Unwinding

Since starting at boarding school, I have lost all sense of the term “weekend.” Weekends aren’t really a thing here. Technically, they last from 11:25 on Saturday morning to 8:00 on Sunday nights, but the hours spent doing homework, sleeping, and traveling to other schools for sports all add up. It’s hard to find time to unwind.

That’s where Surprise Holiday comes in. It’s placed at a point in the term where everyone knows that we all need a break. Buses take kids off to Cambridge and Boston and the campus is deserted. Some people unwind by walking around the city with their friends, but on Thursday I unwound by walking down a dirt road with my camera. (The above picture was taken just before winter showed up.) My day otherwise consisted of reading, icing my swollen but pain-free ankle (don’t ask), studying, and enjoying an unusually empty dining hall. It was the fuel I needed to power through the rest of the week.

After a double shift at tech Saturday afternoon, I was famished and exhausted. That evening, I went with my friend to the ballroom dancing demonstration and reluctantly learned a few swing moves. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. But in return for me staying, I dragged said friend down to the ice rink. I have not skated in probably eight years, so it was an adventure, but I only fell once. (And now my left butt cheek is very sore. It was a good fall. I was lying there on the ice, telling friend not to worry if I fainted because I have vasovagal syncope. I didn’t faint. But at least I didn’t have to ice my butt.) We met the Zamboni man and waved to younger siblings upstairs who were obviously bored of their brothers’ hockey game going on in the other rink. It was a fun time.

And now friend owes me three days of erging next week. It was not a bad deal on my end.