I’m spending Thanksgiving break this year in Portland. I’ve actually never gone home during this break, since it’s usually even shorter during non-COVID times. Other years I’ve gone on College Outdoors trips or just enjoyed the time off with my friends. This year felt a bit different, since COVID cases have been rising and it’s all the more important to stay at home. It’s been really nice to relax without going to classes, since we didn’t have a fall break either. It’s got me looking forward to all the free time I’ll have over winter break, though I will be continuing to work at the library.
Two of my roommates also stayed in Portland over break, while the other two headed home. The three of us have gotten to spend time cooking together, working on assignments, and watching our new favorite TV show: the Great Pottery Throwdown (it’s like the Great British Baking Show, except with pottery, and one of the judges always cries because of how much he loves pottery).
I’ve been really enjoying getting to sleep in and work on bigger assignments on my own time, though I do look forward to the last two weeks of classes. Finishing up the semester, I need to complete an essay and a poem for my Spanish class (SPAN321), revise my research paper for a short study we did in Behavioral Neuroscience (PSY350), and prepare to present about my capstone project (PSY400). My presentation is coming up on Tuesday, and I’m a little nervous! But I’m enjoying putting my powerpoint together and seeing all the work I put in this semester come together in a really satisfying way.
I’m definitely a little bit homesick, but I’ve been able to keep up with my family over Zoom calls, which we plan to do more of over the holidays when I won’t get to see them. I’m really grateful for all the people who have also made the difficult decision not to travel to make sure that everyone is safe.
I hope everyone has a relaxing break! Feel free to contact me with any questions, calebweinhardt@lclark.edu.