With the holidays approaching, I've been thinking a lot about home. As a first-year student immensely new to campus, the holidays and the breaks that came with them were a refuge from the Princeton chaos and unfamiliarity — I could go home and escape campus-related stress. Now, as a sophomore, much more acclimated to campus, I approach the holidays with much gratitude for all the ways in which Princeton has become my home. And leaving it during breaks can even be a bit difficult.
Thus, in honor of the holidays, I devoted this blog to expressing my gratitude toward everything at Princeton that makes my life feel warm even as the weather becomes frosty with the holiday air.
- Friends!
I'm grateful to finally balance academic life, extracurricular activities, and socializing this semester. When I get stressed, I tend to retreat into my own bubble. However, recently, I've found that I make better, more thoughtful contributions to my classes and activities after spending time with friends. Taking time to decompress from the chaos of campus life — laughing, going out, and even just chatting — has become as important to me as writing essays and attending meetings. This time with friends is often the thing that powers me through my busy weeks, and it's the place I come back to when academic stress gets too much. As excited as I am to leave campus and see my family this holiday season, I'm a little sad about the weeks I'll spend away from my friends here. It's a bittersweet feeling, but more than anything, I'm grateful to have something that makes saying goodbye hard.
2. Art!
As a creative writer and theater maker, I'm grateful to live on a campus with many artistic opportunities. And the last few weeks on campus have exemplified this fount of creativity. I write and read gorgeous poems for my Advanced Poetry class every week. I even represented my poetry class at the Creative Writing department's Fall semester reading. I've spent the last couple of months assistant-directing a musical for the Lewis Center of the Arts (the home of Theater, Creative Writing, Dance, and Visual Arts at Princeton), which opened and closed in the previous couple of weekends. Saying goodbye to that production was hard, but the creative opportunities that came with it brought a lifetime's worth of fulfillment. I've attended friends' art exhibition openings, dance expositions, and play performances when I'm not in class. The artist in me feels so full of gratitude for all the creative engagement that the past weeks and months have fostered.
3. Supportive Professors
This portion of the semester can feel dizzying. In the coming weeks, before I can return home for the holidays, I'll have to navigate the chaos of writing several term papers and completing final exams. Fortunately, I have kind professors who make this process more comforting. I enjoy using Office Hours to talk to my African American history preceptor about which class readings can best inform my final paper. My French cinema professor always leaves thoughtful comments on my grammar assignments and encourages me to explore my West African heritage throughout my creative projects in class. My poetry professor always creates time to discuss and workshop my poems and recommend poems that speak to my lived experience — a nice break from my other academic work! My art history professor is always willing to help me look through dense scholarly sources so that I can craft a well-argued and engaging term paper. Even as the stress of the final weeks on campus set in, I'm grateful to know that these resources are available to me.
4. A Warm Place to Come Back to at the End of the Day
At the end of long days, I'm grateful that my warm dorm awaits me. I've made my dorm a place where I can decompress from academics. So, when I come back to my dorm, I can rest, call home, hang out with friends, watch movies, eat, and watch the seasons change right outside my window.
The holidays always bring bittersweet feelings, especially when you're far from home. This holiday season, however, I'm enjoying taking time to reflect and express gratitude for life and all its simple wonders.