End of Semester Chaos

09 May 2012 4 Comments

by Emma in Study, Travel Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Week 10 of the university semester has arrived slapping me squarely across the face, before throwing a bucket of ice water over my head.  It’s the week where students across campuses everywhere start freaking out because it’s just dawned on them that their final assignments are all due in less than a months time.  The week where students start falling asleep in the middle of the day (and not because they’ve been partying to hard) but because Week 10 lethargy kicks in.  The sinking, depressing feeling that settles over you that you’ll never make it to the end.  Never mind that you only have three weeks of classes to go.  Never mind that millions of students before you have suffered through the same end of semester epidemic, only to have survived to live (and therefore party) another day.

If my posts become sporadic and incomprehensible, you will now understand why.  With five assignments left to complete in less than a month, my decent into end of semester madness should be swift.  But awaiting me at the end of it all is six glorious weeks off.  Six weeks which I’ll be starting on a Singapore Airlines flight, the day after my last piece of assessment is due.  Six weeks to travel around Africa interning with an aid organisation.

But first I need to survive the last few weeks of semester…

Superheroes

18 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment

by Emma in 365 Day Challenge Tags: , , , , , , ,

I had to read Beowulf for High School English.  That was many years ago and I don’t remember any of it.  Now, I’ve had the pleasure of re-reading it for my Introduction to Great Books class.  I still don’t remember any of it.  But from my general understanding of the lecture on the book, Beowulf is a great hero.  He has three epic battles against monsters and wins, but is mortally wounded in the last battle.  The end.

There is the condensed summary of the first noted epic tale recorded in the history of literature.  I feel I have not done Beowulf justice.  He was a hero after all.  He boozed and plunder treasure, he killed “monsters” to save the great norse halls from falling into another’s hands, he was committed to the cause – a true hero.  There was no love interest (the most recent Hollywood movie version where he hooks up with Angelina Jolie doesn’t count, as her character is the second monster he kills).  So after analysing a text I understand very little about (it was the hardest piece of text I think I’ve ever come across reading), I now have to write a creative piece placing a modern-day superhero into an epic story in the tradition of Beowulf.

I’m at a loss as to what to write.  I don’t know very much about superheroes.  I know that there are a lot of movies (and sequels) made by Hollywood based on comics.  So maybe i need to spend the night “researching” the afore-mentioned movies to gain a better understanding of the genre… that or I’ll just make up my own superhero.  After all it is creative writing, so I should be allowed to do that.

Top 6 study break ideas

25 Feb 2012 1 Comment

by Emma in 365 Day Challenge Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I start back at university tomorrow.  After an interesting and eventful 4 month summer break, I’m not sure if I’m ready to go back to class.  This is the start of my second year, therefore the furthest I’ve gotten in my three attempts at university.  But last year was not all smooth sailing.  This year I’ve dropped a degree (going from a double to a single degree) and now have to sort out my course progression.  It’s all easy to fix if you know what you are doing…  I’m working on learning what to do.

Something I’ve learnt to do at university is how to take breaks.  Mini holidays, study breaks, road trips, anything to make it feel like I’m getting away from studying and the real world.  It has to be done, otherwise 13 weeks of classes and assignments becomes unbearable.  So I’ve put together my top 6 study break ideas…things that help me refresh my brain, body and soul, to be able to keep going with the semester.

1. Exercise: Go for a run/wakeboard/yoga/walk around the supermarket and get groceries.  Anything to get moving and get away from the the books and computer.

2. Baking: Cook a cake, biscuits, muffins, anything snack like.  Allows the brain to slow down and chill out, without shutting off completely, plus you end up with study break snacks for the next couple of days.

3. Beach: Jump in the car, on a train or bus and head to the beach for a few hours.  Sound of the waves, salt water crashing over you and soaking up some vitamin D sun baking = rejuvenation for the soul.

4. Tea-time: For a quick break, to peel the eyes away from the bright lights of a computer screen, make a cup of tea.  Far better for you than coffee, but can still keep you awake… just don’t use chamomile or you’ll be asleep in no time.

5. Nature: Sit in a park, go for a bush walk or paddle down a river.  Just being outside in the fresh air and natural light clears the mind and awakens the senses.

6. Road-trip: Drive somewhere different.  It only has to be a few hours away, but get away overnight for a mini trip/holiday.  Sleep in your car, in a tent, crash on a friends couch or floor.  Just be somewhere else!!

The beauty of studying in this day and age, is that everything is online.  Going away doesn’t mean leaving all the study behind.  It just allows you to change your surroundings, do new things, continue living and in between you can still work on assignments on your laptop, complete readings on your iPad/eReader, or reply to emails for group assignments from your phone.  In some ways, technology has made it easier to keep living life, getting out and exploring, having adventures, instead of being stuck at home for 13 weeks straight every semester.

 

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