Spring Break

Spring Break is hours away, and with that comes a week of freedom.There are countless ways to spend spring break, but most will probably end up engulfed in television and bed, becoming a week long couch potato. Others may be heading someplace exotic and warm, where they will relax and party like a traditional spring break portrayed in the movies.

While these options are very well and good, they tend to make going back to school much more difficult a week and a half later. If spring break is spent in full summer/vacation mode, many students find it difficult to jump right back into classes after that brief, cruel taste of freedom.

To avoid these sluggish and slothish behaviors, there are alternatives to having a successful spring break. Spring break could be rewarding, fulfilling, satisfying, and productive as well as fun. All one needs to do is put in a little effort, get out of the house, and live a little.

1. Go on a Mission Trip

While it is too late to get on one of the Mission Trips for this Spring Break, think about it for next year if you are not already going. Iona's Campus Ministry department has a sub-division entitled Iona In Mission, which is an organization which sends students on mission trips throughout the United States and abroad. This Spring Break, two teams will be going out to help make a difference, making their Spring Break productive and rewarding. The two teams this year are going to New Orleans and Bolivia.

The New Orleans team is helping with restoration projects. Even though Hurricane Katrina occurred several years ago now, there is still devastation and work that needs to be done. It seems that the country has forgotten about these people and believe that everything is completely fixed now. While things are a lot better than they were and the city has come a long way, there is still work that needs to be done and people that need to be helped. A dozen or so students are choosing to spend their spring break helping others in need and doing something that really matters. They will come back with a new perspective on life and the knowledge that they truly made a difference in their free time.

The Bolivia team is going all the way to South America to work the with people of Bolivia in an orphanage. There, the students will learn about the culture and help children in need. This is a great opportunity for cultural immersion, learning about other ways of life, and making human connections. All of us want to be loved, and this love transcends language and culture. These students will have a once in a lifetime opportunity, going half way across the world, to spread hope and a promise for a better tomorrow.

Both of these trips are rewarding, both to those being helped and the mission trip teams themselves. Doesn't that sound like a great, rewarding way to spend one's time? After hearing that students are taking their free time and putting it to good use, doesn't that make your spring break plans of watching 30 hours of DVRed television sound really lame?

For more information, visit Iona In Mission on the website: Iona in Mission

2. Take a Class

While Iona does not offer classes here over spring break, I am sure a lot of schools do offer intensive, one week courses for students who want to get ahead. This option would help students stay in school mode, making coming back a little easier. Look into local schools and community colleges in your area and see what they may be offereing.

Another option that Iona does have is the week-long Study Abroad program to Poland. Students spend a week exploring Poland and earn 3 credits for Religion at the same time. The trip is eye-opening, as they learn about concentration camps and get to tour Auschwitz. Just like the mission trips, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. One can see another part of the world, learn about the history of this country, and earn 3 credits. Sounds like a great idea, don't you think?

3. Learn a Skill

This option is similar to the one before. Many places offer one-week, spring break opportunities to learn a new skill. An example of this is bartending. There are many schools around that teach the art of bartending and mixology, and offer one week courses. This is a great skill to have, as successful bartenders can make a lot of money. One would be able to make some extra money during the school year, get a jump on summer jobs, and have a skill to fall back on after graduation if one cannot find a job in their field right away. This is just an example of a plethora of skills that could be learned over the break. One could take up cooking, knitting, mechanic work, cycling, running, an instrument, and countless others. Some of these you wouldn't even have to pay for lessons if someone you know already possess the skills. Think about how impressed friends would be when after only one week, a new skill was mastered.

4. Volunteer

While it is too late to go on a mission trip to help others, it is never to late to get involved in one's own community. Go down to the soup kitchen, get on a Habitat for Humanity build, spend some time in a nursing home, or do something else to help give back to the community and make a difference during your time off.

5. Job Hunt

Summer is only a few weeks away after the break. With a competitive job market and not a lot of openings, get a head start and look now, rather then when you get home for the summer. Working over the summer will give you something else to put on your resume, give you more experience, and help you after you graduate, not to mention put some money in your pocket

These are just a few of the many ways that you could spend your spring break in a rewarding, safe way that gives you a jump start on the future. While lying on the beach is nice, wouldn't you rather do something meaningful? If you do something rewarding now, you will feel just as good, if not better, than you would lounging on the beach. Think about it and may you have a great spring break, whatever you do with it!