my stuff wont fit into two suitcases that much weigh under fifty pounds. Sit down, and organize your closet. It’s more than likely that you’re not actually going to wear that shirt from five years ago, so donate it! Someone else will get some good use out of it, and you’ll have less stuff to cart back to school.
10. 10. Eat, drink, and be merry! Break comes around once every four months, and there’s only a week left now. Take this time to really cherish being at home with friends and family and do everything you know you wont be able to when you’re back at Cal.

Hopefully with these 10 things in mind, we’ll all return to Cal happy, refreshed and recharged to take on the new semester. See you all very, very soon!

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