Spring break is just behind us, even though it may not feel like Spring yet with these recent Nor’easters sending blankets of snow over campus. There are a multitude of ways that Swatties choose to spend their spring break. To illustrate this, I sat down with a couple of students and got the details on different ways Swat students choose to make use of one week of freedom.
Many students may actually choose to stay on campus, and it doesn’t have to be boring! Gabriel Brossy de Dios ’20 talked about what he did to keep busy. “I walked to Media to buy some bagels, so that was an interesting time – Media is really cool, there’s lots of places to eat and do things.” Media is a ten-minute drive from Swarthmore, and many students take advantage of the variety of food options. There is also a movie theater, and Swarthmore provides a shuttle there every Friday and Saturday evening, which also runs during breaks.
“I also drove to Linvilla Orchards with some staff members from the sustainability office to look at the compost there,” said Brossy di Dios. Linvilla Orchards is another common stop for Swatties, boasting a farmers market and attractions such as fruit/vegetable picking, hayrides and farm animals—definitely a good way to take a break.
He also spent time on political engagement, “I went canvassing for Molly Sheehan who is running for the house representative in the primary for Swarthmore’s district.” This actually took a turn for adventure when there was a mix up with where he was supposed to canvas. “I actually ended up getting off at Jefferson station and having two or three hours to kill, so I ended up going to Independence Hall and got a ticket to go on a tour.” Independence Hall is a historical attraction which houses the old Supreme Court. It is where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed, and is located right next to the Liberty Bell—a good stop for any American History buff.
While staying on campus obviously allows for many ways for entertainment, some Swatties take the opportunity to travel during spring break. Maya Henry ‘20 said, “I went to New Orleans with my best friend from high school and we stayed with one of his friends from college who’s from New Orleans. We found a flight that would be affordable for us both and we saved. We went to Magazine Street, we went shopping, and we saw all these vendors outside. We also walked on Bourbon Street at night and it was wild—people were throwing beads from the balcony and it’s not even Mardi Gras. We also went to Cafe du Monde for the beignets, it was really fun.”
In addition to traveling for fun, many student athletes go on trips with their teams for training. Frank Kenny ’20 went with the track team to North Carolina. “We got in a van early Sunday morning and drove twelve hours to get to Myrtle Beach where we were staying. Every morning we would get up at 7:30 a.m. and have practices. On Tuesday and Thursday we had a distance run in this forest and then we had a meet on Friday and Saturday.”
In addition to intense training, Kenny’s trip featured relaxation and bonding. “We went to Walmart and got a ton of food and we cooked in every night, and a lot of people hung out in the hot tub. We also did team games on Saturday night—like beach relays which include throwing shot puts and stuff like that.”
Of course, many Swatties who live near by chose to go back home and spend some much needed time with family, as did Dylan Zuniga ’21. He used the time at home do a lot of vegging out and relaxing. “I literally just slept, ate, and re-watched Parks and Recreation—it was great.” He also used the time to reconnect with friends from high school. “We met up and had some meals which was really nice.”
Over break, a lot of Swatties will catch a bus to a city along the Northeast coast and spend some time exploring a new city. September Porras ’20 went up to Boston to visit a childhood friend.
“She goes to school at Boston University. I stayed in her dorm for a couple nights and then her friend’s apartment for a couple nights. It was a lot of fun. I sat in on some of her classes, we went to the art museum during free hours, and we went to different cafes, shops and bookstores—and to the Boston Public Library which is really cool. We also had a lot of good food and went to see a movie. There was actually a blizzard one day so we just stayed in all day and watched sitcoms and played board games, it was a lot of fun.”
So, which way will you spend your Spring Break at Swarthmore? The possibilities are limitless, so get ready to choose your own adventure!