Spring Break (and rant about my church). Yeah, they're related.

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

My Spring Break is next week!

Okay, since I don't have the money to go somewhere really exotic for Spring Break, I have basically two options:

1. Spend most of the time on campus, but take a 3 day, 2 night excursion to a nearby town with a large mall, and stay at a nice hotel (see my signature). Approximate cost: $360.

2. The college ministry end of my church is organizing a church trip to a beach in Florida. Approximate cost: $315.

Some facts:

• I'm not an outdoors/beach person.
• I went on the church trip two years ago and had a severe allergic reaction.
• The accommodations at the church retreat are like barracks/summer camp. When I went I had an old vinyl covered mattress and 15 other guys in the same space.
• Meals at the retreat are pre-planned. Soda machines only; no snack machines.
• No internet at the church retreat means no YouTube, no Facebook, and especially no PC.
• The Quality Suites is a Gold Award winning hotel.
• The hotel is within walking distance of a large mall.
• There are numerous restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, including the excellent Harper's on a mall outparcel.
• Harper's Restaurant has a trivia night during my stay.
• The Quality Suites Pineville has a 93% approval rating on Expedia and 88% approval rating on Hotels.com.
• Even my dorm has "luxuries" such as internet, snack machines and mattresses covered in cloth. I can even have pizza delivered there, which is not an option at the church retreat.

For me, the choice is a no-brainer. The relative luxury is worth the extra $45 for the dorm/mall/Quality Suites option, not to mention the fact that I won't be breaking out in hives or having asthma attacks. And I won't enjoy the outdoor activities at the beach.

And yet, despite it being just days before the trip, several of the guys are still insisting I go on the retreat. I can't discuss the pro/con list above with them because they'll bring up the whole "God wants you to come with us" argument. Heck, I've had to make up lies about having to pay a non-refundable reservation deposit and they still told me to forfeit the (admittedly non-existent) deposit.

So, readers, what's your take on this situation?

 

[Sydian]

I'd pick the mall. The only church trip I ever take is the Memphis mission trip, to be honest. I don't want to be around the people from my church on a normal retreat/vacation for personal reasons. If I go on a trip for church, I want to make a difference in someone's life, not try to fix mine. I don't care about myself enough.

ANYWAY. If you had allergic reactions last time, I don't think you should go. And I hate the beach, and since you're not outdoorsy either, then I'd say mall > beach.

 

[.Bullet]

The beach is alright if you're on a family vacation, but a church trip? No, no, and especially no.

I'd take option 1 if I were you.

 

[Kura]

Do whatever you want. If you're afraid of the whole "God wants you to go" thing, then you can just tell them that, yeah, God wants you to enjoy your break and have fun and you don't have to stay with the church 24/7 to still be a religious person and have a vacation you'll enjoy.


And Pineville? Do you live in WV?

 

[Cherrim]

The "God wants you to go" argument seems kind of petty to me. D: Though it probably wouldn't be good form to outright tell them that, I really don't think God really... minds where you go on Spring Break. @_@;;

Just do what you want to do, and what you think you'll have more fun doing. If you go somewhere you don't really want to go (and spend money to go there!), you'll just head into it thinking "this isn't as good as what I COULD be doing" and it won't be nearly as fun as if you chose to go there. This is your break. Go where you want, just as everyone else is going where they want~

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

And Pineville? Do you live in WV?

Actually it's in North Carolina, a Charlotte suburb. Which of course puts me right smack in the Bible Belt, which would explain a lot about why they're so adamant about me going. Fortunately, I won't have to meet with any of them again before the trip, so I don't have to argue my case anymore.

And these are the type of people who like to talk for 45 minutes after church ends, and I'm stuck since I didn't bring a car on campus.

So, the mall and hotel are officially a go. Besides, the mall has a Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble has a manga section. The mall wins.

 

[pokejungle]

lol ew church.

Isn't it kind of lonely to go to a hotel by yourself? D: