1. You've sat in class a LOT this semester. Therefore, you need to stretch your legs. Quebec provides ample leg-stretching opportunities, like these places where I stretched my legs on the drive out.
2. I'm sure the Baby Beluga song made such a lasting impression on you when you were little that you've longed to see them -- or kayak with them -- ever since. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!
3. Quebec has Caribou. Caribou like these bulls, which consist of hair, antlers, and utter manliness:
...and also signature Caribou drinks, which apparently consist of wine, whiskey, and maple syrup.
4. When we get hungry, we can eat copious amounts of Poutine. I am of the persuasion that Poutine should constitute its own food pyramid -- after all, it is a balanced meal of carbs, proteins, and fats.
...and then wash it down with intriguing bottles of Quebec beer.
5. I have a talent show to get ready for -- you could have HOURS of quality entertainment in the form of Weird Al!
6. I googled "hot chicks from Quebec"; THIS came up.
...and, with the language barrier, you might accidentally end up with a hot Quebec wife! That almost happened to me once, in Philippines.
7. Quebec City is made out of stone, which means we could be renegade urban climbers.
...Orrrrrr, you know, we could actually do stuff like THIS:
8. We could creatively acquire signs like this:
...Or, if we went to Newfoundland, we could get even better ones.
10. Since you were sick this week, that means you should drink a lot of hot toddys to restore your constitution. I aspire towards making the best hot toddys known to man.
11. I wear cool pants.
You wear cool pants.
People who wear cool pants should go on kickass adventures, together, for fall break.
Soooo about two weeks ago, I learned something about myself: I actually enjoy some poetry. And, shockingly, I enjoy trying to write poetry. Every day at Unity has had its fair share of adventure since I got back, but those adventures aren't ready for the public sphere yet haha.
So, this is about an experience I had this summer. Enjoy! (Or don't, I'm still figuring this whole poetry business out...)
Swamp sings a frog chorus -- "FEEL ME"
Sky whistles a snipe song -- "FIND ME"
Stomach growls a bittern chant -- "FEED ME"
My vantage to the display is prime;
My bare toes burrow into the boardwalk's slime.
The sweating, leaking pipe burrows into my back.
Tonight, I'm a Marsh Pilgrim
Someone motivated by unholy reasons
To journey to the Holy Land
The Marsh is my mecca,
I seek life.
Life not eternal -- mere mortal life would suffice.
Alive by appearance although dead on the inside--
That's me.
Marsh Mecca explodes with Life:
Dragonfly squadrons patrol the channel
A Sedge Wren taunt seeps out from grassy fortress
New cattails erupt from last winter's detritus
Wish I could do that.
There is an impossibility of feeling entirely dead
In a place brimming with life
My environment's abundance diffuses into me
I feel, for a moment
The sky loses color
Swamp smells ferment
Mosquitoes whine --flatten them
My heart falters again -- forget it
Fog glides in, kisses the marsh goodnight.
10.07.2014
It’s the point in the semester where we’re
smothered by mountains of homework so dense that even creating a to-do list
seems insurmountable. My bedroom currently resembles the aftermath of a
Laundromat tornado; this is a direct result of my life being thrust into modes:
writing papers and (regrettably brief) intermissions from writing those papers. And, those
intermissions typically encompass activities like making leaf scarecrows,
canning elderberry jelly, or jamming out – not
laundry.
An afternoon well-spent...
I hit this state of homework suffocation about two weeks ago; ever
since, I’ve been dreaming of release from routine. Those dreams have become less
nebulous as fall break draws closer. There’s so much to anticipate – an escape
from campus dining; new adventures with old friends; sleeping in…
All I know is that in less than four days, the
Dirty Dasher, some friends, and a bunch of outdoor gear will be driving north
towards the Quebec border. Our plan is only to recapture the revelry and
liberation that Break encourages: Uninhibition! Vivacity! Spontaneity! These values in my life have come dangerously near to
falling by the wayside this semester as I struggle (and mostly fail) to keep up
with work. I can’t wait to do my life justice again, even if only for a long
weekend.
Parc National de la Jacques Cartier
Although our ideal vacations come in different
flavors (mine is decidedly Poutine), they all provide the same nourishment:
release from routine; release from societal demands; release from others’ expectations
of us. However, it takes intentionality to prevent vacation from becoming
simply another permutation of stress – the stress that comes from painstakingly
documenting every moment and memory on social media.The following link is a collection showing our reluctance to relinquish our smart phones, even when in the presence of others!
Our fetters to social media have the capacity to
compromise the very escape we crave in our vacation experience. One of my first weekends back at Unity, we went adventuring at Cadillac Mountain. As we reached the summit, I was dismayed to see how many people were seeing the scenery through the screen of an iPad or iPhone -- and not putting the devices down to experience it raw. It’s tempting
to force an experience into preservation as a perfect memory – a memory whose
perfection is blatant to all who follow our social media feeds. This obsession
detracts from the spontaneity and relaxation we crave.
the iPad brigade?
Why is vacation so essential to our beings? Because as humans in ever-intensifying worlds, we’re learning that money and status doesn’t equate to internal satisfaction and peace. National Geographic defines the purpose of vacation by saying that “time off is medicine”, and the International Business Times goes so far as to say that “breaks from everyday life have shown to be profoundly healing to our physiological and physical selves”. Money and status are qualities hinged on the opinions of others, not how you feel about yourself. To reach a deeper level of satisfaction in life, you must take some time to remove yourself from the demands and appraisal of others, and this includes making a conscious effort to sever from the constant ego feed that is social media.
Whoooo narcissism fix!
When I went to Hawaii in 2013, it was the first time I'd seen my family in seven months -- and also the first time that I'd had access to social media for seven months. I found it extremely stressful to try and document/post/share everything on social media. So stressful that when we hiked the Na Pali Trail for two days, I was relieved to be forced away from the social media and concentrate on what was most important -- quality time with my family.
Kalalau Trail, Kaua'i -- ironically my sister's facebook cover photo
Why are we
so infatuated with social media? Because we’re attention whores. Many of us—myself
included—use social media as means of exhibitionism. With each mark of
affirmation – shares, likes, comments on our content– from other users, the
part of us craving instant gratification and rewards is fed. When that constant
feed is severed, we get bored. And, boredom breeds unhappiness.
The more things pulling at our
attention, the less capacity we have to meaningfully engage in each activity.
We become more disconnected, bored, and unhappy, yet we keep logging on to
social media and falling victim to its addictiveness. We're missing out on life, because of our ties to social media. This video is a poignant reminder of this:
How many of us do actually use
social media during our vacations? According to ragan.com, 74% of social media
users stay active on it during vacations; their reasons include “staying
connected so they don’t miss out” and even the less-benign “making friends
jealous with travel updates” as for why they don’t disconnect and enjoy the
full, in-the-moment potential of their vacation.
But although social media feels good
to the part of us that constantly craves validation and approval from outside
sources, unplugging is vital. Huffington Post says that the more time you spend
disconnected from social media, the better your mood, relationships, and
overall health.
Don’t vacations emphasize escape and
relaxation? It’s unnecessary to constantly be productive or measure ourselves
to other peoples’ standards and expectations at every moment. Although we live
in a world that tells us the off switch has ceased to exist, it does. We just have to be intentional
about turning – and keeping – it off to get the most out of our breaks. I am a
firm believer that more can be gotten from vacation if we unfasten our chains
to Social Media. When I go to Quebec this weekend I will be leaving my phone and
computer behind, and focusing only on making memories without the aid of social
media. I challenge every fall-breaker who reads this to consider doing the same.
