Everybody has different study habits. Some people work best in the morning. Others work best at night. And even others work best when morning and night start to blend together. Personally, I am the most productive when there is nobody to procrastinate with on gmail chat – though this has gotten quite complicated since many of my friends have moved abroad.

Nonetheless, the work gets done – at various times and in various places. Here is a list of some of the best places to be productive on campus.

1. Davis Family Library: The ‘Main’ Library located (somewhat) conveniently on campus. It’s probably best to come here during the day when there are less people. At night, the library becomes pretty social just because there are so many people there. For those doing senior theses or independent work, private work-spaces (thesis carrels) are available. They are really nice because you have your own desk, locker, and private space to work.
2. Wilson Family Café: Located within the Davis Family Library, its for those who some level to distraction to be productive. Its nice to have the various amenities in the vicinity like coffee and snacks, though it does tend to get a bit loud. Of course, this is where you’ll most likely be working if you have to pull an all-nighter once the library closes at 1:00am. I’ve met some of my best friends here… shared suffering.
3. Axinn Center: True gem of the college. If you’re going to be working late, make sure you get into the building before midnight! After midnight, you’ll be allowed to stay in the building but wont be able to come back in again if you leave (the doors lock behind you). Axinn has a lot of great places to study. If you’re practicing a presentation, you can just use one of the large lecture rooms. If you want to do some quiet reading, the lounge and the Abernathy room provide the necessary comfort and ambience. If you need to use computers, the lab downstairs is fully equipped with iMacs that are great for writing papers.
4. McCardell Bicentennial Hall: Studying for a science test tomorrow? You’ll probably find the most help here. Though it is a bit far for those who are living on the south side of campus, it could be well worth your trip. Though the science library closes early, there is still ample space in the building to use. Stroll into one of the classrooms, the computer lab downstairs, or even the main hall to do some work. If you’re working in BiHall in the early evening, you’ll also probably get to see an awesome sunset through the biggest glass windows in Vermont! Exciting
5. Sunderland: Not for the faint-hearted. This building is open 24 hours. It has very few windows. In most cases, you don’t want to end up studying here… It probably means you have a ton of work the next day and cant be bothered to see the depressing sunrise the following morning. Don’t worry – it serves its purpose. I’ve already paid my dues here.

Those are some of the main places that students study on campus. There are also places like Hillcrest (the environmental house) and other lounges/study areas in some of the dorms that are quite nice as well. Personally, I like using my thesis carrel in the library or working in the computer lab in Munroe way past midnight. Everyone has their own little space. It takes some time to discover it, but you’ll know it when you find it. 

In the infamous words of Rebecca Black “It’s Friday.”  And, yes, we so excited.  I woke up this morning and thought to myself, “Thank Goodness It’s Friday!”

… until I looked down at my planner.

My day looked a little something like this: class, MIDTERM, class, work – booked solid from 9 to 4.  An incessant stream of classes, tests, and homework keep me busy during the week.  But what I’ve come to realize during my time at Middlebury is that my schedule does not let up even if my workload does.   I survived my International Finance midterm this morning, but now I’m faced with something much more daunting: the weekend.

Tonight I’ll be running a few errands in town, then I’m off to a potluck dinner hosted by a group of friends in their fabulously homey Voter suite (complete with spiral staircase).  The potluck is followed by an event my friend planned, which gathers students from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to share their stories and experiences.  Around 9:30, I’ll head over to a reunion of sorts with friends who studied abroad with me in China last spring and spend the night reminiscing about 珍珠奶茶 and Beijing’s hutongs.

Saturday doesn’t get any easier.  My day starts at 9 am, and between moving boats with the crew team, tailgating the final home football game of the season, supporting friends in the annual Global Rhythms talent show sponsored by Wonnacott Commons, and late night movies, I don’t expect to have much free time.  Sunday brings its own woes with 15 pages of my “mini-thesis” on Roma political mobilization due next week, an Arabic essay, and the regular load of homework for my other classes.

