The holidays are a time when people go home and spend time with their family. It’s a time to finally relax after being in school for a whole semester, be surrounded by our loved ones and enjoy the time we have before we have to go back to the real world.

This time next week, I will be packing and getting ready to go back to New York for the first time this entire semester. Even though it will take a little less than 12 hours to get home because I am taking the dreaded bus, it will all be worth it when I get to spend time with my family.

According to the Kent State website, enrollment for international students is up 35 percent, which means more students that are far from their families. I’m sure there are many students who live far away from their families, and that’s why it’s important to have a close group of friends.

Friends are people that you can depend on when your family isn’t there to help you; sometimes they are even the people you turn to when you can’t turn to your family. Because I don’t go home often, I have friends whom I consider my family. I have had the privilege to have a best friend whose family has made me a part of their own; my roommate is someone whose family has been there for me from the beginning, and for that I will forever be grateful. Even at my job, there are people that I know I can count on if I ever needed something.

Even though there are a lot of students who aren’t home all the time, it is important to set up your home away from home. For me, that home is my best friend’s house. For others, it could be the same, or maybe their significant others. There are an endless number of possibilities, but the important thing is to be surrounded by those we love and cherish.

For students who won’t be able to make it home for the holidays, Kent State has an option for staying in winter break housing. If you haven’t already done so, talk to your residence hall director and find out what you can do to stay in rooms that have been set aside for that specific purpose.

It’s a time to watch cheesy Christmas movies, sleep an outrageous number of hours, enjoy your surrounding and just have fun. Enjoy it while it lasts, because four weeks later we will be back to the hustle of being students. I hope everyone is home for the holidays, and happy holidays to all.