“Unexpected things can happen in life when you are least expecting them.
Life has its own way of giving you surprises.”

–Neha Dube

Coming back from break can be stressful as we think about all the upcoming events life is bringing our way. Even after just returning to regular classes I know my mind wanders and yearns, counting down the weeks (3 more!) until the next break. But as we slowly transition back into class, I reflect upon my winterim courses. While some were a bit dysfunctional, they all brought me closer to new people that I may not have talked to much before. 

Starting my day, sometimes I’d wake up and have my app design class, a course where if the technology worked, you worked too. The only problem with that is that my winterim class was based completely around a site that was nonfunctional for the entirety of our learning time. Well, not the entirety, we did get a solid 3 ½ days in. Despite the course not running for very long, I now have a fully functional new game design website I can use, and new upper school friends I can meet up with. This course taught me that not everything will go as planned, but that’s okay.

The next part of my day was spent journaling, meditating, stretching, and working on the mental side of how life affects you. It was incredible to share stories with other classmates and what made it especially unique was our very own senior Gwyn Kelly, who led the course. In life, we rarely stop to think about what’s going on. We rush through every day and miss what’s important to us. While people tend to feel very vulnerable opening up to others, with all the raw emotion circling through the group we were able to be honest with ourselves and create a comforting habitat that fostered growth. 

After a calming course, I faced my toughest class: advisory. My advisor welcomed me to this school with open arms and a warm smile. To see Coach Forte go was painful. My friends and I came to advisory and watched our days with Coach Forte slip away. I will not remember every detail of our time together, but I will always remember the love she shared with our advisory. 

Even if one thing fails, there is always something to counter it. For me my Minecrafting Your Future class was a blessing in disguise. It allowed many opportunities to collaborate and create something spectacular. Between the houses, shops, community buildings, and expressions of self, our town was a sight to see. We shared many progressive views, by treating the land, creatures, and our peers’ creations with respect. Collaborations lead people to meet others with similar views and interests.

Overall, my winterim was filled with smiling and laughing, relaxing, and speaking joyfully to my newly acquired friends. It had its fair share of ups and downs, but winterim showed me to find a way to slow down and find comfort in life’s pleasures.