The Athenaeum

Tag: well-being

  • Things That Should Have Been Curbed in 2016

    Things That Should Have Been Curbed in 2016

     

    1) The notion that “White Privilege” is offensive and racist towards White People.

    Racism, cultural appropriation, and discrimination have been a hot-button issue throughout history. With the rise of social media platforms, along with the recent election of Donald Trump, there is a plethora of conversation online (and in print) about the hateful rhetoric that seems to be plaguing today’s society. Unfortunately, when people feel that their privilege is being threatened, they enter an automatic defense mode. It is often presented in such a manner where the defendant makes claims of innocence, justifying their feelings of discomfort by exclaiming that they are not guilty of racism, and that if their race is being questioned, that they are automatically being discriminated against. White privilege is not racist; it is not offensive in any way. It is a method of explaining the favorable treatment that white people often receive. There are no systems of oppression designed against white people. Thinking that reverse racism exists is what perpetuates the notion of white privilege further into the foundations of our society. It is a mechanism that is used to validate the comfortable position white people hold in society. Validating your own comfortable position by attacking a marginalized group (by saying white privilege is offensive, racist etc.) is a subtle way of invalidating and shutting down any group who’s LIVED EXPERIENCE has ever been one of systemic oppression. In extension, these feelings can often be described as “white fragility,” a state in which minimum amounts of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering outward displays of emotion, such as anger, and behaviours such as argumentation. Yeah, this definitely could have been left behind in 2016.

    2) That any Indigenous culture should just “get over” colonization.

    Really? This one amazes me every time I hear it. Let us take a brief moment to recall Canadian History because we are not innocent in the ways or racism and cultural oppression. Residential schools were opened in conjunction with the Catholic and Protestant Churches and the government. Their aim was to remove any form of Indigenous culture from Indigenous children by forcefully removing them from their homes, placing them in schools where they would be taught Western values. As such, a cultural genocide was committed. Often, when hearing the word “genocide,” events such as the Holocaust, Bosnian, and Rwandan genocides. That is because Canada has attempted to repress its history. The horrors of the Residential schools did not end until 1996. Yes, most of us were living when the last school shut its doors. During their time in the Residential schools, Indigenous children were beaten, sexually assaulted, and mentally abused by their instructors. Often, these traumas were difficult to cope with. A stigma surrounds Indigenous peoples in Canada. Many people chose to believe that status cards, funding, government aid, and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee should all be abolished. They question why we should continue to apologize, and why we should continue to work towards mending our relationship with Indigenous peoples. What does it take to get over something like this? How could you possibly put a numerical value on an apology, how can you, a white person, get to dictate the appropriate measures for reconciliation after a cultural genocide has been committed? When you say these things, you act as though you assume the role of the oppressed, you may think you understand their oppression, but you simply do not. I know I do not understand, I never could. However, it is important to listen, to engage in conversation, and to be respectful of what you cannot understand. Please read the above statement about white privilege and then rethink your questions and sweeping generalizations about Indigenous peoples and Indigenous culture.

    3) “She was asking for it”- REALLY?

    For God sakes. How is this type of conversation STILL taking place? Did we not learn after Jian Ghomeshi and Brock Allen-Turner? I simply do not understand. The legal process further victimizes rape victims. Belittlement and slut-shaming occur in the courtroom in order to find loopholes in the victim’s statement. By asking her, “did you say no?” you are questioning her pain and her experience. By asking her, “how much did you drink?” you are assuming that all drunk women are ‘asking for it’, by asking her “what were you wearing” or “how many men have you slept with in the past”, you are slut-shaming her. Although there are false reports of rape, the treatment of victims in the courtroom is inexcusable. This is the reason that rape and sexual assault are so underreported. This process favours the accused, often bringing into play irrelevant aspects of his character, his achievements, and what he strives for in life. However, this does not take into account aspects of the victim’s character, her (or his) achievements in life, and how what she/he had strived for may feel as though it has become so out of reach. It’s simple, folks. If you can’t say no, you can’t say yes. There is no in-between; there is no grey area. There is yes, and there is no. Stop blaming the victim. Stop validating your need for supremacy. Stop questioning the pain of others, instead, start regarding it.

    4) Feelings of self-doubt, as brought on by Instagram and other forms of Social Media.

