Surprise Holiday is a unique tradition at Groton in which students have the opportunity to have a full day free from school to relax and destress. The school provides buses for students to travel to Boston and Cambridge, and this year, on a frosty, slightly dismal Tuesday, I headed to Boston with a close friend. We had six hours before departure, with no plans except our excitement and spontaneity to guide us. The day began with a trip to Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where we shared a plate of steaming mac and cheese in preparation for our frigid adventure ahead: skating on Frog Pond. Both of us had never skated before, so naturally, we spent our next 2 hours learning how to do so on the outdoor rink. After decently mastering how to glide, turn, and stop, our hands were numb from the cold, and our backs ached from falling on the ice. However, the next stop, perhaps the highlight of the trip, was walking to Newbury Street and getting warm chocolate chip cookies from Levain Bakery. By the time it was 4 pm, we had made our way back to the buses and were returning to campus. I remember gazing out the window at the sky, where nearly translucent clouds whisked by one another, and feeling immensely grateful for a whole day of fun.

What at first seemed like an error in my academic schedule—a painting course in both Fall and Winter terms—turned out to be one of my favorite classes at Groton. This winter term, we studied the tools and techniques of water-based paints, such as watercolor, gouache, and acrylic. Despite being unfamiliar with the media at the beginning of the year, Ms. Donovan’s kind and helpful guidance gave me a solid understanding of painting by the winter. With a new set of skills under my belt, I was ready to tackle a challenge. For our acrylic landscape project, I chose a field at sunset, the sky engulfed in purple, pink, and orange hues. Throughout the process of creating this piece, the studio has become a place that I have loved spending time in: it is a place where I can connect with classmates after a busy afternoon, where I can take a break between seemingly all-encompassing homework, and where the smell of paint tubes is often intertwined with the laughter of friends in the air.

On certain dry and bright Sundays, when the mid-January cold is tempered by the tangible sunlight, my roommate and I take walks near campus. One of our favorite places to walk to is “the cows,” a cow farm only about 10 minutes walking distance away from the brick-faced Hundred House dorms. As I walk and discuss the past week with my roommate, I am always astounded by the scenery and nature surrounding Groton’s campus. Vast fields flank either side of the asphalt pavement and a thin blanket of snow shimmers on the yellowed grass. Sometimes we head to the fence of the farm and pet the furry heads of the cows that approach us. Although it is winter and the howling winds screech across the fields, the 20 or-so-minute walks, a little way down the road from Groton are some of my favorite moments of the week. We are content to be outside, to enjoy the meager yet visible sun, to pet the cows, and to simply be in nature without contemplating the upcoming week’s tests and quizzes. These walks, just like Surprise Holiday and Ms. Donovan’s painting course, have been experiences I have come to truly appreciate and look forward to during the overcast winter days on the Circle.