Second semester is tough — there’s no way around it. The weather stinks, you’re looking forward to a summer that isn’t coming fast enough and the days drag on and on.

There’s only one salvation in the monotonous routine of the semester that students get to look forward to (besides Unofficial), and that’s spring break.

Spring break is the time students get to let loose and enjoy some nice weather. So what’s the best place to accomplish both of these things? Mexico, of course.

Take it from someone who went to Cancun for spring break during his sophomore year: there is no better way to unwind from the daily stresses of school than relaxing on a beach in 80-degree weather.

Not only do you escape the horrendous Champaign weather, but you get to hang out with your best friends for a week straight. It’s the perfect place to let go of your stress and enjoy a week that is meant for nothing but fun.

Even when you go out at school to Red Lion or Kams, you still have that research paper hanging over your head, or that test coming up in a couple days. Not over spring break; not in Mexico. In Mexico, your worries wash away with the waves as they crash into your lawn chair.

This is especially true for seniors. That’s because seniors have one added pressure to the normal hectic life of a student: the pressure of job hunting.

Nothing is more stressful than having your family asking you constantly what your plans are after graduation. Your parents don’t get that liberty when you’re in Mexico (thank God for no cell service).

Additionally, for seniors, it’s quite possibly the last time you and your closest friends will spend a full week together just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company.

There’s something to be said for last hoorahs, and seniors know all about that. So what better way to go out than playing some beach volleyball and enjoying some all-inclusive margaritas?

Hakuna Matata is a wonderful phrase, one that applies directly to spring break. Spring break doesn’t mean no worries for the rest of your days, but for one week, it’s hard to beat the beach paradise that awaits in Mexico with some of your closest friends.

That isn’t to say the only way to enjoy spring break is to go on an extensive trip to Mexico. The point is to make the most of your spring break and enjoy the week off to decompress from the daily burdens of school. As cheesy as it sounds, find your beach, and relax knowing that you have a week with no homework, no lectures and no stress.

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