Our favorite Louisiana tradition has come and gone, and we are left feeling a little hurt, a little tired and more than a little hungover. Who would have thought that a five-day break would wreck everyone so hard? But hey, let’s all be honest, our current bestie is water and with king cake season ending, our spring break diets have never been stronger. Mardi Gras may leave us with a sleep schedule out of whack, a game of “where are all my things”, multiple days of being hit with beads and a suffering bank account, but it’s always worth it.

The long break is all fun and games until you have to wake up for your 7:30 a.m. calculus class on Thursday. If you’re anything like me, you wake up thinking that it’s Monday and walk across campus to the wrong class. It is almost like you are starting the semester all over again, and your class times get all mixed together. The regret from ever scheduling two 7:30 classes messes up your whole day, and it’s downhill from there. I guess showing up to your noon class at 12:30 is a small casualty and a big sign you should go home and nap.

Unpacking becomes a game of lost and find… but mainly just a game of name everything that you have lost. Did I accidentally leave it at the hotel? Did my best friend pack it in her suitcase on accident? Did that weird guy I met grab it as a souvenir? The world may never know. But the real question: was it truly meant to be yours if you lost it on Mardi Gras? (Spoiler alert: probably not.)

After multiple days of parades, your bead build-up can get pretty hefty. You do not need the 10,000 beads you have casually thrown in the back of your car. You also do not need the stuffed animals, feather boas or rose you may or may not have stolen from the child in front of you. Only the coolest and unique beads will survive the big haul.

The only thing that hurts worse than getting repeatedly hit in the face with beads is checking your bank account on Ash Wednesday. It is a mystery on where all your money goes during the break. Charges on your card can be anything from 3 a.m. food runs to that mask you had to buy in one of the tourist shops. It is always a fun time when you have to pick up extra shifts at work, or better yet, call your parents for more money.

Every true Louisianan will tell you that Mardi Gras is the best season of the year. Nothing beats the king cake, beads, floats and masks, and going back to reality after five full days of carnival fun is nearly impossible.