Spring Break Bliss

Hey everyone! This week, I traded study sessions for sleeping in and textbooks for tan lines. This can only mean one thing: it's spring break for Stanford University students! Since Stanford is a quarter system school, spring break falls in-between winter quarter and spring quarter. And no quarter is complete without its share of final exams. Last week, I was basically living in the library preparing for my final exams. But now, finals and winter quarter have passed and I have time to relax on my week-long break before spring quarter begins. Schools on the semester system have spring break in the middle of their semester, normally after midterms. However, an advantage to the quarter system is having no work to do and no classes to worry about while on break!

College students on spring break normally travel somewhere coastal and warm. For southern schools, Florida is a popular destination while Mexico, especially Cabo San Lucas, is the hot spots for west coast students. Most freshman, myself included, take this time to travel home and visit family and friends. While I may be at home this break, I am still enjoying sunny southern California! I really wanted to spend the week relaxing and rejuvenating after my stressful finals, and there isn't any better place to take time off then at home. Even though the weather has been cloudy, it hasn't stopped me from visiting my favorite restaurants or hanging out with my hometown friends!

Best friend dessert run to celebrate being home for break

Reading on the beach even though its chilly!

Beach trip with the family

What do you like to do on your breaks from school? How do you relax after big exams? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

A Day for Moms

Hey everyone! Today in the United States we celebrated Mother's Day! Mother's Day celebrates mothers and all they do for those around them. It is celebrated all over the world occurring most commonly in March, April, or May. In the United States, we celebrate Mother's Day the second Sunday of May each year. However not every country celebrates the holiday then. Norway celebrates Mother's Day the second Sunday of February. Having Mother's Day on a Sunday is great because there is no school and you have the most time to spend with your mother. People celebrate Mother's Day in different ways from family brunches to a day outing. Even if it is just spending time at home, Mother's Day is a great time to show your mother how much you care. So next time your Mother does something nice for you remember to thank her because she is doing it out of love.

How do you celebrate Mother's Day? Let me know in the comments!


xoxo

Springtime Sports: Swimming

Hey everyone! Another spring sport that is big in the United States, especially California, is swimming! The swim team is another large sport at the high school, so everyone can have a chance to be a part of the team. In the fall, water polo is the main water sport. Water polo is a team sport with six players and one goalkeeper for each side. Players must swim and tread water and try to score the most goals possible. Since it is a swimming sport, many players move to the swim team in the spring.
The swim team is less of a team game and more individual. Swimmers compete in different length races with different stokes like breaststroke or backstroke, even relays with different teammates. The swimmer who completes the race fastest wins. This is a good sport for people of any level because it is mainly individual. This gives every person a chance to get comfortable in an event and practice without the pressure from the rest of the team. If your looking for a fun active sport for people of all ages, swimming is the sport for you!

What sports do you like? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Springtime Sports: Baseball

Hey everyone! As we move rapidly into the month of May the winter dreariness fades away and springtime weather and activities appear all over. Spring is the season for a sport which is very popular in the United States--baseball! Baseball became popular in the late 1800s, and started to be called "America's Pastime because it was played by so many people of all ages. Baseball is now also popular in North America, parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean, and Parts of East Asia.
In North America, professional Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are divided into the National League (NL and American League (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The major league champion is determined by playoffs and the final World Series between the two best teams in the fall. Many kids in the US begin playing baseball at the age of 5 or 6 and many cities have "Little Leagues" with teams for kids ages 5-13. The best players often go on to play baseball in high school. My high school has three baseball teams: freshman, junior varsity (JV), and varsity, and they compete against other high schools in our area.
The very best high school players can go on to play baseball in college, or some even get recruited straight to the Major League professional teams across the US.

Is baseball popular where you live? Have you ever played "America's Favorite Pastime"? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Spring into Action

Hey everyone! These past few weeks schools around the United States have been having spring break! Spring break is a week long vacation all school levels give out around April and Easter time. It's a good break before the hard end of the year exams given in May and June.
People use this week long vacation to do different things. Most use it to travel, near or far. People go to the beach to get their tan on or mountains to shred the snow. Both climates are in California hours away. Some people use this time to travel far away. Families travel to other states in California or even other countries. Countries in Europe and North America are always prime spots for California tourists.
Most older teenagers who are getting ready to apply to colleges use this time to tour colleges around the United States. When applying for college, it is important to see the school and make sure it is a good fit. This is why this break is a great time to fly around the country touring different schools you want to see. Most people choose a specific state and tour different colleges in that area. Since there are hundreds of colleges in the U.S., not all can be toured. Yet, if you are considering attending a college it is important to at least know what environment you will be living in.

Do you have a "spring break" at your school? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo