By
La Monica Everett-Haynes
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Summertime plus unemployment can amount to two-and-a-half months of travel, entertainment and, of course, long lazy days.
Some of the University of Arizona's returning students and new freshmen spent their summer vacations hiking, touring, guiding and learning.
But summertime does not always make for relaxing evenings with the local clique, said Jake Madfis, media arts freshman, as some students have to work.
The fun begins when school begins, he said.
"I worked straight through the summer, so I have less free time," Madfis said. "I spend most of my free time in school, and I spend more time in school than out of school."
But students who can afford a summer without a job take full advantage of the opportunity, enjoying the world and seeking out adventures to tell their grandchildren.
"Summer is relaxing - a time to hang out doing things we couldn't do while we were in school," said Joanna Brown, media arts freshman. "We get to eat out, hang out and go to the movies."
A Denver native, Brown said she gets her kicks from swing dancing - an activity she has to minimize while in school due to lack of time.
Other students attended life-affirming camps, went on educational trips, and traveled through famous European ruins and historically acclaimed romantic cities.
Most students brought back a small piece of the world - whether it be in the form of a photo, a keepsake or a memory - to the university before they begin learning all about it.
