Coming back to UChicago after only three weeks of break was surreal. I think it’s the general consensus that winter break was simply too short to get into a proper routine at home, but just enough time to start missing everyone from school. I arrived back on campus and realized that nothing had really changed. I felt like the last three weeks had been some sort of illusion. The ladies at the front desk of my dorm were still there, the 171 still picked me up in a somewhat timely fashion, and the pasta at Pierce was still soaking in warm water long after it had finished cooking. And although I didn’t have anything new to get used to, I still felt a sense of nervousness with the thought of the new quarter and longed for a second O-week, full of free time. Alas, I had class the next morning.
This quarter, I added Core Bio into my schedule and was initially nervous about the extra six hours a week that I would be giving up. I could not have been more mistaken. The block of time that I referred to last quarter as Harper Time was now being used more productively to take care of a refreshingly easy required class. Honestly if you’re putting off Core Bio, don’t. Although the lectures have become increasingly boring over the last two weeks, the labs and discussions are laid back, and dare I say relaxing. I was caught off guard when my professor said at the start of the quarter that it would be difficult not to do well in this class, and though I will wait until after our first test next week to give my final verdict, I think that her statement was sound.
Moving now to the weather, I must say that the novelty of snow has not yet worn off on me, even though I’m increasingly disgusted at the state of the roads and the black snow that is covering them. Apart from this, the snow is beautiful. So beautiful that I, an uneducated Texan in the ways of winter, decided to pick some of it up bare handed and began trying to construct a snowball. Needless to say, my fingers went numb and I was soon informed by a friend that what I had picked up was not packing snow. I surely learned my lesson, and will try to keep any bare extremities as far away from it as possible from now on.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the brave souls who participated in Kuvia last week! Although I did not make it out but one of the days (I went for a nice morning walk to The Point on Friday) I was definitely affected by the early morning schedule that my roommate adopted as I heard her alarm go off at an unnatural hour each morning. Even though I’m pretty sure that most people participated to receive the free T-shirt (which looks great by the way), I think that Kuvia serves a higher purpose of reminding us to take care of ourselves physically this quarter. With the snow piling up outside and the temperatures continuing to drop, it is easy to stay inside and eat your weight in junk food, but no one wants to see that come spring time! I doubt anyone will continue to wake before the crack of dawn to get their cardio in, but I think it’s good to make time for yourself to exercise and stay fit this winter, if for nothing else than to take a break from studying. Furthermore, even if you passed out of your PE requirement, I can now say from personal experience that it’s still a great idea to sign up for a class, and that they (step aerobics in particular) are great! Here’s wishing you a happy and healthy winter quarter!