Monthly Recap: February 2018

Here's what was going on in February.


Where I went this month:
Pentlands, Edinburgh, Scotland
Paris, France


What I Read:
I read this book about the Long March. It wasn't very good, but I needed to get an overview of the Long March for an essay I'm writing soon.

I'm reading a book of Tibetan short stories now, but I'll have my final thoughts in next month's post.

What I've been listening to:

I briefly was into Chinese rap/hip hop. I like some of the songs by the Higher Brothers, but for most of the time, it's a bit much. I like pretty much anything by Howie Lee, but I especially like this album.

Instagram: This is my favorite picture I took in Paris. I took it on a walk from the center to the Eiffel Tower during golden hour - so good!

On the Blog

I wrote a post with all my advice about a year abroad in China. I hope it's vaguely helpful if anyone stumbles across it. 

I also wrote a post with my advice about travelling in China last month that I think could also be helpful.

Challenges

The main challenge this month has just been having to be in uni all the time. I have't had any deadlines, really, but I've been coming into uni at 9am and leaving at 7pm 5 days a week, plus working on the weekends. It's also been really hard not doing anything other than uni. I've been trying to make time for other things, but I know that's going to get harder and harder, as I only have 3 months left of my degree and this is the final push.

Highlights

I guess I have been really happy with my organization and ability to stay on top of things. Because I've had so much reading and smaller tasks to do, I've had to come up with a system to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. It's been working really well so far. 

The biggest highlight was getting to have a break in Paris. It was nice to finally get to see Paris, but it was also really nice to connect with the real world and take a break from my degree. I am struggling to get back in the zone, but I do feel refreshed. 

I've also been pretty good about going to the gym recently, which I think has helped with my time management, productivity, and stress levels. I hope to continue to do more of that to be stronger and help keep my stress levels down.

SNOW! There has been so much snow recently. I went up into the Pentlands with my flatmate and her sister and cousin. We had to wade through the snow-covered heather. It was really incredible.

This past week, we got several inches of snow. We've had two and a half days of classes cancelled. Even after about 4 days, the grocery stores haven't really gotten much food in and it's hard to get around. It's been super weird. But at least we got a proper snow day or two. I built an igloo with my friends. 

Coming Up

For the first time in a long time, I don't have anything coming up! I will be spending all of March studying, going to the gym, making time to hang out with friends, and hopefully get ahead on some essays. I have 9,000 words in essays due in April! I can feel the final pressure of this year starting to sink in.