Video courtesy of Kate Patterson

Can’t stand being away from San Luis Obispo all summer? We’ve got you covered. Here’s how to curb your withdrawal.

Melissa Nunez

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1. Create a collage, album or video

Get creative and bring together the photos or videos you’ve taken of your time in San Luis Obispo. Psychology sophomore Kate Patterson created a video mashup of her first-year adventures. Take a look — it really captures San Luis Obispo’s beautiful essence.

If you aren’t video-savvy, create something using pictures. Look through your phone and find pictures that have captured memorable moments. Print them and get decorative by making a collage on your wall. You can also make an album — whether physical or on Facebook — to share with friends.

Collecting parts of San Luis Obispo through images and videos can help you remember the good times and deal with not being there.

2. Video chat with friends

One thing that makes us miss San Luis Obispo is not seeing our friends on a daily basis.

But, since we live in the era of video chatting, we don’t have to miss them too much. If you want to have a one-on-one chat, Skype is the tool for you. If you want to chat with more than one friend, check out Oovoo and Google Hangouts. With Google Hangouts, you play games together while you chat. As the name suggests, it feels like you’re actually hanging out. Any form of video chat will help if you’re missing your SLOmies.

3. Find similar activities

Two things about San Luis Obispo that make it great are the hiking trails and coastal beaches waiting to be explored. Thankfully, San Luis Obispo isn’t the only place with hills or beaches. Depending where you are, you might have one of these options, both or neither.

If you have one, go explore! Grab some friends and do what you would do if you were in San Luis Obispo. If you have both, well, aren’t you lucky? Make new discoveries about your hometown.

If you have neither, still make use of whatever nature is around you! San Luis Obispo has so many scenic spots, and you can find those anywhere — even in a park.

4. Hang out with friends in your area 

Make plans with friends nearby. It’s summer, which means you have more time to do enjoyable, non-academic things, unless you’re taking summer classes. With your extra time, have fun, see a movie, go on a road trip — maybe even pick up your SLOmies. Bond with old friends, reach out to new ones and you won’t even have time to miss San Luis Obispo.

5. Take a day trip to San Luis Obispo

If you are able to drive to San Luis Obispo for even a day, you should.  What better way to deal with your San Luis Obispo withdrawal then actually going back? And this time, you won’t have to worry about essays, midterms or classes. Hike Bishop Peak, take a dip in Avila, have a tri-tip at Firestone or visit campus.

If you have the opportunity to be in San Luis Obispo sometime in the summer, it can help lessen the pain of being away for three months.