Hello! Well it's certainly become Fall here at Wellesley. Over the weekend it became quite chilly and all across campus girls have been breaking out those cute trench coats. For some reason I just thought the warm weather would go on magically for the rest of the year. I forgot that this is New England and the weather can change on a dime. The saying isn't "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute" for nothing. Nevertheless I love Fall at Wellesley and I can't wait for the leaves to change.
A few Wednesdays ago we celebrated Lake Day on campus. Lake Day is probably one of the best days of the year. It happens on a Wednesday afternoon in September but the catch is you don't know when it will be until the night before. While you are burning the midnight oil and possibly pulling an all-nighter for that paper that's due tomorrow, a magical elf (or a Wellesley student, what's the difference?) comes by and slips a ticket underneath your door inviting you to Lake Day. This year the theme was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so we received golden tickets underneath our doors but in years past some theme have been Wendy in Wonderland and Harry Potter (you can never escape the Potter here). Where is Lake Day held and what do you do there you ask? Lake Day is held on Severance Green and there's yummy food like fried dough, cupcakes, popcorn, cotton candy, plus a bouncy castle and a little train that takes you on short rides around Wellesley. Here are some photos from this year:
Lake Day is one of those things that keeps you sane at Wellesley. It can be all too easy to become consumed by work and forget about the bigger picture, as well as become really overwhelmed and stressed out by the volume of work you have. Stress is going to happen at Wellesley but really, where does stress not happen? Over my last two years at Wellesley I've definitely had those freak out moments of stress but I think college has taught me how to handle them a little bit better. This is why each week (for a while at least) in addition to sharing a favorite place on campus, I'll also be sharing a way to cope with stress. Here's my tip for this week:
1. Find a hobby that helps you to relax. Whether it's photography, running, watching films, etc., find something that makes you happy and helps you to relax. One of the things I've discovered I love is yoga. Wellesley offers some nice yoga PE classes or sometimes students will gather for informal classes on their own. I used to take yoga classes in the Chapel/Multifaith center with a Davis Scholar who seriously worked magic with us. I always left feeling more relaxed and like I had more of a perspective on what was important. At Wellesley I've also discovered the relaxing powers of knitting. Each Tuesday I go to something called Knit for Peace in the Multifaith Center (I spend a lot of time here as you can tell). It's a group of students and Wellesley staff members who get together and knit, talk and sometimes drink tea and have cookies. You don't need to know how to knit, we love teaching. You can bring your own projects to work on or work on one of ours. We knit comfort shawls for people in the Wellesley community who are going through difficult times and baby hats that we donate. It's just a nice way to take a break, slow down and just talk to people.
As you've probably already deduced, my favorite spot of the week is the Multifaith Center, which is in the basement of the Chapel. It's a great place to take homework because it's generally pretty quiet and has a zen atmosphere. You don't have to belong to a faith to come here; it's open to all members of the Wellesley community.
That's all for this week! Check back next week for more about life on campus, another tip to cope with stress and a new favorite spot on campus. As always, feel free to ask questions or comment :-]
PS: Remember how I said Wellesley was Hogwarts? Look at what recently popped up on one of the dorms, Stone-Davis: