Chances are these days that if you turn to your neighbor in class and ask him or her, “How many days of school do we have left?” he or she will spout off not only days total, but days of just classes, days counted without weekends, days until graduation and even days until they are done with Core forever. Whitworth students are preparing for summer and if it weren’t for this batch of dreary weather we’ve been served, I’d bet teachers would find their classrooms overtly empty.
The other typical small talk question students have on their minds (you know the one you ask the cute guy in the French dip line just to have something to talk about) is, “What are you doing this summer?” Once our usual life at Whitworth is over, forever or just for the summer, in two weeks, what’s going to occupy our time?
Let me surmise for you, then, what I think a typical Whitworth student will be thinking or feeling on any random day come mid-July.
1. Dear Lord, what was I thinking applying for this internship? If this is what my future job is like … I quit my major. The surge of juniors applying for internships during the latter half of the semester was a little daunting when I considered what I will do for my own internship. We were bombarded with e-mails talking about opening after opening for summer internships, so how do you choose the right one? My thoughts are you take what’s offered for you, but this doesn’t mean it’s going to be fun or interesting. Sure it’ll look good on paper, but I’m willing to bet there are going to be quite a few students out there wishing they were done with eight to five hours of coffee runs, answering phones and filing papers.
2. I feel like it’s a time for a DTR, but he/she doesn’t actually know what one is … how best to bring it up? Quite often the summer brings about summer flings from students going home and seeing a different sea of fish than usual. We get conditioned at Whitworth to talk about our feelings and figure out where our relationship is headed, even if it’s only been three weeks. Good luck trying to make someone you’ve just seen for the first time in nine months want to have that conversation. By the time you figure out what you are, it’s going to be time to come back to school.
3. Mom, Dad, I’m 20 years old. Do not try and tell me I can’t go to Jack in the Box at 3 in the morning, I have to keep up with my weekend tradition! Oh, the curfew. How parents think that the “you are in my house so you are living by my rules” argument holds up is beyond me. It just seems a little ridiculous that parents think that we actually go to bed before midnight when we are at school. I mean, it’s probably not the best idea to spend your entire summer out to the wee hours of the morning, but feeling like you are going to get grounded for staying out late isn’t a fun way to spend your summer.
4. There is no food in my house! And where are the clean dishes? What type of place is this? You complain and pine for home cooked meals while you are eating yet another bowl of cereal for dinner in the cafeteria, but what happens when your family is tired of feeding you? We are used to three or four meals a day where we don’t cook, we don’t clean, and there is an endless supply of whatever interesting concoction is on the menu for that day. Beware my friends, there will come a time when you have to make your own breakfast and lunch and maybe even dinner. I hope you can manage.
5. It’s a Friday night and there is nothing to do … I wish I was at school … A telltale sign of hitting the summertime blues is uttering those words. When it turns out that Spokane is more exciting then your hometown and you can’t wait to come back in September so you can have weekend plans, you have definitely sucked in by the Whitworth community. Not that this is a bad thing, though. It has to be a sign of maturation that you no longer find your high school friends offer as much entertainment as going pinecone hunting in the Loop. Right?
Well, there you have it. If you find yourself wondering these, or similar, thoughts midway through your summer vacation, don’t be alarmed. You are probably not the only one, and really, it is to be expected. Plus, then I get to say I told you so!
Ferree is a sophomore majoring in journalism and marketing. Comments can be sent to molly.ferree@whitworthian.com.
OPINION: Those crazy, lazy days of summer
Published: Monday, May 3, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 16:05
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