    I am guilty of this. Most people are guilty of this. It is so easy to feel self-doubt, and it is so easy to think that your value decreases based on the perceived notion of “perfection” in the others who you see on social media. In the last 10 years, we have “networking” apps explode. The original purpose of these apps was to stay in touch with your friends, to be able to connect with people you haven’t seen in a long time and to keep others updated on what is going on in your own life. However, it feels as though there has been a shift in the dynamic, a change in the way we behave on the Internet. Often, all we see is the picture. We believe that everybody’s lives are perfect and full of happiness based on how they display themselves on social media. Getting the “perfect picture” and pairing it with a “fire” caption that will get you over 300 likes is often a goal of most people. I know I am not innocent. There have been multiple occasions where I have found myself thinking, “if I went to the gym more maybe I would look like her and then I would be as happy as she appears.” I know this is wrong. After a conversation with one of my roommates, I found out that she was feeling the same way. She talked to me about how miserable looking at Instagram makes her. It caused her to question her own happiness by constantly comparing it to other girls’ social media pages. So, she slowly began to stop looking as much. As did I. I’ll leave this point here: everybody has their issues, but we have been conditioned to try and keep our problems to yourself. A picture is just that: a picture. You see what the poster wants you to see, just remember that your self-worth should not be determined by a like or how the world views your Instagram page.

    5) Islamophobia.

    Islam is a religion of peace. Often, people do not believe this when it is brought up in conversation. The first time I heard this was in my 11th grade world religion class. Our teacher told us that Islam was the closest religion to Christianity. She was right. It is not Islam you are afraid of, it is the “otherness.” The sense that you see something different, and that you are uncomfortable within a realm of your own privilege is what sets you off. This rhetoric gained prominence after 9/11. We were scared of them. They were scared of us. Although I am not an expert in Islamic studies, I know many men and women from the Arab world who identify as Muslims, and I can honestly say that they are much nicer than many other people I know. If we remove the concept of the “other,” perhaps we will all be able to see each other as we are: human.

  • Academic Dismissal

    I promised myself a few years ago that I would write this article before I left Acadia, and now I’m finally in my last semester ever (hopefully!), so here it goes. Dear student body of friends and strangers, I present to you my biggest and most embarrassing secret. It’s something so deeply and personally disturbing that I’ve told very few people – not even my parents. Are you ready? I flunked out. I know I’m not the first nor the last person to ever fail university, but for me, receiving that letter of academic dismissal in the mail was a gut-wrenching conclusion to a particularly dismal string of events. I’m writing this article partially to relieve some of the weight of this secret I’ve been carrying around for three years now, but mostly as a precautionary tale for any readers who might find themselves in a similar situation.

    In the spring of 2009, I was eagerly anticipating my high school graduation and less eagerly anticipating the next big life hurtle ahead of me: post-secondary education. I actually enjoyed school. I was a good student with good grades, and I participated in a wide breadth of extra-curricular activities. When it came time to make some big decisions about what to do next, like many of my peers, seventeen-year-old me applied to a variety of universities. I didn’t particularly have an end goal in mind career-wise, I just knew that I was smart and capable given my academic success to that point, and so going off to university seemed non-negotiable. I assumed I would just launch myself into school and figure things out on the way, because what seventeen-year-old knows exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives anyway? As I had achieved well-rounded grades in both arts and sciences, my high school counselor strongly urged me to apply for science programs “to open windows to the future,” and I knew I liked people, so I chose psychology. I was accepted to all of the schools I applied to, so I chose Acadia based on reputation. Sound familiar so far?

    The slow crash-and-burn began upon arrival. I was thrust into introductory biology, statistics, research and design, and all the other fun necessities of a science degree in psych. Possibly due to my lack of end goal and mostly due to my complete disinterest in any of these things, I was strong out of the gate but quickly fell far behind. It seemed that my plan to jump right in and swim until I reached the finish line was flawed. A pivotal moment that I can remember from my second year of school is laying on the floor of my friend’s room in Chipman with a group of people talking about their life aspirations beyond university, and suddenly realizing my own impending identity crisis. Who am I and what do I want to do?! I hardly recognized myself, failing courses and wondering what the point of any of it was. In high school I was just forced to take everything, my life had a regimented structure, and I identified myself by my extra-curriculars. I was a band kid and that somehow summed up the rest. Now I was nobody, and I was going nowhere.

