Originally from Kazakhstan, Aya Sadibekova wants to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Liberty Bell and try a cheesesteak during her first spring break in the United States.
“In my country, I just chilled at home,” said Sadibekova, a sophomore psychology major,
Temple University students are happy to have spring break this semester to relax and visit family and friends, especially after the university replaced last year’s spring break with Wellness Days to reduce the spread of COVID-19 resulting from students traveling.
Zack Giblin, a sophomore biology major, is glad Temple is having spring break this semester and hopes it will help him cope with stress from school.
“Last year, since we were all online I felt like I was always on break but the stress from school made it hard to deal with,” he said.
Clarissa Powell, a freshman American studies major, is staying on campus and giving tours to prospective students as an Owl Ambassador. When she’s not providing tours, Powell plans on catching up on her sleep and watching movies by herself.
Though she’ll be working during break, she is glad Temple has spring break this year.
“I think it’s good, people definitely are getting a little burnt out so it’s definitely necessary,” Powell said. “I know people would be happier if it was actually during spring because it’s not really spring right now.”
Elaina Symes, a sophomore neuroscience major, is flying to Florida to go to the beach with her family and is looking forward to the warm weather. She usually stays home, but said she wanted to do something different this year now that COVID-19 restrictions are less strict and more people are vaccinated.
Last year, Symes was exhausted from school work and didn’t enjoy her Wellness Days because she needed to study for tests.
“I’m really happy to get a long consecutive week where I don’t have to do anything school-related,” she said.
Not having a spring break last year was draining, and although it’s in a “weird part” of the semester, Cassidy Baylis is excited to go home and see her family near Downingtown, Pennsylvania, for half of the week before returning to Philadelphia.
“I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while, and I haven’t seen my family in a while, so I’m excited for that,” said Baylis, a sophomore journalism major.
She also plans on watching Quentin Tarantino movies with her brother and watching the sunset on a lake with her friend.
Before the pandemic, Seohyun Park and her family took trips to Queens Botanical Garden on Main Street near Elder Avenue. This year, Park plans on showing her roommate, an international student from Brazil, famous sites in New York City, like Central Park, Time’s Square and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
She is also excited to go home to Long Island, New York, to see her cat, Minam.
“He only seeks me out when he needs me, but those moments are very warm when he comes and cuddles,” she said.
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