As winter break comes screeching to a halt, many students are probably wondering where the time went. Others may have barely finished unpacking their bags from holiday travels.
This includes students like Jaime Travis, a sophomore art major, who recently returned from a 10-day trip to Italy with her family and some friends.
"We flew into Rome and spent four nights there including New Year's Eve," Travis said.
From Rome they took a train to Florence, rented a car and spent the next five days between Florence, Sienna and Pisa.
Although the New Year's festivities were different from those in the United States, Travis said she enjoyed spending the holidays there.
They went out to dinner expecting to leave the restaurant before midnight, but the five-course meal moved slowly.
"Before midnight everyone (in the restaurant) was so quiet," Travis said. "But after midnight everyone jumped out of their chairs and started going crazy.
"It was like they were reserving their energy until midnight."
Lindsey Hyman, a sophomore nursing major, spent two weeks over Christmas visiting her uncle in New York City.
Although it was cold, Hyman didn't let the weather stop her from getting out and having fun, she said.
"We just shopped most of the time I was there," Hyman said. "It was a lot of fun."
This was Hyman's second Christmas in New York and she can't wait to go back.
"Christmas there is much better than spending Christmas here," she said.
Hyman isn't the only one who thinks Christmas is better spent away from home.
Joshua Hedrick, a third-year law student, said heading south for the holidays was much better than staying in Memphis.
Hedrick and his family traveled to Hilton Head, S.C., to celebrate Hanukkah, played some golf and enjoy ed the weather.
"It wasn't warm enough to go in the ocean, but it was definitely warm enough to be on the beach," he said.
The visit to Hilton Head was Hedrick's first. And even although his golf game is terrible, Hedrick said he still had a good time.
"I love to travel, so going to Hilton Head was a plus," he said.
But traveling may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Katura Fennell, a sophomore exercise and sports science major, decided to stay in Memphis and spend the holidays with her aunt and uncle instead of traveling home to Denver.
"I wanted to see what it was like to spend Christmas in a different state," Fennell said. "And I was looking for a job."
She said that while she is used to being with more family on Christmas, she still enjoyed the holidays -even if it didn't snow.
"It was a new experience," Fennell said. "It was different but fun."
