Spring Break Page 2
March 25, 2019
Sparking joy: Self-care tips, tricks for your next week off RHEA SWAIN STAFF WRITER
Alas, spring break has come to an end. As we return to the world of midterms, assignments and essays, take the time to reflect on how your week off went. Some of us explored different travel destinations, while others spent quality time at home with family. Like myself, if you identify with the latter group of people, it’s all too easy to get into a pattern of spending most of your time binging a favorite show or scrolling through social media. But it's important to make the time we have to unwind more fruitful. Self-care is one of the best ways to do so, as it diversifies the ways in which we de-stress.
A CLEAN SLATE
An excess of “me time” during breaks can be overwhelming, which is why it's imperative that we give ourselves a clean slate before fully engaging with more archetypal, "fun" self-care activities. A clean slate can mean different things to different people: a digital detox, a bit of spring cleaning, catching up on sleep lost in the semester or even experimenting with a new diet. While cleansing in all its different forms can be tiring, it's incredibly cathartic. For instance, a clean physical space equates to a clean mental space, which would ultimately — according to Marie Kondo’s philosophy — spark some well-deserved joy.
TREAT YOURSELF, CHALLENGE YOURSELF
The main rationale behind selfcare as a concept is doing what makes us happy, as self-care goes hand-in-hand with self-love. Cozying up with a book and a cup of tea, having a spa night and sleepover with friends, participating in some much-needed retail therapy or trying out new eateries are simple but amazing ways to treat ourselves. Revisiting old pastimes gives us a sense of nostalgia and comfort, which can make breaks all the more relaxing and rejuvenating. Every once in a while, it's healthy to challenge yourself in your free time. Picking up a new creative hobby — like baking or watercolor painting — is easy and cost-effective when there are thousands of tutorials online that can guide you through it. Even during the school year, try attending yoga or spin classes at the fitness centers with friends to nourish your body and your mind. Self-care is about focusing on yourself, but socializing and having someone to accompany you through the process of selfcare can be more gratifying than going at it alone.
classics like “Wicked” and “The Lion King,” or modern-day marvels like “Waitress” and “Hamilton.” A wacky, must-see sci-fi musical brought to the L yceum Theatre by its huge fan following on Tumblr, “Be More Chill,” opened on Broadway two weeks ago. It stars Will Roland of “Dear Evan Hansen” and the insanely talented George Salazar from the musical’s original off-Broadway cast. If you have the opportunity to take an art history class at Rutgers, visiting museums in the city or even the local Zimmerli Art Museum can help you enrich and apply your knowledge outside of a classroom. Walk along New York
City’s Museum Mile and admire the artistic and historical wonders around you. Sometimes, the museum itself can be a work of art. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim, with its great rotunda and spectacular collection of modern and contemporar y art, is one such museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a ticketing policy in which students from certain states, including New Jersey, can pay any amount of money that they would like to enjoy the museum if they present a valid student ID. One can spend hours getting lost in the Met’s galleries in all its grandeur.
RITUALIZE SELF-CARE
Regardless of whether you have time off, taking care of yourself should be simplified and made a part of your daily routine. If you enjoy journalling or making lists, consider making daily or weekly self-care lists consisting of emotionally and mentally rewarding activities that include, but are not limited to: drinking eight glasses of water a day, going on a long walk every weekend, eating a salad (or some chocolate), meditating for 5 minutes, putting on a face mask and even taking a nap. Moving forward, refreshed from spring break, take the initiative to love yourself a little bit more every day.
CULTURAL IMMERSION
Time flies if you immerse yourself in the educational but entertaining resources that cultural hubs around New Jersey have to offer. One such resource is New York City’s Broadway. One can appreciate the diverse thespian talent on display by checking out
Just because you're not in school doesn't mean you shouldn't be learning new things. If baking is foreign to you, the freedom that comes with a week off makes for perfect practice time. UNSPLASH
While maligned, Florida is still one of America's best trips CLARISSA GORDON CORRESPONDENT
To be frank, Florida has become the butt of the joke in recent years. Take the current Twitter trend, for example. The challenge asks each user to Google search “Florida man” along with their birthday and share the ridiculous news headline that pops up first. For my birthday, Oct. 17, I got: “Florida man gets 40 years for plotting to bomb Target stores.” Compared to others, my result wasn’t so extreme, and the more wild ones that went viral make you question what’s really in that
Floridian water. Aside from Twitter trends, Florida has always been known as one of the weirder states in the U.S., and stereotypical demographics include senior citizens, college spring breakers and Cubans. Because of its domestic location and lackluster reputation, Florida has become a last resort vacation option for many Americans. Personally, I never had a particular desire to visit the Sunshine State myself. As a native New Yorker, one of my weaknesses is my snobbiness — when it comes to location, I’m a little hard to impress. That is, until I was invited
