Saturday, April 19, 2014

suck it up, make it fun!

Life has been hectic lately. We're more than halfway through our squished and shortened semester, and packing all of our curriculum into a small space has been challenging. Woodstock has also scheduled seemingly thousands of events / activities into March and April, which means we're often on campus late for extracurriculars or performances or study halls or whatnot. I reach each weekend at a dead sprint, then fall exhausted into Saturday and Sunday.

Don't worry -- the rest of this post is not a list of complaints, but the opposite. Here's my point: Our work schedule often makes me want to sit alone and zone out over the weekends or any breaks, but what I've tried to do this semester is resist this impulse and take advantage of every opportunity at my disposal. For instance...

More coffees in the buzz with my best friend, the amazing Julia! She's leaving at the end of this semester, and I'm sad. So it's no more lazing at home alone, but finding ways to spend some non-work time together.

Finally chaperoning a weekend hike! At the beginning of every semester, I would tentatively agree to be on the female chaperone list, but then I'd demur whenever Zach or Pants actually asked me if I'd volunteer. Weekend hike during this chaos? I'm too busy, I'd reply! A few weekends ago, I finally agreed to go - to ignore my pile of work - and it was a blast!

how can i resist views like these?

Going somewhere fun for Quarter Break! We contemplated having a peaceful break at home in early April, but that would mean missing out on our last chance to travel with Julia, so we went to two new cities: Amritsar and Dharamsala. It was an exhausting trip, for sure, with many long hours on nausea-inducing bus rides, and my own tango with a horrible stomach virus, but in the end it was worth it. The week was packed full of tun times with friends (and some awesome students) exploring some new locales.

looking awesome at one of the "7 wonders of india" - the golden temple

Of all my resolutions for the year 2014, this is one I hope I make my new philosophy on life.

(If these photos interest you, I've posted plenty more on my facebook page...)