Spring Break 2014 - Panama City Beach, Florida.

By Isabella Dale

Spring break is known to many as a wide awakening for new college students experiencing the beach-party scene for the first time. The beach is a bustling arena filled with raging hormones and drunken underage post-adolescent acts that leave innocent bystanders gasping for a breath of fresh air. 

One of the many popular places to retire for a week of unforgettable Spring Breaking is Florida’s own Panama City Beach, where according to SpringBreakHQ.com, around 250,000 students from 400 colleges turn up for the time of their lives. The soft white sand and hot melting sun, mixed with loud beating house music blasting from 4000 watt speakers (and the obvious involvement of too much alcohol) makes a perfect cocktail for dodgy meets and greets as well as inevitable beach side arrests. “A parent’s worst nightmare”— is the only describable phrase of such a place as the infamous Panama City Beach.

Credits to: pcbeachspringbreak.com

Driving through the streets of Panama City during spring break is very similar to driving through an open safari while the animals have gone wild. The place has little to no resemblance of the real world in which many had previously come from. The initial shock of sights such as jaywalking while intoxicated or urinating over a car tire while about to topple over wears off after a day, when all that can be seen is pure insanity. After a while common sense kicks in, telling you to relish in the novelty of it rather than to shy away from this once in a life time experience.

“We shared a small apartment with 14 other people, so naturally none of us got enough sleep to even last our time there,” said Michael Chiel, a University of the Cumberlands student who regretfully succumbed to agreeing on an all-out PCB “vay-kay”. “But after a while I just kept partying and the tiredness went away.”

The constant loud noise accompanied with unreliable influences truly force college students in PCB to tap into their family morals, an exercise that should regularly be practiced while engaging in fun-filled activities on spring break. 
When asked how he stayed safe, UC business major Kyrie Rodriguez claims, “You almost have to pretend like your mum is there or something, watching your every move, because then that keeps you from doing crazy (things).” The alcohol and drug use available for minors is everywhere, making it close to impossible to constantly be pushing bad influences away, leaving young adults with the hard decision of having to go along with the madness to be safe rather than to be left behind and be sorry. 

Watching the hit crime show Blue Bloods on CBS is another thrill some of us tune into while sadly gobbling down our popcorn trays on a Wednesday night, but seeing real people getting arrested for things a friend could have just been doing round the corner of a portable toilet is a whole other story altogether. 

Credits to: www.pcbeachspringbreak.com

“It felt surreal,” said Chelsea Lonaker, a University of Kentucky student who witnessed countless arrests for public defecation. “You never think they are getting into any real trouble, but then there were girls younger than me crying their eyes out while policemen read out their rights! My opinion is when you gotta go, you gotta go, and being drunk doesn’t help with holding anything in for a long time.” 

At the end of the day, even though students return home to reality with the regret of lost possessions and wasted cash, as well as the remorse of learning about their multiple professions as both an exotic dancer and love match maker, the one thing all students have in common is the fact that they met interesting people, got in touch on a deeper level with their alcohol tolerance, and truly had the time of their lives. 

A place not recommended to parents as a graduation present for seniors, or a family holiday for innocent church-faring people, PCB’s promiscuous reputation and infamous low society is perfect for an unforgettable week of ultimate spring breaking.