Buffalovin' break

Last Friday felt like any other Friday. I went to class, picked up some Wendy's afterward and sat on my couch for the rest of the afternoon sending silly memes to my roommate while he was at work. It wasn't until I saw my friends posting pictures of their delectable home cooked Latin American meals that I felt my Baconator and Sprite with no ice just wasn't enough.
It had suddenly dawned on me that this Friday wasn't just any Friday. My peers were all headed home for spring break and this lonely Long Islander would be "stuck" in Buffalo for a week of boredom, snow and depression.
Don't get me wrong - I love the Queen City. She's given me amazing friends and memories, but everybody deserves a vacation and not being able to physically leave Buffalo felt as though I wasn't granted one.
That night was tough for me. My Twitter feed was full of complaints from people stuck on a cramped Megabus and my Instagram feed was flooded with amateur pictures of various planes and airports, all of which I envied. What really got to me, however, was a harmless picture my cousin posted on Facebook of her, my sister-in-law and other friends and family I normally see during my excursions in Brentwood, N.Y.
It sounds melodramatic, yes, but the picture made me cry. The build-up of unfortunate events that plague me every semester, along with the fact that I'm just an emotional person, were all triggered by a picture of five women holding up cups having a good time. Aside from my roommate and his best friend, I keep an extremely low profile in Buffalo. I've made friends here but kept very few, so the one week I had to go home and be with my support system, I didn't.
That might not mean much to most college students, but it does to me. Unlike a lot of my peers, I speak to my mother every day for hours and if you come across me walking the halls at UB with my head buried in my cell phone, it's because I'm texting my cousin at Alfred University or my friends at home.
Once I accepted my reality and quit perpetually complaining to my annoyed roommate, I made a list of things I could get done with my free time.
Needless to say, most of the work I planned to do was put off, but I did have the opportunity to enjoy Buffalo for a week with no responsibilities. I had no class, which meant I was excused of my responsibilities at The Spectrum and when I stopped thinking about it, I felt relaxed.
I was lucky enough to have my friend Ayla back in town from Washington, D.C., and the time I spent with her helped bring me back to Earth and recalibrate my mind for the second half of my final semester. I was able to go to church, sleep in and do what I wanted, when I wanted - a luxury I know will be scarce once I begin my post-graduation grind.
I also spent a lot of time with my roommate, whom I'll sadly have to say goodbye to after I move out of Buffalo in July. I've spent the last few years growing closer to these friends of mine and spring break was an opportunity to enjoy the last free moments I had with them.
Once again, I know this sounds melodramatic, but this was my final spring break. I've been in college for five years; not one of those years went without a hitch and I spent my time
Struggling and striving instead of partying and enjoying myself. But my final spring break as an undergraduate gave me time to reflect on this current phase of my life.
It might have never been easy, it might have never been ideal, but it's my life and I wouldn't have wanted to grow up anywhere else.
Even when I complain, it's all Buffalove.

Email: elva.aguilar@ubspectrum.com