    Obviously the news that I was failing school didn’t exactly fly with my parents when I came home for Christmas that year. To be precise, they called me a “disappointment”… that was pretty difficult to hear. After many hours of talking and sobbing profusely with my mom, we decided that maybe I should switch majors. In retrospect, taking a step back from university to figure my life out would have been a prime choice at this point in the story, but that’s not what I did. I returned to school as an English major and began fast-tracking my way through the English program, cramming every vital course I’d missed into a 3 year plan in order to graduate by 2014. Switching to English was a breath of fresh air. I still didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I had always enjoyed reading and writing as a kid, and I found the course content much more in line with my interests. The department and the class sizes were also way smaller than anything I had seen thus far. I made friends incredibly quickly, got to know everyone in all of my classes, and all of my profs knew me by name. It was like night and day.

    From then on my marks improved and I was generally happy to be working on something I was both good at and enjoyed, but then in the spring of 2013 I got some unexpected news. My uncle had received a sudden diagnosis of terminal cancer. Following this news, my grandmother was also diagnosed with cancer. My family spent that summer in a state of somber anticipation. We spent four months saying goodbye. That somebody who had a family and a career and all the things they had ever dreamed of and worked towards could suddenly cease to exist in the midst of it all was nearly impossible for me to comprehend. It made everything seem pointless. In the fall of 2013, as I was beginning what should have been my graduating year of university, not only did my long-term relationship fall apart, but I lost two people to cancer in little over a month. Not wanting to burden my aching family with the profound impact this experience was having on my outlook on life, I kept it to myself. I stopped going to class, not because I wanted to but because I simply couldn’t seem to summon the strength or will power. I laid in bed and I watched the seasons change from fall to winter. I ignored my phone and my friends. I just stayed in bed. Christmas was extremely sad that year and further strengthened my resolve not to tell my parents I was sinking, because I could tell that they were barely coping as well.

    That spring I got my letter of academic dismissal, as expected, and I put it in a drawer. I didn’t even open it for a long time because I couldn’t look at it without feeling sick to my stomach. I told my parents (and anyone else who inquired) that I was burnt out and that I wanted to take some time away from school. I didn’t tell them I got kicked out. I couldn’t bear to admit that I had failed them after everything they had been through already. I spent two long years working a minimum wage job in food service, hating the monotony of my days and contemplating my next move. Finally, last spring, I reached a boiling point in my stagnant life and reapplied to Acadia to finish what I had started … and here I am.

    I wanted to write this article for anyone who might be feeling as unsure about their future as I did. In the leap from high school to university it seemed like everyone around you knew exactly where they’d head in life, and if you’re like me, you probably followed the masses hoping you would figure it out too. You probably didn’t let on that you were feeling a little lost and overwhelmed. I also wanted to write this article for anyone who feels like they’re carrying an impossible weight on their shoulders. I need you to know that you’re not alone, and that school isn’t everything, even if it feels like it is. I need you to recognize when you’re sinking and yelling for a lifeline, regardless of the size of the burden you’re trying to shoulder alone. I wish more than anything that somebody had reassured me that it was okay to take a step back and reevaluate my goals. I might have been more successful, for instance, if I’d taken some time after high school to really think about what I wanted to do before diving aimlessly into university because I felt like I had to. I pounded away at this degree for the sole purpose of having a degree. I did it because I thought it was what I had to do to validate my life, but at the risk of sounding cliché, I forgot that life is about finding happiness.

    We’re taught that successful people just bite the bullet and go to university, get a good job, and live happily ever after. I’m sure that’s true for many, many people, but sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes you don’t know why you’re doing something, and you need to figure out what you want before you proceed. So this is for all the people facing academic penalties at the end of this year. Your story isn’t over, your worth isn’t based on your degree, and your life isn’t a total loss. You got here because you’re smart and capable, and you’ll figure out what makes you happy eventually. Maybe it involves university, but maybe it doesn’t. Either way, there is absolutely no shame in taking time away to figure it out. I am now twenty five years old and finishing my bachelors degree, eight years after I first started here. We’re not all on the same time line, and it’s not a race to the finish line, because there is no finish line. Most importantly, none of us know how much time we have on this planet, so whatever you do, do it for you.

  • Are Millennials Too Sensitive?

    There once was a boy who was told that everyone that should be nice to everyone and that if they were not kind, they were bad people. He then grew up to find that’s not how the world works.

    As a society adapts, the mindset of the people within it change. This is also true in the change of a generation. They have learnt from the mistakes and triumphs of previous generation and use this information to change and base their lives upon. The education around them adapts to these new changes and shapes children. With the increase in mental health warning and bullying campaigns, are they really being shaped to deal with the rest of the world, or is it that the world has not yet to accept the changes that the new generation is bring? I believe that the new generations are not taught to be prepared for what the world will throw at them. They are only told that people will change and that they should not have to face the problems that occur in the world.