to Miami for a long weekend birthday celebration last month, and it quickly became one of my favorite destinations. The everlasting 80-degree weather and clear ocean blues made me feel like I was in Mexico or the Caribbean, especially since I stayed at the famous Fontainebleau hotel. The nightlife is booming, and there’s plenty of culture to immerse yourself in as a tourist, from Wynwood to Little Havana to the Everglades. The city itself is diverse and it’s really difficult to get bored there, especially as a lively young person. Once a person who stuck up my nose to
While South Beach is seen as one of the most oversaturated vacation spots in the United States, that doesn't mean it's overrated. It can still be a great time, if you know where to go. UNSPLASH
the idea of Miami, it wasn’t long spring break spots are Americanbefore I understood why it’s such ized, and you mostly stay on the resort for a week. a popular destination. The most convenient part And I think our generation is about Miami beginning to is that it’s docatch on. After mestic. It's having one of “Once a person who stuck only a 3-hour the most fun flight from weekends of up my nose to the idea Newark Libmy life a month of Miami, it wasn't long erty Internabefore spring tional Airport, break, I prebefore I understood but if you do pared myself why it's such a it right, Miami for another Flofeels like it’s ridian escape, popular destination.” a designated except this vacation town time in a more far, far away. ster eotypical fashion — I was off to Boca Ra- If you can afford to stay on glitzy ton for the week, a coastal albeit South Beach, great, but Miami generally boring town made up of Beach and its surrounding areas mostly families and retirees. Al- are nice too. Miami Beach is free though I definitely needed some- and open to the public, so you can thing more relaxing, I couldn’t enjoy white sand and crystal clear help but feel jealous toward the ocean at the same price it would countless college students I knew cost you back at the Jersey Shore. Need some cheap but Instawho were hitting Miami. I was also a little surprised — grammable restaurant options? Vegas I get, and Cancun or Cabo We recommend Naked Taco on I definitely understand, but for South Beach, a casual joint with some reason, it felt like every vibrant aesthetics and delicious college student went to Miami for Mexican fare. Miami is also filled spring break this year. That’s not with gorgeous Art Deco architecto say the sunny city doesn’t de- ture and has become one of the serve it — actually, it makes total art capitals of the world, so if you sense as to why everyone hopped decide to go next spring break, be sure to check out Wynwood, Mion the bandwagon. Mexican resorts marketed to- ami’s arts district. For all of these reasons, Miami ward college students are cool because you don’t have to be 21 is the ideal spring break spot for to enjoy the nightlife and party- college students. Before you rush ing, but they can be on the pricier to the DMV to finally renew your side, require a passport and over- passport, consider taking your talall lack culture. Many Mexican ents out to South Beach instead.
March 25, 2019
Spring Break Page 3
Northward bound: Canada is underrated, under budget PRIYANKA BANSAL MANAGING EDITOR
When it comes to spring break destinations, it seems like an obvious choice to travel south to a warm resort. Cancun, Cabo and Miami are all popular spots for college students. If you’re from New Jersey, you are probably desperate to get away from the cold. Here, while spring has technically sprung, the temperatures are still sub40 degrees and the winds are harsh. Ever y Rutgers student is yearning to strip off that winter jacket and replace it with shorts and a crop top. Here’s an underrated point of view: traveling north might be a better experience, for you and your bank account. Montreal, Quebec is one out of many reliable vacation spots that is perfect for college students for a multitude of reasons.
THE BUDGET
Being a “broke college student” is a common theme among the Rutgers population. Even while working 1 or 2 jobs, it can be difficult to pay for a vacation upward of $1,000 as a student. Cancun, Cabo and other beach resorts cost way more than an average Rutgers student can afford. Montreal, on the other hand, can split those costs in half. “For four nights, I ended up spending more money on food than I did on the apartment,” said Adisesh
Yeragudi, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “It was very affordable on an average college student budget.” Split between four people, Yeragudi said he spent approximately $17 on housing per night and $20 in total for gas. “Because of the exchange rates from U.S. to Canadian dollars, Montreal of fers a lot of experience for a little money. I got to enjoy culture, food and nightlife that was New York quality for Ohio prices,” said Timothy Nuber, a School of Engineering junior.
THE NIGHTLIFE
One of the main reasons students travel to resorts in Mexico each year is the nightlife. With a drinking age of 18 years old, Mexico offers college students the sacred liberty of adulthood: happy hour. But people tend to forget that Canada, our other neighbor, also has a drinking age of 18. With this, there are plenty of cheaper bars, lounges and nightclubs to escape to over spring break in Montreal. Some of the most lively and popular of these are located on the famous Saint Laurent Boulevard, a 6.8-mile-long avenue for food, drinks, partying, exploration and much more. While you may not be drinking pina coladas on a beach, Montreal’s nightlife scene is more than enough. “The Montreal nightlife is unreal, yet authentic,” Nuber said.
Specifically, Nuber said bars such as Les Foufounes Électriques and Bootlegger, L’Authentique were the most exciting. Bootlegger fuses together bar culture with Montreal’s culture, bringing French comedians to interact with the audience and perform live stand-up, while mimicking the style of the American 1920s. “Both experiences shared a sophisticated colorfulness unique to social life in Montreal,” he said.
avant-garde tastes of the city folk,” Nuber said. So, next time you are deciding where to go for spring break, don’t rule out or dismiss our northern neighbor. Canada has many overlooked experiences to offer.