So instead of “Thank Goodness It’s Friday”, this week I’m thanking goodness for November 6th and the extra hour of sleep, studying, or partying with friends.  However I choose to spend my hour, I know it will make a huge difference!  If only we got an extra hour every week…

I was a first-year student when I heard about the V.I.P club. My friends and I laughed at the acronym, which was a clever way to recruit members with a spark of curiosity to figure out what the club was about. The representatives informed us that V.I.P. stood for Voices of Indigenous People. They told us that their mission is to educate and enlighten the Middlebury community about the rich culture of indigenous people around the world. Personally, I was extremely happy that I found this club because I have always wanted to learn more about my indigenous roots. Before my grandmother migrated to New York City in the early sixties, she lived with her extended family in Ecuador’s largest city, Santiago de Guayaquil. But the story does not start with her.

It started with our first pioneer, her mother, Carmen. She was the first woman in the family to move to Santiago de Guayaquil from a rural village near the Andes Mountains. Her village was populated with less than four hundred people. It has been said, through oral tradition, that my family founded the village in the early 1900s, right after they traveled hundreds of miles  from the Andes Mountains to escape the severe demands and unfair treatment of the hacienda owners. “They were indigenous people,” my mother told me, “and not only did they lose their lands to the Spanish people, little by little, they started to lose their culture as they traveled further away from their native land.” In other words, my family exchanged their native language for Spanish, their ponchos for pants and shirts, their indigenous culture for the Western one, their spiritual beliefs for Catholicism, etc. As time passed, my family realized that they were losing touch with their indigenous background. They decided to preserve their identity through storytelling and dancing and appointed a matriarchal figure (grandmother) to remind the children that they came from an indigenous family and that they should be proud of their indigenous identity. I remember feeling confused about my identity because we were not living the culture and speaking the language. Since then, I’ve been extremely committed in learning about my indigenous roots. My intellectual curiosity evolved into a greater interest in learning about the rich culture of the indigenous community around the world.

I joined the club in a blink of an eye. For three and a half years, I’ve been an active member and part of a larger community committed to educating the student body through symposiums, screenings, powwows, panel discussions, and cultural dances, about the indigenous community. My favorite activity in the club is to choreograph the dances for the International Student Organization’s cultural show in the fall and Alianza’s cultural show in the spring. Through these dances, I celebrate and preserve my indigenous identity the only way I know how to- dancing. I teach my colleagues the steps in dancing El sanjuanito- a traditional Ecuadorian indigenous dance usually celebrated during the Inti Raymi festivity. This music genre has expanded in the south of Colombia, in Ecuador, and in the north of Peru. This year, the Voices of Indigenous People club is aiming to learn about the indigenous communities in Oceania and South America, hopefully we will visit nearby indigenous sites in New England, go to the Ivy Native American Conference in New York, and have a powwow in our campus.

Just kidding! It’s 50 degrees and sunny out, two full days into November. However, snow is an inevitable fact of life at Midd.

The season’s first snowfall came on Thursday, October 27th this year… as early as I remember it. Fortunately, the white stuff didn’t stick around long enough for any real accumulation to occur, at least not until Saturday (and even then it was gone by Sunday morning). Many students at Midd come from climates where they’ve never encountered snow before, but even for those who’ve been hitting the slopes and building snowmen for their entire lives, there are a few things to keep in mind about the Vermont winter:

1. You will need snowboots. Get the big, knee-high furry ones. Your feet will love you. If kids laugh at you, remind them that you go to school in Vermont.
2. You will need a coat. A warm one. A serious one. The kind of coat you’d wear to the North Pole (or the South Pole, even). Get the big, knee-length down one with the fur (real or fake; it’s up to you) around the hood. Looking good is half the battle.
3. Pick a hot beverage to enjoy frequently. Hot cocoa, tea, coffee…any of the above will do the trick. Maybe even branch out and try some mate or spiced apple cider.

Steps for going outside:
1. Drink a mug of your favorite hot beverage.
2. Put on boots. (Bonus points for warm socks! Bonus bonus points for warm socks made in Vermont (i.e. Darn Tough or Vermont Sock Company)).
3. Put on coat.
4. Develop mental fortitude. A lot of it.
5. Venture outside into the brisk winter air.

Once you’re outside, chances are you’ll realize that it’s not that bad after all. Snow is kind of nice. It’s white and soft and tastes pretty good, like marshmallows.

You’ll be a pro at the cold weather by the time J-Term rolls around. Just believe in yourself!