Secondly but equally important, be polite. Contrary to popular belief, the world does not revolve around Harvard students. Some people at this school chat all through lectures, leave early when guest speakers are still talking and are just generally disrespectful to everyone but themselves. It's bad enough that they act that way here; it's absolutely disgusting when they continue to act badly outside of the classrooms. Be respectful to the people you meet and the places you visit. Harvard may owe us a spring break, but the rest of the world does not.

Now you ask, can one follow these limitations and still have fun? Well, consider the best vacation I ever had:

When I was 11 years old, my family crammed nine people into one Chevy Suburban to drive from the tip of south Texas to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. My mother, my aunt and my uncle often wondered why they had ever planned this trip. My sister, brother, three cousins and I lived in a constant state of euphoria. Having never been anywhere before (I still haven't been to Europe), every moment on the road and in the park was new and exciting. From discovering a great (but smelly) seaside restaurant in Mississippi, to singing loudly with the Beatles' music in the car, to running through thunderstorms to ride the good rides while the lines were short, each day was filled with rewards as well as problems. We wanted to do a lot, but we didn't care if we didn't do it all. And sure, we had our fights; but most of the time we were too deliriously happy to be out of McAllen to care about anything else.

Maybe I'm being childishly idealistic, but I do think it's possible to enjoy spring break with the wisdom of a 21-year-old and the blind enthusiasm of an 11-year-old. If, for example, you're determined to immerse yourself alone in some tiny village in England and everything goes as planned, well, good for you. If you end up missing Stonehenge because you met a cute and friendly singer in the Din and Tonics at some pub, enjoy the delightful randomness of what happened as opposed to mourning the irreversibility of what didn't. Trying to escape all that is Harvard can be fun, but isn't necessary to have a great vacation.

So enjoy your spring break, whatever you do or don't do. Relax, have fun and try to get out of the Harvard mentality for a bit.

And most importantly, send a postcard to a person you care about. No matter where you go, someone somewhere else misses you--and will be thrilled to hear from you.

Sarah A. Rodriguez '99 is an English concentrator in Winthrop House. Her column appears on alternate Mondays.