“Where else could I find a comedy routine about the experiences of Black Canadians just blocks away from a punk rock mosh pit ringed by old arcade games — all while drinking the same eight whiskey sours?” Nuber said.
THE CULTURE
One of the most captivating aspects of Montreal is the culture. As Americans, we often assume that Canadian culture is no different from ours, aside from the constant cold and stereotypical politeness. Yet, traveling to Montreal is eye-opening. The remnants of French-colonized Canada are apparent and ingrained in the present culture, with French as the official language and societal standards that wildly contrast with American ones. These cultural discrepancies leak into the tourist experience. “Without a flood of white-privileged undergraduates to deal with ever y spring and summer, you can rest assured the clubs, bars and restaurants you go to are the same ones even the most seasoned locals do. Instead of catering to the interests of tourists, the nightlife in Montreal is infused with the
Yes, it's still a bit cold. Yet, if you want a cheaper trip with just as much fun, consider our neighbors to the North. Plus, you can blend in with the locals. PRIYANKA BANSAL / MANAGING EDITOR
Group trip tropes: Recognizing different kinds of spring breakers JORDAN LEVY FEATURES EDITOR
Spring break is a time for what college students love best: debauchery and poor fiscal decision-making. Best of all, the vacation is a study in group dynamics, archetypes and the limits of common sense. Here are some typical kinds of students you’ll find on a spring break trip.
THE ONE WHO CAN’T HELP BUT OVER DO IT
This is the companion that’s on their third shot at 10 a.m. They charge their dab pen more than their phone. You catch them googling “where to buy reagent test kit,” but decide that it isn’t
your business to inquire further. By the time the group heads down to the continental breakfast, they’re worried about keeping their food down instead of fueling up for the day. The first instance of vomiting happens before you hit the beach, so for an hour or two they bathe in the sun, trying to recover. Eventually they catch up to the rest of the group, ready to rage, and this is where they truly strut their stuff. By 6 p.m. this pal is back in form, slurring their words slightly. At 8 p.m. they’re striking up aimless conversations with every passerby. By 10 o’clock, they’ve accumulated bruises that they won’t remember getting in the morning. Before the night ends,
their phone has been confiscated to avoid regrettable FaceTime calls and text messages. Don’t forget, when tucking this friend into bed, always remember to lay them on their side and have a garbage bin nearby. Catchphrase: “Nah I’m good, I promise.”
THE ONE WHO SECRETLY CAN’T AFFORD THE TRIP
This is the friend who subsists solely on the snacks they brought with them. You all love the shore, but eventually realize that this friend literally only wants to go to the beach. When a new plan is suggested, there’s a instant counter-offer, and it always it’s notably cheaper. Of
Traveling with friends can be a joy and a challenge. There are many kinds of companions, so be sure to figure out if you can have confidence in your confidants. UNSPLASH
course, there’s nothing wrong with running a tight budget, but the problem is that this friend won’t admit they’re on one. When the group settles on a new plan, they release a twisted, nervous laughter. This friend lags behind in the back of the group. It’s almost like they’re in mourning, so preoccupied with what they’ve lost that they can’t have a good time at all. The “broke student” stereotype is accepted as the norm, but some mix of pride and shame won’t let them admit it. Of course, as the age old adage goes, “Pride comes before the fall.” Catchphrase: “Yeah, I’ll Venmo you later.”
THE ONE WHO LEFT THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHER BACK AT HOME
From the moment they wake up, this friend is glued to their phone. When you guys get ready to take a flick, they carefully examine the scene to make sure there’s nothing “incriminating” in clear view. They swear they they don’t have an unhealthy relationship, but any time they put their phone away for more than an hour there’s a barrage of calls. By 11 p.m. they have to be back in the hotel room to hop on FaceTime and say goodnight. The group will poke fun at this friend, but mere jokes can’t match up to the intense psychological pressure they’re already under. The worst case scenario for this friend is if they engage in adulterous acts, because the pressure will inevitably
land on the group to keep their secret. That’s quite the burden to bear, so you might want to go easy on the one-liners. Catchphrase: “Guys, I’ll catch up later.”
THE RESPONSIBLE ONE
You know who this person is, because everyone calls them the “mom” of the group. If you compare your spring break excursion to “The Simpsons,” then this friend is Lisa. They’re the most prepared, most informed on your destination and the group lets them handle all the booking information. Magellan doesn’t hold a candle to them when it comes to navigation, as they’re master of Google Maps. Unfortunately, that also means they’re the friend relaxing the least. They might be a bit curt in conversation, but that’s because they’re too busy focusing on … everything else. In fact, they have the distinct responsibility of dealing with the screw-ups you’re traveling with. They always have a water bottle on hand for your pal who loves to indulge. This friend is sober enough to hop on FaceTime and quell any fears of vacation infidelity. Most importantly, once three weeks have passed after the trip, they’re the one who comes to collect from the “fiscally challenged” friend. While on break they’ll push your nerves, but in retrospect you’ll realize the trip would have been a complete mess if they hadn’t. Catchphrase: "Look at me, I'm the captain now."