    In my political science class, we were discussing our upcoming presentations for our research assignments. Our TA requested that if we are planning on showing any “graphic images” we get them checked prior to putting them into our visual for our assignment. This is a ridiculous sign of how sheltered this generation is: we know violent things are happening around the world but we play a blind eye to them. Not showing these images does not make them go away and does not solve the problems that they are causing them.

    Now bullying is a topic that has only been under scrutiny for the past 20 years. It is now viewed as a national epidemic instead of a common fact of life. The young generations are now beginning to expect that everyone in life will be nice to them and if they are not there are a bully. But that is not how it works in life. You will be put down by people for making a mistake at work or for bumping into someone on the street. People will talk about you behind your back. You cannot change that. If anything, you should be taught to how ignore these comment and fight back, compared to just reporting them to the principal. You can’t report your boss in the future for yelling at you, so learn how to take criticism.

    Previous generations have been built and thrived upon the “tough love” method. People would discipline their child to a certain extent, be that verbally or physically. But now, parents are actually being arrested for spanking their children with actual reasons. The school system does not tell the students the difference between abuse and discipline so they grow up with the belief that this is wrong and that their parents are not good people.

    It is a generation under the veil of ignorance – they all imagine the world to be perfect, where everything happens their way. If things are happening outside of their community to other people it doesn’t matter. All that matters is what happens to them and that they are happy. When things that they don’t like occur, they don’t know how to handle it. They have been so shelter from the sadness and violence of the world, they when they get a large dose of if, it leads people to believe they have a mental illness.

    Now the thing about mental illness is that it is something that is very real, many people are suffering from it. The statistics show that the rate of people who report suffering from depression have increased by 6% over just this year. Now I am not saying that these people’s claims are false, but the rate shows that the recent generation cannot handle the pressure that society has put upon them because they were not trained to handle stress. They were only told that the things that cause them stress are not right.

    When any topics concerning race, sexuality, politics, or gender come into play, they become extremely agitated. They are brought up to think about living in a world when everyone should think the same way. But that is not how the world works. People have different opinions and are entitled to have those opinions, why must people be put down for not conforming to what views their society has. These generations have been told they everything should go their way, so when it doesn’t of course they don’t do how to handle it. Is it true that millennials and Gen Zs are overly sensitive? Yes it is. But who can blame them when they grow up in an environment like this one.

  • Freshman 15

    Coming to university is a considerable milestone in life. Every student at Acadia who lives or has lived on campus knows the struggle of maintaining a healthy balance throughout the duration of their freshman year.

    Everyday, the men and women who work at Wheelock Dining Hall witness students’ eating habits. Meal hall offers food that is considered “unhealthy”; however, a well-balanced diet can consist of the odd splurge every now and then. It only becomes an issue once a “treat” turns into an everyday occurrence. For instance, having dessert doesn’t make you an unhealthy person. If you have dessert after lunch and dinner on a regular basis, then you will gain the freshman 15. To gain one pound, one must eat 3,500 calories more than a person’s recommended diet. Avoid that by cutting desserts down to one or two times a week. It’s all about making the healthier choice.  What’s your version of a healthy choice? The answer varies from person to person. If you eat peanut butter and jam toast for breakfast regularly at home, then do not be surprised if you are gaining weight if your breakfast at Acadia consists of scrambled eggs, home fries, and three sausages. Base your diet on gender, age, and weight. A diet is not cutting out half of your caloric intake for the day, the scientific definition for diet is the individual person’s food choice and intake patterns on a day-to-day basis. 

    The “MyFitnessPal” app by UnderArmour is a great way to maintain a healthy and well-balanced diet. Download it from the app store for iPhone and Android. Chartwell’s has foods on “My Fitness Pal” app, so students can track their caloric intake and macronutrients (energy yielding nutrients) ingested throughout the duration of the day.  Along with MyFitnessPal, UnderArmour offers apps that can connect with one another. The UnderArmour: Record app is connected to MyFitnessPal, and in addition to tracking calories and macronutrients, this app tracks physical activity, sleep, and steps. It is a perfect app for any university student! 

    In regards to gaining that muffin top or expanding those thighs, alcohol consumption is a leading contributor to weight gain.  Binge drinking is very common in a university setting, and not only can it make someone gain weight, it increases long term risk factors in health. Weight gain is short term. Heart disease is long term. Of course, people want to have fun. In the vibrant town of Wolfville (Wolfvegas) Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights are when the largest quantity of alcohol is consumed.  Sure, it’s fun to kick back and keep it social with friends, but is it a ‘healthy choice’ to go out every weekend?  Going out and drinking every weekend is taxing on the body, and there are negative effects on the diet and a student’s bank account. After going to the Vil and the Axe every weekend, a student will begin to show the Freshman 15. 

