After a mellow Saturday, I was looking forward to a fun Sunday. Our wonderful chaperone picked us up after breakfast and we went to a beautiful beach in Newport. The beach was full of families and colorful umbrellas. We found a spot close to the water and all laid out our towels. Then, I applied sunscreen all over my body. After letting the sunscreen dry, I ran in to the water expecting to be hit with hard, cold waves like I do back home in San Francisco. I was surprised to find the water delightfully refreshing. We jumped around in the waves and floated in the surf. Unfortunately, my eyes started to sting as the mixture of sunscreen and salt water seeped in to my eyes. So I walked back to the towels and laid down to dry off. I lay there for a while and read some of the articles assigned for homework.
When we got back from the beach I had enough time to put on a load of laundry, shower and go to dinner. After all that, we had Community Time. The first half was spent in an auditorium where an Action Plan panel was held. RAs who had participated in the Leadership Institute in the past, shared their experiences with implementing their Action Plan. They told us about things that went well and things that could have gone better. They also gave advice like: ask for help, stay focused and be flexible. It was all very helpful and it was comforting to hear that there were students who had already done it and although there were challenges, that is completely normal, and that they were all able to overcome those obstacles.
The second half of Community Time was devoted to clusters. All the floors got together with their RAs and we had a quick check in. We talked about how the last week had gone. It was nice to hear that I wasn't the only one who had trouble finding my way around campus or missed home sometimes. So after that, we were free to head to bed.
When we got back from the beach I had enough time to put on a load of laundry, shower and go to dinner. After all that, we had Community Time. The first half was spent in an auditorium where an Action Plan panel was held. RAs who had participated in the Leadership Institute in the past, shared their experiences with implementing their Action Plan. They told us about things that went well and things that could have gone better. They also gave advice like: ask for help, stay focused and be flexible. It was all very helpful and it was comforting to hear that there were students who had already done it and although there were challenges, that is completely normal, and that they were all able to overcome those obstacles.
The second half of Community Time was devoted to clusters. All the floors got together with their RAs and we had a quick check in. We talked about how the last week had gone. It was nice to hear that I wasn't the only one who had trouble finding my way around campus or missed home sometimes. So after that, we were free to head to bed.
It was such a nice day to relax. With most of my homework out of the way, I was able to fully enjoy the beach. That's another thing I've learned here. While it's important to work and give your absolute best, taking time off is important too. It's crucial to your success to take time to decompress and reflect on the work you've done and take some time to think about other things. If you don't you'll just burn out.
The great thing about this course though, is that even after a fabulous weekend, I'm excited for class. We're turning in our interviews with interesting women in our lives today and I think that will make for a very enlightening conversation.
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