Fourth Form was a great year! COVID restrictions were less strict than in my Third Form year, which allowed students to go on off-campus trips and play interscholastic games. The year went by very quickly, which was a little jarring. It was also bittersweet because the school year was a fun time that I wouldn’t have minded experiencing for a little longer.
As summer vacation began, Groton students scattered to places around the world. After exam week, a vacation sounds incredible. And while a halt in schoolwork is always pleasant, a constant issue I find myself dealing with while on breaks is what to do! Groton is very schedule-oriented, which is very helpful for time management because it’s easy to see when you have free time for club meetings, hanging out with friends, and of course, your schoolwork. So coming home means getting away from that schedule and having less to do.
Having lots of free time when I first got home for summer meant many hours of sleep and binging my favorite TV shows. Then once I felt properly recharged and readjusted to be home, I started going out. Hanging out with friends and family is always fun since I don’t see them often when I’m away at school. However, these gatherings were spread out, so plenty of free time remained, and boredom started trickling in.
So my mom signed my brother and me up for a nearby gym. Going to the gym was something I already knew I enjoyed because I had tried it during the school year. Groton students are expected to have an after-school activity. In the fall term, I did JV volleyball; for winter, I did yoga, and in spring, I did track. This meant I was participating in some form of exercise almost every day. Doing yoga in the winter term was great because it provided some time to go to the weight room. My roommate and I would go together because we both did yoga. My initial reason for going was that I wanted to stay in shape. Yoga didn’t exactly require the most physical exertion (especially not with the guided meditation at the end of every session). But, as I started visiting the weight room more frequently, I learned I actually really like weight-lifting. I liked seeing the progress I was making and overall feeling physically better. It’s fun to feel stronger!
So when my mom got me the gym membership, I was thrilled! It became part of my routine and continued to answer my question of “What do I do?”