Student Blog: Hello Summer Brain!

Typically, when I write a blog, it goes as follows:

After a day of classes, and a much-needed hot shower (dance major here), I sit down at my desk and write a blog. I have probably already long decided on the topic, so the words just kind of flow from my brain to the keyboard, and onto the screen. It takes, at most, an hour. Then, I move onto my other homework, returning to the blog every so often to proofread it until I feel it is ready to be published. Then, I submit the blog and cross off "Blog" in my planner. Check!

Because I'm not doing a summer class, I don't have any homework. My newfound free time made me believe it was possible, and practical, to write this blog in a single morning. I did some math in my head and figured it would take me three hours, tops. I was wrong.

To keep Covid cases down, the University of Iowa did not have Spring Break. Instead, we had two days off over our 15-week semester. Despite the "mini-breaks," the Spring semester felt like 15 weeks of non-stop school because our days off were spent preparing for the next day of classes. Before the Spring semester, I did a four-week winter class. So, I was in school from December 28th, 2020 to May 10th, 2021. If my math is correct, and at this point, it may not be, that's 19 weeks of non-stop school. When I came home, I found myself unable to relax because the idea of not doing schoolwork or worrying about schoolwork, or thinking about schoolwork was implausible. Now, a few weeks later, I feel my brain is too relaxed. Writing this 500-word blog has taken an embarrassingly long time, hence the very casual tone and title. Unlike my other blogs, this one simply did not flow.

For my final blog of Spring 2021, I had planned on writing a thank you letter to the University of Iowa Theatre Arts and Dance Departments for the unbelievably fantastic job they did making socially distanced/online performance arts classes an educational and worthwhile experience. I am incredibly angry I let my brain go to summer mode before writing this because I cannot express enough gratitude to these departments for their continuous support and the opportunities provided despite the many challenges this pandemic has presented. Through virtual performances, creatively engaging online classes, and safe in-person technique classes, the University of Iowa Theatre Arts and Dance Departments fostered an environment where I was able to learn more about myself than I thought was possible in a "normal" year, let alone one plagued by a pandemic. So, I guess, damn you, the University of Iowa, for 19 weeks of engaging classes that kind of infringed on my ability to write a blog to thank you for 19 weeks of engaging classes!

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