This February has been pretty busy. Spring term started, swimming ended, and much more. The first week of the month was an interesting experience, because it was the week off between Jan term and Spring term, but I was required to stay on campus to train for swimming. The Northwest Conference Championships were February 12-14 in Federal Way, Washington. Staying on campus while very few people were here was kind of weird, definitely, but it was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed the meal vouchers we received for local restaurants Wildwood Café, Alf’s, Jake’s, and Quiznos. Although Wildwood toast is one of my new favorite things, I got tired of eating out twice a day for a week. Never in my life have I eaten out that much! But my friends and I had a good time just hanging out, swimming, eating, and hanging out some more for a week.
Spring term got off to a fast start, with lots of classes and homework. I am taking Principles of Economics, Spanish 301, Cultural Anthropology, and Environmental History of the U.S. So far, I really like all my classes and professors. However, it was stressful the first week because I missed the first Friday of the term to go to Conference. I had a great meet and dropped a lot of time, which was really exciting because my times were not great throughout the season. I also accomplished my goal of making finals. I made the consolation heat (the 9th through 16th placed people after prelims) in both the 100 yd butterfly and the 200 breaststroke. I also got to see my parents, who were able to come to the meet all three days because they live very close to the pool. After getting back to Linfield at 1 in the morning, Monday was a hectic day! After getting caught up, I realized I actually have a lot of time on my hands now that I do not have practice every day. So far, I am enjoying this extra time.
I got to spend time with my parents again during Dad’s weekend the 19th through the 21st. The weather was amazing and we were able to spend time outside. We saw basketball games, the compost machine that is now fully constructed, and the plot for the garden that the Garden Club has been working hard on. Taking advantage of the weather, my friends and I played Frisbee, a pretty typical college activity, on the lawn. It was amazing, and, I have to admit, one of the reasons I really love college, although it does not seem like much. That weekend, Conference, and the great CatCab featuring one of my new favorite bands Alma Desnuda, are some of the highlights of February. One of the lowlights was illness. This last weekend I had the 24 hour flu. I am thankful it was short, and that I have been otherwise healthy this year, knowing that dorms are great environments for germs to spread. It was disappointing to miss Powershift Linfield, a two-day event all about sustainability and activism organized by Greenfield. All in all, a good month. I am looking forward to more spring weather and intermural basketball games!