The Autumn term at LSE has been one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding few months of my academic journey. While I will certainly miss the eventful, fascinating and sometimes tough and chaotic time at university, travelling home back for holidays is something that I and many other students are certainly looking forward to, after a long time away studying in London. Though London is definitely a place to be during the winter holiday season, with dreamy street lights, Christmas markets and fun activities all around, coming back home, as an international student, is something, I believe, will allow me to rest and come back stronger for what the next term has to offer.
To be perfectly honest, one of the most important things, I and many other students that I talked to are looking forward to coming back home for the holidays is hugging, petting and spending a lot of time playing with their pets. Whether it’s cats, dogs, hamsters, bunnies or other animals, being away from those heartwarming family members for three months, is certainly one of the hardest things about moving away for university, since, unfortunately, they are not welcome in most of the available student accommodation.
However, the thing I am looking most forward to is seeing my family and my sister and spending a lot of quality time with them and my friends. Although nowadays there are a lot of possibilities for online connection and video calls, there is nothing like sitting down and catching up over a cup of tea or hot chocolate with your relatives and reflecting on the experiences you gained in the last few months. I am also waiting to hear about the things that have happened while I was away, and everything that has changed at home for the last three months. Going on long walks in familiar neighbourhoods, or watching movies in the evening, are also some simple activities that I am looking forward to completing with my family members after a long time away. While I have made some amazing friends at university, I am also looking forward to finally catching up with my friends from home, some of them who have stayed in my home town for university, or others who have come back for the holidays from different study destinations around the world.
Another thing I am really looking forward to is finally getting a lot of time to rest and rewind after a very busy university term. Although I love keeping myself occupied and constantly going to lectures, on-campus events and meeting with people, I am excited to spend some time sleeping in and doing almost nothing for some time. Staying at home, going to coffee shops with friends, cooking with my family and finding the time to read books, are something that I cannot wait to do at home over the holidays. Furthermore, while I highly enjoy staying at university accommodation with my friends, having long, warm showers, sleeping in my old bed, and hanging out in spaces larger than my tiny room in London, are also some things I cannot wait to do over the break at home.
Finally, I am looking forward to spending some time participating in various holiday celebrations and traditions with my family. Simple things such as baking gingerbread cookies with my sister, visiting the annual Christmas market, or going ice-skating with friends are something that excites me about spending the winter holidays back at home. Apart from spending time with my closest family, catching up with grandparents, cousins and more distant relatives over family big holiday dinners and celebrations is also something I am looking forward to since I do not get the chance to see them as often anymore. There is truly something special about having some traditional homemade holiday meals with family members that can bring back the memories from the carefree times of childhood.
