Going Home

David R.

November 10, 2009 - 6:50 PM

During this time during the fall term, the stress levels start to rise as there are only a few weeks left in the term. Finals are around the corner, and students are beginning to worry about how their final grades will turn out in their classes. One thing that allows students to take a break from the worrying and relax is Thanksgiving. When everyone begins to go home for this holiday, it makes people realize that U of O students come from all over the country. Some make the drive up to Portland and the surrounding suburbs, while others make the drive to the Eugene airport, or PDX in Portland. One thing I love about being an out-of-state student at the University of Oregon is that I have great friends here, and great friends at home in Colorado. It is nice to be able to make a visit home to see everyone, especially my family. We always spend Thanksgiving at a cabin in the mountains that my grandparents own. We sit around the fire all day and watch the NFL games on television as the usual snow falls to the ground. One of the things that drew me to the University of Oregon was that fact that Oregon's landscape is so similar to Colorado's. I spend a great deal of time skiing when I am home for Thanksgiving and winter break, and I can continue to ski when I come back out to Eugene for the winter term.

On Thanksgiving morning my friends and I partake in the nation-wide tradition known as the Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is nothing more than a game of touch football on the field that we all used to play on at our high school. I always look forward to this game because it allows me to see old high school friends that I haven't seen for a while as we have all been away at school. It is a safe bet that the ground will be frozen or covered with snow, so being bundled up in warm clothes is a must. Being that the game is made up of a group of 20 year old guys, it is only a matter of time before the games transition from touch to full on tackle football. Last year I hurt my ankle during this game, but it was alright because I still made the catch and I was able to go home knowing I left it all on the field. The game comes to an end when the majority of us can no longer move, and we all go home to spend the day with our families. I am in a great position at the U of O because I can go home for a few days and enjoy being with my friends and family, but when it comes to an end, I have nothing to be sad about because I get to return to my second home in Eugene. Making the decision to attend college out of state was possibly the best decision I ever made. I have been able to become independent living on my own and have become responsible enough to take care of my academic work at the same time. For those who aren't from Oregon, come give the U of O a look. You won't regret it.