Ladies and gentlemen, this is the semester (before the semester) we’ve been dreaming about. It’s the semester before abroad.
Next semester, our time will come. But, for now, we must get through (and try to enjoy) the semester before THE semester.
This semester has a few distinct stages to it. All of these, per usual, can be described with food.
The Beginning- Crap Food Galore
Welcome back to college: the only place where it is socially acceptable to drink blue-colored alcohol and wash it down with a mediocre calzone at 2AM. At the beginning of the semester, we are reminded how easy it is to eat literally whatever we want, whenever we want at school.
Especially during the first few weekends, it is easy to party all day and night, and then eat crap food into the wee hours of the morning. Very healthy! Very adult-like!
A Few Weeks In- It’s Salad O’Clock
Once you reach the point where your classes aren’t just talking about the class itself, and you even have *GASP* homework, things get real. Suddenly, living off of whatever is in sight seems a bit unreasonable (shocker)! In an effort to get your life together and find a routine, you decide to bite the bullet: AKA eat some vegetables.
The newly enticing salads become your go-to between classes, and homemade chicken becomes your dinner at night. Ugh, it’s like so hard being a real human being…
Mid-Semester- We All Scream for Ice Cream
When mid-semester meltdown is in full effect, it’s enough of this books and salad bowl rotation BS. Projects are piling up, tests are sooner than you thought, and no one has time to worry about pre-marinating chicken. When you’re crying in the library at 1am, vegetables are likely the last thing on your mind.
So, what’s the healthiest way to handle your fear about the rest of the semester, teetering grades, and lack of time to socialize? Ben & Jerry’s, of course.
Almost Done- Eating Out and Ordering In Central
One day, you wake up and check your phone, and see surprising news on your home screen. December 1st? WTF??
In this moment, you realize that the end is (scarily) near. You won’t return to campus for awhile, and need to make sure you get in all of your favorites before you go. So, it looks like dinner every night will be at a restaurant or carried in. In fact, you may even need to go out to your favorite breakfast place before class this week. Why? Because the country you’re going to doesn’t have those one kind of pancakes you love… you know?
End of Semester- Kraft, Burgers, and Dogs, Oh My!
With finals over (phew), it is official: the semester has come to a close. It’s goodbye to your college, and soon goodbye America. So, it’s time to get all patriotic here: I’m talking all the deliciously disgusting foods you won’t find across the world.
Since we Americans are classy and healthy, this means eating Kraft mac and cheese, a variety of questionable meats like hot dogs, and other processed foods. Mmmm mmmm good!
With this semester behind you, THE semester is coming your way. Hopefully abroad is full of new culture, sights, experiences, and of course, lots and lots of new foods.