    Another way to help maintain a healthy diet: watch out for snack foods! Packaged poison is fun every now and then, but it is not healthy to eat a bag of chips on a regular basis! People eat when they are hungry and/or when food is available.  Hunger and appetite are two very different things. Hunger is our means for survival and appetite is our lust for something savoury or sweet.

    Beating the Freshman 15 is not solely dependant on one person’s diet. Going to the gym 3-5 times a week can make considerable differences in the health and diet.  After exercising, the body releases endorphins, and it is easier to make healthier food choices with a clearer mind. Although going to the gym is not for everyone, there are plenty of ways to stay active while living on and off campus. Know that going to the gym is not the only solution to staying fit. Try going for walks on the dykes with friends, hiking through trails, and maybe even spontaneously going to a yoga class at the Athletics Complex. For those who did not know, the Acadia Athletics Complex also offers Aquafit on Sunday mornings and Zumba on Tuesday nights. Perfect ways to meet other students with common interests and stay fit.

    For those living on campus, join intra-murals! They’re a great way to add physical activity into a healthy lifestyle. In addition to intra-murals, Acadia offers plenty of clubs that include physical activity such as dance, cheerleading, sports, etc.  Is the sky really the limit?

    There are so many ways to conquer the Freshman 15 and it really comes down to balancing caloric/macronutrient intake, daily physical activity, and sleep! Set goals, create routines, and eat in moderation. Those are some of the key principles in avoiding the wretched 15 pound weight gain.  Remember: 10% mental, 10% physical, and 80% hydration!

  • Keep Yourself From Getting Sick: How to Stay on Top of Your Game

    Keep Yourself From Getting Sick: How to Stay on Top of Your Game

     Illness is a setback that most people embrace when they start to live in residence. Common colds spread like wildfire, and people are at risk when they live in such closed environments. Everything from shared bathrooms to meal hall utensil dispensers make it hard for students to avoid getting sick. The following are some ways to prevent the common cold:
    1. Take vitamin supplements. Not only does this boost your overall health, it will also help you to maintain a good amount of vitamin C. It is often hard to eat healthy at University, especially if
    you go to meal hall. According to University City, multi-vitamins are essential for fighting sickness. These vitamins will help to supplement your body with nutrients that you might not be getting from meal hall food. One a day is great for your health. They can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart on Main Street and also EOS Whole Foods. For just a small amount of effort, it is definitely a great alternative to heavy exercise.
    2. Drink tea. In addition the vitamin and mineral benefits of tea, green tea contains many different beneficial properties for improved health. One of t he main compounds of bioflavonoid catechin.
    Green tea can be found at our campus meal hall as well as in the BAC food court. A small amount of tea is helpful for staying healthy and can be fun to have as well.
    3. Don’t share drinks, especially at parties. While it can be tempting to take a sip to see what something tastes like, it’s not a good idea to do this during December, January, or February.
    Winter months are known for bringing illness and this sort of interaction is especially bad for spreading sickness.
    4. Avoid junk foods. Since the winter months are so grueling, it is especially important that you don’t eat as much food from the pizza and fast food sections of meal hall. While it’s fine to
    include these things in your diet, it’s also important to remember that sometimes those choices may lead to an increased vulnerability to wintertime sickness.
  • Sleep is for Everyone

    Sleep is for Everyone

    As we all know, University is well known for its large population of sleep deprived students. How many hours do you sleep on an average night? If you said anything less than 6 hours, I’m afraid you’re in debt that’s very hard to pay back. Sleep debt is something that many people accumulate without even realizing it. If you stayed up an extra couple of hours to study for that midterm, but you woke up at the same time you usually do for class, that’s two hours added to your ever climbing total. Now, I know I said 6 hours up there but everyone is different. Most science will tell you that 8 hours is what you should be getting every night, but some people only need 6 while others need up to 10 per night.  Though all around, sleeping beyond those guidelines on either end of the spectrum every night also becomes harmful. So for those of you who think you can pay back your sleep debt by sleeping for 14 hours on the weekend, you’d be wrong.

