Hello! As I start my first day back in lectures I cannot help but reminisce on my time back home in Canada for Christmas. Although it can be challenging to balance school work, preparation for exams and essay writing with all the Christmas festivities and the excitement of being home, it is really nice to reconnect with friends and family and get a good dose of home.

This year I left the Saturday after classes and took a flight home with Westjet. Unfortunately there were quite a few hiccups on the transfer home with shortened runways and cargo doors that would not close, nevertheless I made it home safe and sound and was welcomed by a cool -35 wind factor. It was so nice to be back in my parents home where I was able to keep at my studies at my old desk.

I had planned to work on the first week back, take the Christmas week off and get straight back to it between Christmas and New Years, and then again until my flight back to England on the 14th. Although many students have different strategies for their holiday scheduling, I came back to England 2 days before my first exam as I had 3 days between each of my three exams. I felt that with my preparation from home, I would feel confident going into exams. For the most part, I was able to stick to my schedule. Of course, there are always unexpected plans that arise when you go home but if you schedule your down time well and know yourself enough to know how much time you need to prepare, then you can go through a good holiday without too much stress.

On top of writing a paper and prepping for three exams, I was able to celebrate 4 family Christmas parties, 3 birthdays, 2 new years parties and a tree house getaway (more on that one later). It was a lot of fun despite some bouts of normal student stress. I am already looking forward to my trip back home over the Easter holiday.

Cheers!