Alaska is a place full of adventure, but it is nice to find a quiet place to study once in a while. With all of these adventures, it is easy to fall a little behind on schoolwork so I will definitely be making use of some of the study spaces I have taken a liking to on campus.
I don’t really have a favorite study spot to study on campus other than my apartment. I tend to study and do homework at my desk or at the table in my apartment. I have gone to the Fine Arts Complex a few times to work on some homework and I like it. It is definitely a place where I can go to relax and focus. It is a really quiet place to work, minus the occasional student passing through. There are these string light type things hanging from the ceiling that change color, mimicking the Northern Lights and they are quite pretty and relaxing. It is so bright and cozy there, which makes it a good place to get work done.
A place where there is always a familiar face is the Wood Center, which is another great place to study. There are a bunch of tables and chairs on both floors and a lounge area where students are always hanging out. There is a small coffee shop on the first floor called Arctic Java that is a popular hangout/study space that I have worked at a few times. The Wood Center is not as quiet compared to other places, but it provides a little change of pace when studying.
A few of my friends have told me about a really good study spot on campus called the Reichardt Building. It is the science building and is actually so close to my apartment that it only takes about three minutes to walk there. I was told that it is pretty quiet with a lot of nice study spaces and a few computer labs. I have not walked over there to check it out, but I am certainly planning on it once it gets warmer (if it ever does)!
It doesn’t seem like it will ever warm up. Especially the last few days which have been brutally cold, but that didn’t stop me from going out on adventures! This past week was a crazy busy week for me. I got a job at the bookstore on campus and I really like it so far. I worked a lot this week, but I also made sure to make time for myself by meeting new people and trying new things.
Earlier this week I had reached out to a fellow honors student, as I am in the Honors College at UAF. I met up with two of them at Arctic Java and ended up meeting about 10 new people. More and more honors students kept stopping by to say hi. Everyone was incredibly friendly; one even took me to see the Honors’ House which is basically a space for the honors’ students to hang out, do homework, etc. There is a full kitchen and even some showers for commuters who live in dry cabins with no running water. I really enjoyed being able to see the Honors House with new people I had met.
My roommate Emma invited me to go rock climbing and I had never been rock climbing before and she said it was free, so I figured why not try it out? A big reason I came to Alaska was to try new things! We went to the gym in town where “Free Climb Night” was taking place, got shoes, and started climbing. For my first time climbing, I actually really enjoyed it, even though I wasn’t that good. By the end of the night, my hands were sore and my body was exhausted. We went home and I crashed.
The next morning, I woke up extra early, despite my entire body telling me to stay in bed, to meet my friend Mina at the bus stop. We got on the bus to go to the starting location of Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile-long dog sled race, at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center. We walked around outside for a bit before the race started and it was really cool to see all of the different dogs barking out of excitement for the race. We got really cold, as it was about -25 degrees out, so we went inside and walked around to look at some of the historical artifacts and replicas on how Alaskans live/used to live. Getting a little glimpse of the history of Alaska was enthralling. I don’t know too much about the state or its history so I jump on any chance I get to learn more!
After watching a few of the teams start, a coworker of mine picked me up from downtown Fairbanks to go back to campus. We were working the women’s and men’s basketball games together that day selling apparel and other items from the bookstore. I saw Nook, UAF’s mascot, at the game and got kind of excited and got a picture with him. When we were returning items to storage after the games, I saw a polar bear head that was part of Nook’s costume. I jokingly put it on surprising my coworker and we almost fell over, we were laughing so hard!
This past week has truly been one for the books. I went on so many adventures and tried so many new things with new people. I am so grateful to finally be meeting different people that I can go on these adventures with. I had an eventful week, no doubt, but I have some great study spaces to go to which I am definitely going to utilize! I really don’t know how I managed to do all that I did in a week, but I wouldn’t give up any of it.
Submitted by Sarah Staedy