That is the only explanation for this mystery, if you will. The trimester system, a relentless force that propels us students through the academic year at a ridiculously supersonic rate. One minute, it was summer– we were moving in, the dorms were ridiculously hot, almost murderously hot, and the rush of the trimester put us through an almost-traumatic spin. The next minute, the trees are bald, and we are calming our minds and souls for winter break, a glorious month and a half of freedom and escape. A whole month. 

And then. We are somehow back already, but it feels like yesterday when we gleefully escaped the rush of finals. As students, we find ourselves stuck in the middle of this relentless cycle, an everlasting loop of intensity that leaves little room for relief, relaxation, or rest. The only possible explanation, clearly, is the insanity imbued by the trimester, ripping holes in the space-time continuum., Ffor there is absolutely no scientific way that in two weeks, our midterms begin, and then a month after, we are preparing for finals. I would argue it is a conspiracy even, keeping us on our toes constantly to ensure absolutely no rest. And yet, we do it– despite the sheer craziness of our schedules, the lack of alignment with any friends from back home– we do it. We go to the hockey games, in shock and awe, we attend club meetings and events, finding comfort in the old friends we fall back on and the new friends we make, we study together for finals that seem so far and so soon– for nobody else can relate to this crazy schedule, this trimester that makes what is supposed to be a marathon turn into a sprint. 

While indeed, it seems daunting and almost lonely in the rush of the trimester, only heightened by the dire lack of social opportunities due to the sad bareness of the trees and bone-chilling winter wind, there is some solace in those limited interactions: the cheer of students at the hockey games, the inside jokes created as shared recipients of an ironic email, the perhaps traumatic classes that create lifelong friends– the winter term, in particular, can be hard and lonely one, the trimester weirdly enough slowing down to elongate the suffering of us students., Tthere is some solace in that we are most likely not alone, and those limited opportunities are ones that we are sure to cherish. So here is to the hope, that though the winter term may be cold and tiring, we can walk like penguins side-by-side.