December made for a very busy couple of weeks followed by a very low-key and much-appreciated winter break! I had a choir concert and the annual swim team Christmas dinner, which involves dressing nicely and eating at Golden Valley Brewery. It also includes a hilarious white elephant gift exchange. I was pleased to end up with a puzzle this year, which I did over break. I also had a lot of papers to write, although thankfully this meant that I was left with only one in-class final exam, in Ecology. My finals schedule was a bit unfortunate, as I had to stay on campus until the end of finals week, watching other people finish their finals and leave for home. However, I needed the time to write all my essays! An interesting thing that happened to me this month is that my roommate and I were randomly asked in the bookstore to be part of the Linfield “Twelve Days of Christmas” video. This video featured different groups of students singing snippets of the carol, which was modified to highlight features of the college.
As the semester came to a close, everyone seemed to be somewhat stressed but also very much in the holiday spirit. I know I was. I was ecstatic when I handed in my last paper, returned some rented textbooks (it’s awesome that the bookstore rents them now!), and headed for home, although it was sad to say goodbye to some friends that are not coming for Jan term. Break was a great time for some rest and relaxation, catching up with family and friends, and of course seeing my pets. I always miss my cat and my dog very much, and make the most of every minute I can get with them at home! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!