Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals! For this week’s blog post, I wanted to talk about some of the things that I did for fun this week outside of my classes! It’s been a very busy week for me, so I wanted to share how I stay so busy. I also want to highlight how being at Amherst can be more than just simply going to classes. 

Last Friday, I started off my weekend by going to the Shabbat dinner hosted by Hillel! They had pita pockets this week and it was really lovely to run into some friends who I hadn’t seen in a while. After that, I saw a performance of Myths and Hymns put on by the Theater and Dance department at the college. I went with as many of my friends who were free at the time could make it, and overall, it was such a great time! Everyone in the performance did amazing, and I loved being able to support my friends who were in it. 

On Saturday, I slept in very late which was a welcome change from waking up early for classes. I then went rock climbing at Central Rock Climbing Gym with some friends and spent the rest of the day catching up with a friend who I hadn’t seen in a couple of weeks. Sunday, I called my family back home and was able to reconnect with them after having not called in a week. From there I gave two tours around campus and ran into someone who was an alum of my high school. Later that day, I went to Winter Festival, which is an annual event put on by the college. I ran into some friends, ate some really good dumplings, and went ice skating! Afterward, I baked cookies with another one of my friends and stayed up really late talking to him. You can see a photo of the cookies that we baked below. 

During the week, I spent most of my time outside of class working, doing homework, and giving tours. I performed in a poetry slam on Thursday, which was my first time ever sharing work like that on stage. I have performance experience in dance, but I had never done anything like that before. The experience was terrifying and fun, and I enjoyed getting to listen to the other poems being shared that night. During the week, I went to a contemporary dance class as well, and it was great being able to slowly get back into dancing. I had taken a bit of a break from it due to health reasons, but getting back into it has been a fantastic experience. I also got to watch a figure skating performance, and support my friends who were performing in that! Overall, this week has been hectic and stressful, but at the same time, I’m really grateful for all of the time that I got to spend with friends and all of the experiences that I got to have.