This spring break, UH students climbed volcanoes, camped out in the wilderness, explored Bourbon Street and relaxed at home as ways of escaping from hectic college life.
Biology and math senior Ky Exezidis packed her bags and headed to Honolulu, Hawaii with her best friend to escape the city life and retreat to a tropical paradise for spring break.
“We chose Hawaii because it is very beautiful (and) relaxing,” Exezidis said.
During their time in Hawaii, they climbed volcanoes, visited Pearl Harbor, toured waterfalls and rainforests and experimented with several water sports.
However, it doesn’t always take tropical rainforests and ancient volcanoes to give students a perfect getaway.
Art history sophomore Emily Crowe decided to fill up her gas tank and drive to Canyon Lake, just north of San Antonio, “to experience life on the wild side and camp out.”
“I want(ed) that traditional camping experience,” Crowe said. “Except without all the planned outings and schedules.”
She said her main goal during the break was to escape the planner-filled life, appointments, meetings and deadlines and have “nothing planned (but) to relax and enjoy time with (her) friends.”
Others, like hotel and restaurant management senior Sandra Verastegui and finance senior Craig Guzek, found themselves in New Orleans during spring break.
Verastegui explored New Orleans with her boyfriend Jefferey Meyers. She said they had a great time dancing in the streets, touring the city, experiencing the culture and tasting new foods.
Her favorite part of the trip was Bourbon Street and visiting the famed Acme Oyster House, where she tried raw oysters for the first time.
Guzeck said he wanted to test his luck in the slot machines at Harrah’s, one of New Orleans’ famous casinos.
He, too, roamed Bourbon Street, tasted southern cuisine and “let loose.”
During his time there, he also attended the NCAA basketball tournament.
Though traveling and experiencing other cultures are common spring break activities, this year some students simply stayed home.
Business sophomore Erin Eisenberg decided to stay in Houston and catch up with her friends.
“I pretty much go to school or go to work,” Eisenberg said. “I never get time to just let loose and hang out with my friends.”
Eisenberg chose to stay in Houston because she said she does not see the point in traveling away from everyone she knows.
“I’m only 20, so it’s not like I can go to bars and party. I’ll just end up in somebody else’s apartment,” Eisenberg said. “So, why not just stay here where my closest friends are and have a blast anyway.”
Unlike most students, who found themselves relaxing during the break, finance senior Lauren Austin said she was unable to break away from her busy schedule.
“Unfortunately, I do not get a spring break anymore,” Austin said. “Although I have off of school for a week, my two jobs continue as usual, so my spring break will be like every other week.”
Though the break didn’t promise complete relaxation for Austin, she decided to take what time she did have to “relaxing, being alone and collecting (her) thoughts.”
“So many times, life goes by too quickly that I have little time to evaluate everything that is going on,” she said.
