Top 5 Moments of Winter Term

Caitlin H.

March 21, 2010 - 7:14 PM

It is [almost] officially Spring Break! I enjoy the weekend after finals, and the weekend before the next term, but realistically, they're weekends. That is time I would've had off anyway. Not to be particular but my first "day off" doesn't start until tomorrow. I don't have nearly enough hours in the day during finals week to cook, clean, do laundry, etc. So the first weekend after the term ends is usually spent cleaning up the remnant craziness from finals.

In the meantime I want to take a moment or two to reflect on the blessings Winter Term had to offer. Honestly, there were moments this term I struggled- being sick with mono and strep for most of the term made ‘surviving' difficult. But here I am standing at the other end, and I feel proud of all that I accomplished in the last eleven weeks.

My Top 5 Moments of Winter Term:

Moment Number 5: BUNCO! And homemade tacos with friends. As a little pick-me-up to carry ourselves through finals, a friend and I hosted a dinner for our friends. My hand-crafted tacos are something of a ‘legend' amongst friends, (although the high praise is unnecessary and undeserved). I hadn't had the time to host a dinner all year, which is highly unlike me, so the long overdue event was absolutely lovely. To conclude the night we played four rounds of BUNCO complete with prizes, a game of Cranium and who-knows-how-many rounds of Taboo. Casual evenings with friends complete with food and a few board games are moments of college I will always cherish.

Moment Number 4: A Trip to the Oregon Coast. I love the Pacific Ocean and I feel equally as passionate about the Oregon shoreline. Going away to the beach, even for an afternoon, feels like nourishment for my soul. I had a chance to run out to the beach in late February this term, and am anxiously awaiting my next opportunity to return. Maybe next time I'll take a kite to fly.

Moment Number 3: Taking my last "techniques" course for my Geography degree. A component of the geography major requires students to complete at least 8 credits of "technique" courses, which I fulfilled by taking a series of GIS classes. Part of the reason I added the geography major was to gain the practical experience of using GIS software and understanding the applications and data analysis of geographic concepts. The classes weren't particularly easy, but they were exactly the kind of challenge that I think will eventually separate me from competitors in the job market.

Moment Number 2: Finishing my hardest term yet. So far, I have an A and an A- for grades from my classes, and there were moments early on I seriously considered withdrawing from the term entirely. I was sick. I got behind. It took some determination and focus to succeed academically. I'm really proud of all that I was able to accomplish. It was defeating to think I was enrolled in my last term of my undergraduate life, only to get ill and eventually withdraw from one of my courses. In the end I learned so much, learned how strong and motivated I can be, and am sincerely looking forward to one last term at Oregon.

Moment Number 1 : Being accepted to graduate school! The more I've gotten used to the idea of being a Spartan next year at Michigan State, the more excited I've allowed myself to become. Moving to Lansing, Michigan will be a big change. But then again, I packed myself up and moved to Australia for a semester of college; in a way knowing things will change excites me. However, as much as I can I'm trying to focus on where I still am here at the University of Oregon. There is far too much left waiting for me to enjoy this spring term! I'm looking forward to the next few months in Eugene. Before I get too ready to move on to the next chapter of my life I want to devote myself to finishing this one first.