A much needed period of regeneration away from any course work: long awaited sleep of 12 hours, debriefing with school friends, snuggling with missed pets, quality time with family.
We can watch all those TV shows that decided to release during the exam period.
Home had never been more needed or wanted.
We ached for home-cooked meals, our favourite comfort food.
In the middle of exams, at my most exhausted, I would wake in my room and think briefly, mistakenly, that I was back home.
Homesickness was reaching an urgency for many of us.
Undeniably, this semester has been a whirlwind which I feel I haven’t been able to comprehend until now.
Even at this moment, on holiday, relaxed and with my favourite people, I still find myself exhausted.
I’ve spent this break wrapping my head around the fact that this time last year, I was living in the anticipation of all that would come.
And now, here I am.
In less than six months, I have met many, many new people.
I feel an intense need to play catch-up in my own life.
To balance these almost unrealistic expectations against the huge reality of what this semester has brought and what has been accomplished throughout.
Grades for papers were released, in a quieter fashion than high school, where competition was rampant and comparing grades formed a secret social standing that I could never quite understand.
It’s nice to not care, or rather, to not place so much validation and self-worth around grades.
Watching how everyone has been able to flourish in their chosen subjects has given a refreshing perspective on academics.
Pressure does not exist in the same way as it does in high school and although a strange temperament to become used to, it’s been welcomed with open arms.
Perhaps this is a romantic take as a bachelor of arts student.
I’m not familiar with the culture of ‘‘health-sci’’ the competitive environment of which I didn’t fully comprehend until the other day.
Having faced disheartening results, especially with what sounded like a horribly difficult physics exam, a few switches to bachelor of science has led to the realisation of how much choice other courses have and subsequently led to my realisation of what other degrees involve.
First year law students might have to keep on top of studies during this break for their year-long paper.
Though most likely and rightfully so after an exhausting semester, this has been placed on the backburner.
Time away from the university campus and in fact, away from Dunedin itself, has been necessary to catch-up on this past semester.
However perhaps I’m on the more introverted end, as many are already raring to come back, complaining of how bored they are on break.
I think this feeling is a testament to how much of an impression Otago makes upon its students, especially on those from outside of Dunedin.
It’s definitely strange to hear the general majority speak Dunedin's praise, when my friends and I, having been here all our lives, still perceive it through the lens established by our angsty tween selves.
Those who come to university here end up truly loving Dunedin itself.
This perspective has made me feel almost as if I’m missing out on something, as if I’ve let something amazing pass me by.
At first, it left me perplexed, wondering what there was that was so incredible.
It was this confusion which made me pause, look around, actively try and attempt to see this city from an outside perspective.
I see its culture, its student life, with fresh eyes.
Just because the campus is eerily empty does not mean that students, now scattered across the world, have forgotten about Otago.
Only one semester has made an incredible impression, and the need for mental, emotional, social catch-up doesn’t negate the mark Otago has left upon all its new students.
I’m a bit of a step behind however, enjoying a slightly different break compared to everyone else.
I’ve been catching up on loving Dunedin.
And so my mindset for next semester has been set out and I wait eagerly, with a refreshed sense of anticipation, to see how it will be fulfilled.
• Eleanor Wong is a Dunedin first year University of Otago student.
