Time to Relax...

Whew. With only one exam left – and an easy one at that – I’ve finally finished the stress that is 4 papers, 3 exams, and other various end-of-year projects and activities. Ann Arbor has gotten so beautiful the last few weeks, and it was so hard to walk outside in the sun and then go inside to study all day. Yesterday I took the whole day off from studying and had coffee with some friends outside, took a walk to the Arb (a really beautiful forest and field close to campus), and just relaxed the whole day. That felt incredibly nice, and campus has a very different feeling once it gets nice and finals begin to wrap up. The last day of class was last Tuesday, and so the only academic things that have been happening are studying for exams and writing final papers. The libraries are fairly full, but there’s still a certain vibe outside that is much more relaxed and feels like summer.

A few of the highlights since my last blog:

I’ve seen some great performances…Lang Lang, a world-renowned pianist, performed on April 2^nd, and he was phenomenal! He has incredible technique but is also a highly dramatic, engaging performer. I also saw the School of Music, Theater and Dance’s performance of Carousel. Every production they put on is fantastic, and Carousel was no exception. The musical itself isn’t my favorite one, but the actors had great voices and the whole production was great! I also saw Bobby McFerin, Chick Corea, and Jack DeJohnette in concert this past weekend, which was a really interesting, surprising experience. They didn’t do traditional jazz songs, but instead did a lot of improvisation and just kind of played around with different types of sounds. To cap off my year of performances, I saw the Dalai Lama speak today…for free! He came to give a lecture on sustainability (which isn’t really his area of expertise, but that’s ok – he’s the Dalai Lama!). That was cool if only because of how big a name he is, and he had a lot of really interesting things to say about world religions coexisting and using compassion to help solve the world’s problems. I love that the University can get someone as huge as the Dalai Lama to come speak and then give out free tickets to students.

I also had my last Campus Day, and gave my last tour for the school year. (Campus Day if a program for admitted students to get to see the University and get a flavor for Michigan) That was really emotional, as I’ve really gotten attached to my co-workers there. I have started saying goodbye to friends for the summer, which is also really sad as I’ve really gotten close with them over the year. I’m having some major mixed emotions for the school year ending: I’m thrilled to get a break from studying, sad to leave my Michigan friends, sad to end my classes, excited to see my home friends, and excited for my trip to Israel. It’s been really great just relaxing with friends and decompressing from the last month of stress.

Well, that’s it for me for the year. If you’ve read all my blog entries, I hope you enjoyed watching my journey through freshman year! If this is your first, keep an eye out in the fall, as I’ll be back with a new perspective: sophomore year! As always, feel free to email me with any questions…I love to talk about my school! Mitchc [@] umich.edu

For the last time this year, GO BLUE!!!!