Let’s just face it. People in Lake Oswego have a little bit of a different take on vacations during Spring Break than many other people. And I’m not saying that every single family goes all out for spring break, but it’s enough of them to the point that it’s very noticeable. I remember last year sitting around watching TV during the break, and seeing a post on an Instagram story of a kid in the Maldives. And a few of the more common ones are Hawaii, Florida, Palm Springs, Mexico, and practically every other warm-climate location you can think of. And these all seem pretty normalized for us here in “the bubble,” but it isn’t like this in many other towns. 

My family too, is occasionally, a part of the numerous families that go places, but I like to take at least a little bit of pride in saying that sometimes our location choices are a bit more ~unique~ than other Lake Oswegians. While in elementary school we went to more of the common places like Florida and Mexico, as my sister and I have gotten older, we’ve started to get over the standard “Yay, let’s get tan, sit by a beach all day!” I too, enjoy getting tan, but I’ve just gotten to the point where I don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on it. The past two years, I’ve gone to Seattle and Washington D.C. which are colder climates for spring break, and honestly, they were as fun, if not more fun, than all the beach vacations I’ve been on. In eighth grade, my government obsessed sister wanted to go to Washington D.C., and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. And while places like these aren’t as normalized as most other spots, it honestly should be. 

And while I have gone to places during spring break, I also have stayed home during a lot of spring breaks throughout the years. And maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I feel a little judged when I don’t go anywhere. And it’s so weird that I feel this way. I don’t understand why the judgment of my peers has made me feel like not going on vacation is something to be embarrassed about. Because it shouldn’t be. Due to how lavish the excursions are that other people take, it has made hanging out and doing literally anything else be deemed as “weird.” Going on vacation, wherever it is, is  definitely cool, but there are other options to have fun without going on vacation. There are so many things to do around here, plus, your family will save that money for other important things in the future. So whether you and your family are active spring break trip takers or frequent staycation people, have fun wherever you are and don’t let the judgment of our town or peers affect how you feel, at all.