    You can make things right, but it will take time. Adding on one or two hours per night to your sleep is a good way to catch up. Even better if you are able to go to sleep when you feel tired and then wake up naturally without an alarm. This allows your body to get back to a normal sleep cycle and will give you the most sleep benefits, and there are many. More than avoiding dark circles under your eyes and not coasting through your day. Adequate sleep leads to better learning because you’re allowing your brain to go through your day and store all the important stuff. It also helps with healing. That goes for having a cold, a break or even just a cut on your finger. Without sleep, lots of bad things could happen. If you’re a driver, you’re more at risk for accidents because you’re less aware of the things going on around you. If you’re really in debt to the sandman, your GPA could very well reflect that. Lack of sleep impairs concentration, reasoning, problem solving and if you’ve ever been in class and woke up when your head slipped off the hand propping it up, you know it interferes with alertness and attention. Not only that but without a good night’s sleep, you’re not giving your brain enough time to process all the information you took in and are therefore less likely to remember it. When you are at rest, your brain is still at work. Of course, with lack of sleep also comes with increased risk for heart attack, heart disease and stroke. It also affects your libido. Loss of energy, tiredness and stress can decrease your sex drive!

    There are many factors that contribute to this. Some of which being late night use of laptops and cellphones, the light of which disrupts one’s circadian rhythms. Others include but are not limited to the consumption of alcohol, coffee, black tea, chocolate, energy drinks and tobacco in the 3 hours before sleep time. If you’re struggling to fall asleep every single night and it doesn’t appear to be any of the causes just listed, there are things you can try. Student debt is enough without sleep debt on top of it. (This is of course, if the problem is not a sleep disorder. They require more than a few tips and tricks to overcome.) It’s important to keep your bed and the space around it for sleep and sleep related activities only. Getting up at the same time every day also helps solidify your sleep schedule, which should make you tired around the same time every day as well. If at all possible, you should sleep when you’re tired. That’s not always easy, but it lets your body get what it wants. Another thing that is a bit confusing is naps. If you’re taking daily naps to get through the day, it might be what you need, but it could be affecting how well you sleep at night. Naps should not be longer than 90 minutes and 20 minute naps are ideal as long as there’s an hour between each one.  A 2003 study in the journal Sleep found that the more tired we get, the less tired we feel. While your judgement of how well you do without sleep is most certainly inaccurate, if you don’t have time to catch up, coffee is always by your side (just not before bed, okay?)!

  • First Year Forecast: Adjust, Adapt, and Modify

    First Year Forecast: Adjust, Adapt, and Modify

    The following is a narration based on a study conducted by the University of Windsor.

    The first set of three Chemistry midterms had just finished. April glanced around with a curious suspicion and a creeping sense that most of her classmates felt as unsettled as she did. There was no denying the fact that this had been the hardest midterm she had ever dealt with.

    September had brought with it lots of changes, and it had begun to become more apparent that some of these changes would wait for a while before they resolved. There were so many people from high school that April had kept in touch with, but there were also a lot of people that had disappeared. Knowing the exact things to do had always been easy and now things were changing in unexpected ways. Studying had become a lot harder. April realized her lack of depth and the difficulty that she would have continuing with this course. Residence life was isolating but exciting nonetheless. It’s different being around people that you’ve just met and not people that you’ve known for a long time. Communication with people from home had been great, but it was starting to become tiresome. The month had presented many difficulties with becoming familiar with facilities on campus.

    October was the month that her roommate had started arguing with her. April had visited home for the first time since starting at Acadia and was excited to continue her adventures. Acadia was become more familiar and things were becoming a lot easier.

    November brought with it a brilliant amount of uncomplicated troubles and straightforward assignments. School was becoming less stressful and everything was becoming more peaceful. There were no more nights of assignments being completed at the last minute.

    December’s exams had caused a lot of late nights and spending too much time at meal hall. There was too much going on and too many people leaving at different times. As much as April was excited to see her family, there was also a lot of stressing over changing her major.

    January brought with it the realization that her exams and fall semester had not gone as well as they could have. There were too many problems to count, and she could tell that many of her fellow classmates also felt disappointed. Sadness and disappointment were paramount among fellow first year students.

    February brought exhilaration and excitement. There was a lot of anticipation for the upcoming year. April felt delighted to know that the school year was getting easier. Classes that had once felt complicated had now become less challenging and the academic year was now taking a major turn.

    March was filled with anticipation of summer and possible living arrangements for the following year. There was also much excitement over possible summer job opportunities.

    April was bittersweet in that it presented many boring nights of studying, but also a delightful excitement for the summer to come.

    Although the academic year had presented many difficulties, many of these problems had ceased to exist over the course of the year and April was excited for everything to start again.

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