Thanksgiving Break is fall semester’s mental equivalent of Spring Break. Granted, it is somewhat missing the crazy “woohoo!” aspect and probably also the fun location, but I can say just as much as anyone else that my sanity appreciates the extra sleep I’ll get to catch up on this upcoming week off. Getting away from all the excitement that is Iowa State, last-minute cramming, research projects and other school-related things is definitely a plus, even though some of the homework is going to be following me out of town.

Ironically, while our brains take a mini-vacation, for many of us Thanksgiving break will allow us a return to reality. Whether it be the weekend partying, hectic daily schedule or something even as ridiculous as complaining about the cost of a pizza, we’re definitely living in a twilight zone here in Ames.

While coursework is of high necessity, a lot of the other things that surround what we have come to know as college life is pretty much just us being caught up in our own worlds.

ÿOne of the most publicized of students concerns this semester has been the issue of student tailgating lots. This horse has been beaten so many times it’s more than dead, but it is still a concern of students and administration alike. Just how much longer can we continue to kick this horse around?

As a fellow Government of the Student Body senator reminded us during a meeting, the world is indeed larger than where students get to park or how intensely the drinking age is enforced during tailgating. Sure, the team support and school spirit are a part of the Cyclone tradition, and it’s awesome that students voice their concerns to the administration.

ÿStill, there are larger concerns, be it campus, local, national or international. It doesn’t hurt for us to pick up the paper every now and then.

Luckily, many classes have current event components that help to encourage some of us to stay on our toes. The world is easily at our fingertips through the Internet, and even as easily as through a news or radio broadcast. But not everyone takes advantage of the accessibility of current events. The world around us affects us, even if we’re not paying attention to it.

While a majority of us are inundated with our exclusion from the rest of the state and the rest of the world, many of our classmates and their families are worrying about other things that are more important than a physics lab or a research paper. A friend of mine, like many other military wives, went through her pregnancy with a husband overseas. She told her husband about their expectancy as his unit was preparing to ship out. Luckily, her husband made it home safely, just in time to be by her side to welcome their son to the world.

With Thanksgiving break granting many students the opportunity to leave town for the longest period of time since this semester began, we’ll have families and friends that will shake us out of our college modes for just a bit and bring us back to a sense of realism. The majority of our surroundings here are centered on the students and the university. Even if the city passes ordinances against the favor of students, they were still done with students in mind. This is Cyclone country, after all.

The last couple of days before any break, or even the last days of just a general week from hell, always seem to drag themselves out. These days are no exception to that example. So, as we all get out of class, it’ll be like waking up just in time to go on vacation. Even if you don’t leave town, getting out of the context of the classroom and the university helps to shake you into a reality of everything else around us.

Not everyone has to go out and save the world this Thanksgiving break, but the phenomena of changing from the college student version of yourself to the average-Joe version will be evident. Even though your mind will half-wander around the upcoming exams and assignments awaiting you, you’ll see there is a world outside of the university.

The context of your everyday stressing about schoolwork will later seem trite in comparison to everything else that surrounds not only your personal life but also the world around you. Spring Break is when you’ll get the chance to take a break from common sense, but also take this upcoming break to take a vacation from unnecessary stress.

Enjoy and pay attention to life that’s not centered on class, for just a week. The papers, textbooks, research and labs will be here when you get back.