Spring Break and Moving Forward

Three weeks ago, I took advantage of the first true Spring Break I had encountered in recent memory. A few long-term assignments remained on my to-do list, sure, but for the most part, after finishing the third quarter of the 2012-13 school year, I faced a free week of vacation.

My main goal for break was to make the critical decision of where I would enroll in college in the fall. I wanted to complete this task before returning to school so as to avoid adding stress to the home stretch of AP courses in April. Of course, a decision this significant requires an entirely clear mind, so I sought out one with my family at our beach house in Ocean City, MD. After two days of both fun and fine dining under the palm trees by the bay, mini-golf excursions through volcano-laden islands and pirate territories, and a nearly excessive intake of March Madness basketball, we came together and discussed every detail of my college options for nearly five straight hours. Our “collegiate conclave” achieved its goal…I am now proud to declare I will be a Gamecock of the University of South Carolina next year!

I returned from the beach thoroughly refreshed and relieved, ready to enjoy the second half of break. I spent time with both friends and family, and then brought them together on Easter Sunday at my home. I especially appreciate Easter because of the hope it brings—hope for the coming joys of spring, hope for the continued love among a close-knit family, and above all, hope for salvation in the risen Christ.

Easter, like Ocean City, helped me clear my mind for the months to come. Once you know where you will land for college, it becomes far more difficult to live in the moment and appreciate the final days of high school. Yet I feel I found a way to do just that. In a matter of weeks, I will leave the ranks of SSSAS students to become a SSSAS alumnus, and I cannot lose sight of the many great memories still to be created—with events like Prom, the One-Act Play Festival, and Senior Chapel, and the entire spring season of Saints sports which have in many ways defined my high school experience. With the hope of a fantastic end to my high school career in mind, I set out from break ready to hit the ground running in the 4th quarter and make the most of the real Saint’s Life ahead.

Spring Break!

This week was our first week back from spring break and also our first week of the fourth quarter! Classes were not too hard this week, as we were beginning new material in most of them. Though it was great to see all of my friends after 10 days off, I definitely miss sleeping in! Over break, I went to Florida to visit my cousins and my grandfather. The first day there I interviewed my grandfather for my oral history project for AP US History. He told me about his service in World War II which I didn't know much about. It was a great way to learn more about my family and specifically, my grandfather. Spending the week at the beach was a great way to relax after a busy third quarter.

Now that school has started again, things won't slow down until summer. Coming up in May, juniors and seniors have AP exams. SAT Subject tests are in May and June; then, in the first week of June we have final exams! It seems far away now, but this last quarter always flies by. We are all looking forward to spring sports and warm weather. It's going to be a great Spring!

China!

After a 13 hour movie marathon, we sluggishly got off the plane and were greeted by the smog that filled the Beijing air.  Despite feeling jet-lagged for the first couple days, we hit all the main tourist destinations in the city before traveling down south to Guilin.

In Beijing, we visited the extensive Forbidden City, built in during the Ming Dynasty.  For centuries citizens were not allowed to enter.  We also climbed the Great Wall of China, which was a surprisingly steep climb to even get to the top!  For some odd reason, I always thought the Great Wall was flat where you could walk for miles and miles without feeling tired.  I was mistaken.  The Great Wall went up and down, like stairs; we didn't get too far.  I originally wanted to walk a couple miles but soon realized that was not going to happen.  We ended up walking probably a quarter of a mile until we turned around and went down the mountain.

On the third day, we went shopping in the city and were vendors would sell ANYTHING to you.  And I mean anything.  One woman tried to sell me a skirt... Yet, the majority of the vendors sold fake designer brand products like, Gucci, Polo and Louis Vuitton.  After our time in Beijing we took a short plane ride down to Guilin.  A relatively small town for China.  About 1 million people currently live in Guilin.  The city is beautiful and very clean.  Everywhere you look you see a mountains and it has a very tropical feeling to it.  Palm trees grace the sidewalks of the city and the humidity reminds me of hot summers in the DC.  While in Guilin, we had the chance to visit the top high school in the whole city.  Each class has an average of 60 students.  Coming from SSSAS, it was a shock to see how one could learn in a class that size, yet the students were motivated and eager to learn.

Overall, the trip was a great experience.  I was immersed in an entirely different culture and learned so much.  I am so thankful for the experience and especially thankful for the two teachers, Profe Campbell and Mr. Yee, that went on the trip and did a great job guiding us throughout China.  Read more about our experiences from Mr. Yee at China Be Trippin.