A Day in the Life: Spring Edition

Everyone knows that Oberlin is prettiest in spring, with magnolia trees blossoming, koi fish more lively, and buds unfurling to sweet-smelling flowers. The campus wakes up again. Wilder Bowl begins to look like a college advertisement, and North Quad is scattered with picnics, frisbee circles, and Obies. I have the pleasure of enjoying an April day in Oberlin. Here is my day of spring.

8:30 am — Wake

I wake up at the same time every day (including weekends) at 8:30/9 am. My roommate sleeps in until 9:30-11 am, so I get ready in the morning quietly. I stretch, dress, and water my plants. At 9 am, I leave my dorm.

9:00 am — Donuts

Student Employee Appreciation Week is this week, so I enjoy complimentary donuts and tea at the Science Center. My friends and I enter a raffle to win prizes. In my opinion, all student employees should get free laptops to celebrate Student Employee Appreciation Week, but no one wants my opinion. ):

9:30 am — Discrete Mathematics

It may sound awful to start the day with math, but I actually enjoy it. There are many Humanities students who take Discrete Mathematics to get their Quantitative and Formal Reasoning / science mandatory credits out of the way. Our professor, Bob, enjoys teaching and is very passionate about his work.

11 am — Peer Career Advising Drop-In Hours

Because my mom is visiting this weekend, I am taking on more hours earlier in the week. I work as a PCA in Career Exploration and Development and help students with their resumes, cover letters, interviews, biographies, and more. My bosses treat me to lunch at the Arb in Oberlin, a charming cafe/deli in downtown Oberlin. I get a veggie sandwich and fries. It is such a special treat.

In between students, I read Voices from Chernobyl, a book for my class, Visions of the Nuclear Future. It is a haunting and well-written book. 

1 pm — Communications Assistant Hours

I also work as a communications assistant in CED. I make marketing material, organize administrative tasks, and help out my boss, Mikaela, as much as I can. Today, she doesn’t have much for me to do, so I read for fun, call my brother, Josh, and finish the book for my class. I also send out my fantasy romance novel to all of my beta readers. A productive few hours!

4:15 pm — French House

Does a blog go by where I don’t mention French House? After five hours of work and over an hour of Discrete Mathematics, I need a walk, even if it is in the rain. I walk back to French House, pick up snacks, and return to Peters Hall.

4:30 pm — Visions of the Nuclear Future

My 300 Comparative Literature class, Visions of the Nuclear Future, discusses the experiences of victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fukushima, Chernobyl, and other nuclear disasters. We examine the language of trauma and how nuclear energy is perceived today. This class isn’t necessary for my major, but the class is fascinating. We discuss photograms of plants after Chernobyl and Voices from Chernobyl. It is an interesting class; today, two students lead lectures about the material.

6:30 pm — Luzzy’s Upsherin

At Chabad House, Luzzy, the youngest of eight children, is turning three. This marks a festive hair-cutting ceremony called ​​an Upsherin. By the time I show up, Rabbi Shlomo was about to cut a patient Luzzy’s hair, and thirty students had gathered for a buffet, candy, and to cut Luzzy’s hair. I chat with Harrison and Ruby, two of my friends, before taking my turn to cut a piece of Luzzy’s hair. By the time everyone was done, he has a very layered haircut!

7:30 pm — Pole Dance

Harrison drops me off at Hales Gymnasium in his car. I forget to bring workout clothes, so I pole dance in my dress for thirty minutes. It is an experience I would not recommend.

8:00 pm — Math HOOT Session

My Discrete Mathematics class gives us an assignment once a week. It takes me about 3-4 hours to complete. I work on it in a group tutoring session facilitated by a HOOT (a dedicated tutor hired by Oberlin). It is pretty frustrating, but I finally finish it after 90 minutes.

9:30 pm — Debugging

My lab for Computer Science, on the other hand, takes me about 8-11 hours per week to complete. I attend Lab Helping Hours four times a week. Tonight, one of my functions has a bug. Two other lab helpers and I work on the bug for thirty minutes before Marta realizes the issue. I am so grateful to them that I could cry.

10:00 pm — Meet My Boyfriend’s Mom

My boyfriend, Lyric, and his mom are hosting a small party with his friends. I am friends with all of his friends, so I am excited to hang out with them, but I have never met his mom before. Lyric and I have been dating for four months now, so it’s a good time. We gather with beers, pizza, and conversation in his mom’s Airbnb. 

I find that I really like his mom. She is funny and kind, and soon we are all joined in conversation.

12:00 pm — Walk Home

I am exhausted by 12. My boyfriend’s best friend, Martin, and I walk home together while Harrison drives everyone else home. It is drizzling lightly; the walk is pleasant.

12:30 pm — Bed

I shower and call Lyric to say good night. Julia and I debrief, but I am too exhausted to stay up for much longer. I sleep.

I had a really busy day. Obies like to keep themselves booked, and I am no exception. Despite all of the work and classes I had, I loved today. Imagine a perfect combination of friends, classes, and work; that’s today. (: