All good things must come to an end, and sadly our winter breaks are no exception. The holidays have come and gone with only leftover gift-wrap and the vague, queasy remains of hangovers past to remember them by. With the start of the spring semester looming over us, these last few days of break feel like the end of a bittersweet saga filled with parties, presents, and pitorro – well, that last one might not be everyone.

If you’re from Puerto Rico, the holidays technically aren’t over yet because yes, our

Christmas lasts basically until February. (If you’ve never spent a Christmas in Puerto Rico before, I can give you a few reasons to plan for next year right here). But still, the school year is just around the corner (assuming it hasn’t started already) and it’s definitely beginning to show. Here are a few things everyone who’s leaving for the spring - Puerto Rican or not! - will probably experience during that last week of freedom.

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1. You find yourself mentally preparing for that cold winter weather.

Yeah its fun to laugh at those snow storms while we’re drinking by the beach, but things get so much more serious when we’re pulling our parkas out from that back closet no one ever touches.

2. All of your friends from home have gone back to school.

The first weeks of break are fun, when everyone's back from school and catching up at chinchorreos or family parties. But one day you go through your contacts and realize basically everyone is already gone and you're left wondering if their schools ever actually gave them breaks or not.

3. The few people that are still home that you haven't seen over break suddenly want to make plans.

That friend you've texted but haven't seen all break is suddenly desperate to see you, but your mom is telling you not to make plans because those cousins you only see during the holidays are planning a last minute send off for you. And you're like

4. Your inbox is blowing up with school emails.

Ah yes, because we really do miss those sixty daily irrelevant emails.

5. And sadly some of those emails are actual syllabi.

#BackToReality

6. But all of your plans still include spending time at the beach.

So what if I look like a shriveled lobster? I live on an island, damn it, and I'm taking my tan (read: sunburn) with me. Classes can wait.

7. You're bingeing on any and every local food you can find.

You hit that last week of break and you’ve got a full menu of things you need to have before you leave for school again. *Cue disappointed glance at New Years resolutions*.

It’s all fun and games when we’ve got our plates stacked with pasteles and lechon until we have to figure out how to squeeze into three layers of sweaters under a heavy parka. But hey, the memories of home-cooked food is the only thing that gets us through those Ramen-filled blizzard nights.

8. And you're already looking up dates for the next chance to come back home.