These two and a half weeks of school wedged between Thanksgiving break and Winter break have been a whirlwind. With the new semester, we freshmen have started a new class: European History. I’ve never taken European History before and I’m learning so much new information. Recently, we’ve been writing an essay on Renaissance art and philosophies. It was a lot of work, but I was most nervous about the short presentations we made on a certain Renaissance painting we had discussed in our essay. I felt comfortable around the other students and my teacher, but I still couldn’t resist feeling apprehensive, despite the encouragement I got as I began my presentation. When I was done, I felt good and proud of all the effort I had put into, not just the essay, but the new class.

History added more work than I had anticipated, but I found a new balance of doing homework and I’m glad that I have history too. I may enjoy my classes and have a system, but I can’t wait to go home and see my family. Happy holidays!