Positivity and a Rainbow Fish

It is the end of Week 9! I can’t believe I only have a week of school left. I’m excited about winter break, but at the same time, I’m beginning to feel the weight of the final exams approaching. For a freshman, I don’t think there’s anything more nerve-wrecking than the first final exam in college.

Although I can go hours ranting about my anxieties of all the work and studying that await for me in Week 10, I will focus on the positive things in this post and write about my plans for winter break!

1. Eat, Eat, EAT!
   After a long discussion with my inner foodie, I’ve decided that the first thing I am going to eat when I get back to Japan is a large slice of Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese style savory pancake with cabbage and bacon inside and topped with sauce, mayonnaise, and seaweed. A heartwarming bowl of soba noodles was my next choice, and I can already see myself gulping down a bowl of soba noodles even after I’ve devoured my slice of Okonomiyaki.

2. Learn how to cook.
   Starting off the term with a meal plan of 20 meals per week and 75 dining dollars, I thought I wouldn’t get hungry. However, I’ve already used all of my dining dollars for late night indulgences at Sayles Hill last week and I’m starting to realize that learning how to cook will make life much easier for a perpetually hungry person. Although I’ve managed to survive my first term with the minimum cooking skills of knowing how to use a microwave, I’m now determined to upgrade my cooking skills and maybe make meals for my floormates that’ve been supportive and great room neighbors throughout the term.

3. Figure skate.
   For those who haven’t heard about it yet, in winter, the bald spot is going to be an ice rink in winter!!! I am really excited because figure skating is my favorite sport. I used to learn it pretty seriously when I was in elementary and middle school and when I wasn’t at school, I mostly spent my time at the rinks. It’s been about four years since I last skated, so before returning to Carleton, I plan to get some practice. Hopefully, I’ll manage to retrieve some of the basic skills so that I don’t fall the instant I step on the bald spot and embarrass myself.

4. Spend more time with friends and family.
   I don’t plan to go back to Japan during spring break, so that means I’m going to be in the states for more than half a year from winter term to the end of spring term. Even after about three months this term, I’m already missing my family and friends back in Japan, so winter break will be the time to catch up with them and to mentally prepare myself for the long period that I won’t be able to meet them.
   

The closer I am to finals, the closer I am to winter break. This is going to be my quote of the week to get through finals week.

Here is a picture with a pretty filter of my stuffed rainbow fish providing mental support for all of the Carleton students preparing for perhaps the most challenging week of the term:

An is a freshman from Japan who is thankful that Minneapolis has a direct flight from Tokyo. She loves animals, both stuffed and alive, and one of the hardest parts of packing for college for her was choosing which plushie to bring to Carleton or, sadly, leave at home. She is currently undecided about her major and is excited to explore new subjects.