What do I do over my summer break?
July 10, 2009 5:15 AM
How do I make the most of my last true summer vacation?
I'm 18, living in Israel, going to enlist in the army in a few months. In August I'm taking a trip to the states with friends and then I'll kick back and relax in Toronto (previous home) for a month. We leave Aug 20. What the hell do I do until then?
Both my previous summers have been month-long trips to Toronto so I never really had to deal with dead vacation time the past three years.
Also, my problem is mostly days because at nights I hang out with friends.
Um, relevant information: I'm 18, I'm a girl, I don't have a driver's license but Israeli public transportation is improving, I swear. I don't have much money and every bit I make I'm saving up for the trip. I don't have a permanent job so I'd like one, meanwhile I'm just babysitting here and there. I'm gay and there are a couple of cool gay nightclubs in Tel Aviv, but like I said my problem is mostly during the day. I play piano seriously, and also fool around with guitar, harmonica, djembe and anything else I can get my hands on, so recommendations for cheap instruments I can find and learn to play by myself would be nice.
I love reading but for various reasons don't have the patience for it during this period of my life, so unless you've got something special, I have my own long list of books I'm forcing myself to work through.
I have a dog, I have a broken bike, I live in a small town a half-hour bus ride from Tel Aviv, I like to sing to myself and I'm a computer nerd (but not too much). And I already formatted my hard-drive a few months ago.
I'm looking more for day-to-day things and less for projects, because projects are kind of obvious (fix my bike, create a website in html, learn C, etc).
Also, I'm almost certain that in my three+ years of metafilter I've seen questions like this before but I couldn't find anything.
I'm 18, living in Israel, going to enlist in the army in a few months. In August I'm taking a trip to the states with friends and then I'll kick back and relax in Toronto (previous home) for a month. We leave Aug 20. What the hell do I do until then?
Both my previous summers have been month-long trips to Toronto so I never really had to deal with dead vacation time the past three years.
Also, my problem is mostly days because at nights I hang out with friends.
Um, relevant information: I'm 18, I'm a girl, I don't have a driver's license but Israeli public transportation is improving, I swear. I don't have much money and every bit I make I'm saving up for the trip. I don't have a permanent job so I'd like one, meanwhile I'm just babysitting here and there. I'm gay and there are a couple of cool gay nightclubs in Tel Aviv, but like I said my problem is mostly during the day. I play piano seriously, and also fool around with guitar, harmonica, djembe and anything else I can get my hands on, so recommendations for cheap instruments I can find and learn to play by myself would be nice.
I love reading but for various reasons don't have the patience for it during this period of my life, so unless you've got something special, I have my own long list of books I'm forcing myself to work through.
I have a dog, I have a broken bike, I live in a small town a half-hour bus ride from Tel Aviv, I like to sing to myself and I'm a computer nerd (but not too much). And I already formatted my hard-drive a few months ago.
I'm looking more for day-to-day things and less for projects, because projects are kind of obvious (fix my bike, create a website in html, learn C, etc).
Also, I'm almost certain that in my three+ years of metafilter I've seen questions like this before but I couldn't find anything.
What about something creative and useful, like knitting a scarf for a friend back in Canada?
You could also take up the ukulele, which is cheap and portable. Or maybe you could head out to the shore and busk at the beach with your guitar?
posted by mdonley at 6:15 AM on July 10, 2009
You could also take up the ukulele, which is cheap and portable. Or maybe you could head out to the shore and busk at the beach with your guitar?
posted by mdonley at 6:15 AM on July 10, 2009
Think about what life will be like in the army, and the kinds of things you won't have in the same way that you do now. You won't be able to make spontaneous plans. You won't be able to have much privacy or spend much time by yourself. You won't be able to sleep late. You won't have much of a choice over what you have to eat. Concentrating on these simple pleasures, knowing that they will be what you miss once military service starts, can help you relax, enjoy your time, and be mentally prepared for the big change in your routine once you enlist.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 6:19 AM on July 10, 2009
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 6:19 AM on July 10, 2009
Hands down, trips with friends. I'm sure you can find hundreds of spots in Europe and some safe spots in Africa to go for a 1-2 week trip for. Also, Asia. If you go to a poorer country, you might even save money.
posted by ruwan at 8:34 AM on July 10, 2009
posted by ruwan at 8:34 AM on July 10, 2009
Don't do anything! Really, Aug 20th will be here in no time. AFter you finish with the army (if you ever decide to not be active) and enter adult land, you will give practically anything to have a whole month to do nothing. Trust me. Just eat, sleep, and do whatever you spontaneously feel like doing for a month.
posted by WeekendJen at 9:12 AM on July 10, 2009
posted by WeekendJen at 9:12 AM on July 10, 2009
I understand what you're saying but just relaxing or eating and sleeping gets boring.
posted by alon at 12:30 PM on July 10, 2009
posted by alon at 12:30 PM on July 10, 2009
Can you get some kind of temp job?
Or maybe volunteer for a charity or something?
It will kill some time and might be productive.
posted by twblalock at 6:01 PM on July 10, 2009
Or maybe volunteer for a charity or something?
It will kill some time and might be productive.
posted by twblalock at 6:01 PM on July 10, 2009
I don't have any suggestions for what you should do, but I would caution against pressuring yourself to make the summer very meaningful. In my experience when you are desperate to have fun you usually have a pretty lousy time.
posted by my_thai at 3:05 PM on July 11, 2009
posted by my_thai at 3:05 PM on July 11, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by majortom1981 at 5:22 AM on July 10, 2009