Things to do in the summer after graduation

No dreaded last week of vacation.
No studying for the tests and exams in the next semester.
No homework.
Plain guilt free partying.
4 months of all of the above.


Sounds familiar? For those of you who have already graduated school, this probably takes you back! For those of you who haven't, this is probably a glimpse of your future.

Simply put, it's a piece of heaven that is handed to you as a reward for all the work you've put into slogging (or as is the case with most people, pretending to slog) to get into a decent college (which is defined by getting the approval of your loving relatives and friends).

It's a time when you have all your school friends and no real responsibility, and thus the benefits of being a child. And at the same time, we also have the benefits of being adults. That includes freedom to go places without being questioned as to the where, why, when , who and how.

For the most, this time goes into hanging out, lazing around at home or spending hours on the couch watching TV. If you're currently in a situation where your busy schedule does not allow you your 6 hours of sleep everyday and getting texts from old friends seem more like an inconvenience this may sound like an amazing place to be.
But 4 months of an empty mind can be quite the devil. You end up either missing the past or awaiting the future, without actually realising that you're wasting away the present.

So here are a few things you can do in the summer after high school without using too much of your brain, without having to forgo too much of your time with friends, and most of all, having an amazing summer!

1. Take up the hobby you always wanted to

Interested in photography? Want to learn salsa? Want to get out that old dusty box of water colours? Maybe create your own blog? Now is the time. People dream of pursuing hobbies which never actually become a reality. This may be the only time you get where you have no commitments and no responsibilities. Of course you'll always have the summers in college, but they may not be as long, and they'll probably be filled with summer classes that you decide to take up or internships or something of the like. You get the idea.

2. Get down to your reading/movie list


Everyone has a reading list or a movie list! I don't mean to say that everyone has a piece of paper lying around somewhere with a list of books to read or movies to watch, but everyone has some book or some movie that hasn't been touched so far. There are probably a couple of movies (or TV shows) you missed in the previous year or some amazing books that you never got to read. It's an excellent idea to get down to those. It would make the "lazing around at home" much less boring.

3.Meet the people you haven't met for a long time

Your school friends, your cousins and your long lost childhood friends are people for who you are likely to have less time for once you get into college. These are people who you spoke to everyday once upon a time. With time you lose touch because everyone gets busy, but at the moment, you're completely free. Instead of hanging out with a select few on a regular basis, hang out with diverse people. Even though you probably won't be able to keep up this pattern once you go to college, it'll be harder for them to drift away later on. More importantly, they'll remember you, for having made the effort to keep up with each other.

4. Travel and Explore

This may sound a little unrealistic, but in case you haven't labelled this as an absurd and infeasible idea and are still reading, let me tell you what I mean. Travelling does not necessarily mean taking a month off and going to far away cities or countries. Do you have a neighbouring city or town which you could take a day trip to? If you don't, have you seen your own city yet? I have lived in my city for 18 years, yet I haven't seen all of it. Instead of going to the mall next door to hang out with friends or meet with people, go to places which you haven't been to before. It'll be less monotonous. And plus, not knowing the city you live in is not something to be proud of! Also, in case you can't find a job in the future, the option of being a tour guide will be always available ;)

Your summer doesn't have to be filled with nostalgic memories of school or eager waiting for college to start. It could be something of its own!

In case you're still to graduate from school, start drawing up a list, it'll come in handy once you graduate! In case you graduated some time ago and are in college or are already working, make a list anyway. When you do find a patch of free time in your hands, you know what to do!