Well, it’s that time of the semester again.

Everyone says goodbye to friends and some people are sad while others are excited for the future. Plans are made to work or to study or even to travel. What everyone seems to forget is the dreaded packing up.

Typically exam week causes people to let their room get messy and forget about this aspect of leaving. Finding a place for one’s couch, fridge and microwave are among the stressful parts of moving out.

Cleaning up the mod’s shared spaces among one’s room can be an all-day affair. I would recommend that you make a conscious effort to keep your space clean all year so you are not burdened the last day to clean up and are instead just focusing on ways to get your things home.

Despite this underrated factor of moving day, there is so much excitement this time of year that it always works out.

Eric

It is Spring Fling week! This means there will be fun things going on every day on campus.

There will be a cook-off, Olympics, trivia, dance and a showing of student-made movies, just to name a few.

In the back of everyone’s minds are thoughts of what is next. The end of the school year is well within sight. Certainly, the exams that will ensue remain the top priority.

You cannot help but look forward to the summer months and next fall. Some of us will be faced with a new challenge of graduate school or a career into the workforce. Marriage looms on the horizon for others. Those who are returning to Bethel next year look forward to the opportunity for a new beginning. New classes, new experiences and the renewed chance to make an impact on campus and allow Bethel to have an impact on us.

I am personally looking forward to traveling to Europe with my class in May. Upon returning to the States, I would like to work full-time this summer, train for my senior soccer season and prepare for my final nine months as a Bethel student.

Heavy decisions face many students as summer nears. It is a time of anxiety, excitement and, most of all, forward thinking.

– Eric

Looking forward to Interlaken, Switzerland

This year I have taken an entirely new approach to spring break. I no longer see it as a time when I must break the bank to see family or go to the beach with friends.

For me, spring break is a time to reset and catch up. I have been fortunate enough to find opportunities to work this week in the community doing lawn work and continuing my internship at Prairie Harvest in downtown Newton.

Schoolwork has been building up over the last few weeks, to which my response has been: “I’ll do it next week.” The break presents the possibility of working on tedious schoolwork at my own pace.

And the great weather has motivated me to begin training for soccer again.

With all of these necessary but dull plans, you may wonder if it even feels like a break. I certainly find joy in these tasks but I have decided I can afford making a trip to Kansas City for a professional soccer match and to Manhattan to see a friend I have not seen in months. If I really want this break to serve a purpose, I should make sure to remember to catch up on sleep!

– Eric