"Reading" week

Hello! Happy 3rd of March! (is anyone else surprised by how fast time goes by and how we've already gone through 1/6 of 2011?).

This week's post will be short, just reflecting a bit on the lovely 10 day break that I just had from February 17-27. It was nice to go home and relax, catch up on some sleep, and enjoy the outdoors by going skiing, snowshoeing, and skating on the Rideau Canal. But coming back to school and the workload is rough! I've felt more tired this week than I was before reading week, even though I've still be trying to get a good amount of sleep. I guess my body was enjoying the relaxing life and doesn't want to buckle down and work for the last 4 weeks of school?

If there is one thing that I learned while living in France last year, it's that taking the time to relax and enjoy your vacations is very important. In France, you never have more than 6 weeks of school consecutively without having 1-2 weeks off, and if you're starting out in a full-time job position you have a minimum of 5 weeks of paid vacation. Can you imagine what we could do if we had all of that free time! Well, not free necessarily, but it would give us the time to focus on other things that are important in life and really give us the time to take a break from work. I feel like so many people are constantly connected through their smartphones, laptops, etc. and never really take the time to unwind. Not that 5 weeks off will automatically do this, or that we even need 5 whole weeks to accomplish this, but I think it's important to recognize the fact that taking time to travel, see family, read a book, or go to the movies is important. Stress is a rising problem in North American society and the leading cause for many diseases and ailments, and I think that really taking the time to appreciate time off and make the most of it is a great way to fight this :)

So that's why this reading week - well, I did do a bit of reading - I tried to make the most of it. I spent a lot of time with my parents, saw friends I hadn't seen in months (some in years), and spent a lot of time outside enjoying the great Canadian outdoors.

I'd like to invite you all to do the same! One night my parents and I snowshoed 4km into Gatineau Park and stayed overnight in a chalet with no cellphone reception, no electricity, and no running water. What a nice retreat! Eating dinner by candlelight and boiling snow over the wood stove to melt water for dishes. You don't have to do something that extreme, but I'd encourage you to spend a night without any communication devices, or to take the time to write a letter to an old friend. Smell the flowers. It'll do you some good.

I hope you have a great week and I'll give you an update about my field placement next week! Stay tuned, my departure is now a mere 6 months away!

Sheila