Ijlal Amir It’s midterm season. Fuck.
Semester stresses are at an all time high, and there’s still five whole days left until reading week. It might seem that all hope is lost, but when all you want to do at the U is give it a big “F U!” my advice is to turn around and appreciate it instead. *Cue shocked faces*. There are many peaceful spots to be found around our campus, each with the ability to help you relax, and maybe even allow you to enjoy the university during these anxiety ridden, hand wringing, hair pulling days of midterms.
So we asked our writers to tell us where their favourite peaceful spots on campus are. Here’s the results.
Narrow pathway near Cameron (aka The Peaceful Pathway)
It might be a little chilly or a bit uncomfortable if you choose to study, hang out, or nap here, but the pathway between Cameron and Old Arts is surprisingly calming. There’s just something about being wedged between two tall buildings that reminds me that who I am and what I do don’t mean shit. Walking here on your way between classes might mean you run into someone that likes it as a shortcut, but if you’re wandering during a spare, standing alone between two large objects is a good way to come to terms with how little that midterm you just botched means in the scheme of things. If you catch the sun on Tory in the late afternoon the school that you might very often resent looks pretty damn beautiful.
– Julia Sorensen
Various rock ponds
If you’re taking courses in the spring and summer or simply want a quiet outdoor reading nook, I recommend taking a trip around the humanities building to the rock pond near the building’s Saskatchewan Drive entrance. There’s always fish in the water and somewhere to sit, write and meditate. There’s a similar waterfall situation between Dewey’s and Hub Mall and another just outside the administrative building.
– Maja Staka
Various giant rocks
I’ve written some of my best essays sitting on top of a giant rock, but that’s just me. Rocks are a symbol of stability and certainty during the chaos of exams. Remind yourself that you are a rock and no test can phase you by visiting one of these bad boulders near CCIS.
– Maja Staka
EAS rock museum
On the topics of rocks… the EAS basement contains my favourite spot for silent contemplation and peaceful procrastination. The rock (and other minerals/gem) museum is a place where you can check out numerous pieces of hardened earth (some even glow in the dark!) and while examining them, consider how insignificant your midterms are NEXT TO THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. After visiting this hidden gem (don’t lie, you needed that joke, I know I did) you’ll be feeling gneiss and ready for whatever landslide of shit this week will bring.
– Sam Podgurny
The top floor of DICE
If you want to embrace you inner Aladdin (“I can show you the world“), while simultaneously decreasing your stress levels, the top floor of DICE is the destination for you. Yes, you will have to travel all the way over to the engineering side of campus, but the walk is worth it. Once you climb to the 13th (I think) floor, you will find a peaceful and empty area with views that stretch for kilometres. From one side you can see all across campus, and from the other, into the nooks and crannies of Edmonton’s river valley and downtown core. As with many of these other peaceful suggestions, all of you problems will just seem a little smaller from wayyyyy up here.
– Sam Podgurny
