It’s that time of the year again. The crisp, sweet smell of blossoms hovers in the air, bikini-clad young women decorate the grass on warm afternoons, March Madness has its most avid fans twitching with anticipation… and the ever ominous, “So what are you doing this summer?” question sets in.
If you’re anything like me, the prospect of an empty summer deserves a name ending in “-phobia.” Sure, a few weeks of vacation sounds delightful, but what to do after the boredom sets in?
Well, for those of you sticking around, here are a few ideas:
Learn a new language
This summer, UNC is offering elementary classes in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese and Spanish. Or shell a couple hundred dollars for Rosetta Stone.
Volunteer
Spend some of your free time this summer working with animals at the Orange County Animal Shelter, loving on the town of Chapel Hill, help out with Orange County’s Special Olympics or serve the homeless at Caring House in Durham. For more volunteer opportunities, check out Volunteer Match.
Read through a book list.
Work on best-book list published by TIME, Modern Library (by Random House, Inc.) or BBC. For those of you less inclined to follow trends, develop your own list or check out the recommended section of a local book store.
Get in shape.
The summer is a great opportunity to develop healthy exercise habits. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to stick with it when school begins again in the fall. UNC’s fitness center will be open during the summer, but with limited hours:
SRC Summer Hours
Mon-Fri: 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sat-Sun: CLOSED
Rams Head Summer Hours
Mon-Fri: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sat: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
You may also want to consider taking a UNC summer fitness course. Self defense? I think yes.
Please share other opportunities with your peers by commenting below. Happy summer planning!
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