I am going to have my first midterm, but I’m still detoxing from the joy my vacation brought me.

Waving goodbye to my parents at the airport, I stood beside the security gate longer than necessary. Every vacation ends like this, with a quiet and heavy goodbye. I miss my parents’ homemade dishes, my sweet bed, and the kind of winter break where time feels generous and unhurried.

Back on campus, everything moves faster. Emails pile up. Assignments appear on the Canvas to-do list. Conversations revolve around internships, midterms, and future plans. At the start of the semester, the contrast between vacation ease and campus hustle feels almost abrupt, like waking up from a sweet dream. The hardest part of returning from vacation is that you can’t just go back physically. You also need to adjust yourself back to work mode. For me, I have to adjust from the “lazy” to the “fast“ version of myself, where I can perform productively. The process is always torture.

Recently, I’ve told myself that missing a vacation is totally fine! Nostalgia does not mean weakness. To make the transition smoother, I’ve used some small strategies to ease the pressure, instead of fighting it.

I’ve met with my friends who I didn’t see during vacation. We went to museums, ate dinners during NYC restaurant week and wandered around the city. Talking about classes and laughing at the shared stress makes me less fearful of the separation from my family.

I have also learned that it’s okay to take small “vacations” during the semester. When I feel too much pressure, I save a day to do nothing. During the recent snow day, I stayed in my dorm and watched my favorite sitcom. After the day of rest, I felt much more energetic and prepared for my upcoming deadlines.

Maybe this is what retuning feels like. I am still trying to adjust, still missing my home, and still learning how to balance my softness with my work mode. It’s always okay to pause and have a rest!

Airplane via Bwarchives