Surrounded Castle

There’s a book I’m reading in Chinese which translates to the “Surrounded Castle”, or “Castle under Siege”. Basically, the metaphor illustrates the dynamics of a castle under siege: the people within the castle want to get out, while the people outside of the castle want to get in. Likewise, I kind of felt this to also be the case for college and winter break: many who are finishing finals and on the verge of winter vacation can’t wait to “get in”; however, once break settles in and life begins to get routine, many can’t wait to “get out” of the tedium–there is always a sense of this irony, and it seems to climax near the middle of break and begin to run in reverse when winter break is coming to a close (meaning people don’t want break to end as it draws closer to the end). My break is just starting, but I feel already it is slipping by too fast. If winter break is indeed like the situation of the surrounded castle, then I would say I’m currently sitting on the castle walls: I would look left and right, in and out  of the castle on occasion, and as I kick my feet in the cool night, I would watch the two parties on each side trying to get to the other side. And then I would smile and rest my head against the hard castle wall, enjoying the stars in the sky until I am disturbed by the inevitable end of winter break. Then I will brush off my shirt and jump.