Like many students from the West Coast, I decided to spend my Thanksgiving break on campus. Traveling to and from California can be tiring and expensive, and I figured that since I’d be returning home in just a few weeks after Thanksgiving break for winter break, which lasts about a little over a month, I’d rather just stay on campus.
Many people left for home relatively early into the break with some even leaving before the break officially started. The school provided shuttles to airports in New York City, Connecticut, and Boston for those leaving during the first few days of the break. However, I had a few friends who decided to stay during the first weekend of the break before leaving on Monday or Sunday night.
During the weekdays of the break, the campus was very quiet. It was strange to not see at least two people I recognized on my way to Val every day. Still, the reduced student population on campus was nice at times. Since my roommate went back home for the break, I was able to take care of my chores and redecorate my room without worrying about causing too much of a disturbance for her. Also, I spent a lot of time in different parts of the Science Center, which I’m usually not able to do because it’s a popular studying place for students. On one day of break, my friends and I were even able to watch movies in Lipton Lecture Hall in the Science Center.
Because Val had shortened hours for a break, I decided to eat out at local restaurants for some meals. One of my favorite meals during the break was the Tuesday night dinner at the Boltwood Inn, an inn located right next to our campus. President Elliot was present at the dinner and gave a short speech before our delicious meal. My favorite part of the meal was the salmon, and I’m grateful for the wonderful meal the inn provided us. On Thursday night, the actual night of Thanksgiving, all of the restaurants in town were closed, except for Paradise of India, the restaurant that catered the Thanksgiving meal that the school provided for us. Thanksgiving lunch at Val was also fantastic, and I enjoyed the turkey a ton.
Another way I spent my time during Thanksgiving was shopping for Thanksgiving gifts. While I didn’t go shopping in person during Black Friday, I decided to spend the whole day on Wednesday shopping at my favorite stores in downtown Northampton for gifts. I was delighted to see that Thornes Marketplace, Northampton’s small shopping mall, was already decked out in holiday decor. Some stores were already playing Christmas music! I also stopped by Hadley mall to some retail stores just to pick up some items on my personal shopping list. Thanks to the PVTA, I was able to travel to these places to shop with ease.
Once Black Friday passed, people started returning back on campus, though most people still decided to return the day before school started again. Overall, I had an enjoyable time staying on campus during Thanksgiving break, but next year, I hope to be able to travel somewhere for the break!