‘So Long, Winter!’ (or, ‘Later, Midterms!’)

“English summer eating up the atmosphere Day-time bathers sleep in the shade Clouds crawl over dampening our attitudes People run for shelter from the pouring rain” - ‘English Summer’, by The Moons

Well, we did it. Mild or not, our first winter here in Toronto has come to pass, and we're in one piece! With one final flurry of tests, I’ve wrapped up midterm season, too. It’s a peculiar feeling - one on hand, having so many evaluations has made time pass by awfully slowly. On the flip side, it feels like freshman year has passed me by entirely too quickly. The past few weeks since reading week have felt like a never-ending cycle of coursework and exams. Ironically enough, heading into finals has presented me with an odd bubble of free time. With most of my assignments completed ahead of time *skeptically raises eyebrow*, my schedule’s had more blank slots than ever. One might even venture to say that I’ve finally figured out this balanced-scheduling jazz. Sure, I’ll have to study for my finals and be productive(-ish), but that doesn’t mean I’ll have to be cooped up in my room until the end of the semester. It is spring, after all - and I’m from Vancouver.

I’d like to think that the weather the past little while has been a pleasant change of pace for all but the most adamant of winter enthusiasts. With rain on the table in the coming weeks, it might be a downer for some, but I’m not fazed at all. Perhaps it’s one of the ‘perks’ of hailing (yes, I had to slip that one in) from Raincouver, but I’m quite looking forward to the weather that’ll ring in a new season. Walking to campus and around town will be a familiar experience, as well as providing some awesome shots of the sprawling urban landscape I’ve come to call my home away from home. Now that it’s not cold to the point where my fingers would numb up within minutes of pulling out my camera, I’ll be out and about far more often.

And yet, in spite of the optimism with which I anticipate these last few days before the overarching shadow of exams once again returns to spoil the mood, it’s still sad to think that my first year here at U of T is almost at an end. I’ll spare you from my waxing (for now), but I will say that I will definitely be looking to making the most of these final weeks of classes before waving goodbye to an academic year well spent. There’s a plethora of events on and around St. George campus to look forward to before April 8th rolls around, and I’ll squeeze as much into my schedule as possible in a final push to see what all the hype about the east coast is about. Don’t worry Best Coa—I mean, west coast - I’ll be back in no time!