It's that time again - SPRING SEMESTER!!!! WHOOOoo...o..ooo......oh no. After the month-long winter break full of home-cooked meals, family, friends, sleeping, and Netflix bingeing, it is now time to start packing the bags for returning to school. While thinking of the many things I am really looking forward to, and those I am not so pumped about - I realized that Spongebob does an excellent job of portraying my feelings, expectations, and realities.

1. Packing the tiny suitcase: The reluctant stage

My biggest dread of returning to college is selecting what clothes to pack, how to pack them, and how in the world I'll get all of them to fit. I normally break this process into a couple of days..... and end up using way way WAY too many bags. I break down this process by throwing all my "wanted" clothes on the ground - then getting a snack. Then returning hours later and disappointedly seeing those clothes. It is at this point that I feel obligated to pack (throw and roll) this clothes into the assortment of bags I decide to bring.

2. The long trek back to Loyola: The planning stage

Once all the bags are packed and the travel has begun, all the thoughts start racing. The excitement builds up and the travel cannot be fast enough. Major planning begins for the many things you and your friends will do this semester. You start making a list of all the things you want to do before the end of the year and make sure each weekend is fully packed. The more you plan, the more you want to be at Loyola already and fill your friends in on all you've so creatively and perfectly planned.

3. Reuniting with friends: The slap-happy stage

You open your door, throw your bags on the ground, and quickly as you can, seek out a meeting place for you and all of your friends. It doesn't take long for the Winter Break stories to begin and the laughing to commence. By this point, the rest of the day is set - you will not leave these people's sides.

4. The First Meal Back: The First "..Oh Yeah...this."

So you met with your friends and talked a little, so naturally, it's time to share a meal. You walk into Boulder or Iggy's and your morale drops a few points and you and your friends simultaneously groan. The first hint of missing break kicks in. You peruse around the different stations and remember that your best bet is either a salad or a sandwich. It is now that your realize that will be your complete diet for the rest of the semester - that is unless it's tater tot Tuesday.

5. The First Night in the Loyola bed: the Uncomfortable stage

After your belly is full of delicious Loyola food - it's not too long before it's time to snuggle into the ever comfortable Loyola provided mattress. Despite the many mattress pads and blankets - the bed will forever be the most uncomfortable thing ever. You begin to miss your marshmallow bed from home and fall asleep a little less than unsatisfied.

6. First Day of School

You wake up EXTREMELY CONFUSED as to why you are in your dorm room and why there is an alarm waking you up hours before noon - and you remember that being back at Loyola means school......You get dressed in actual clothes for the first time in a month and touch your backpack for the first time since finals. Many emotions start flooding your brain .... and they aren't good. Reality hits, and it hits hard

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