Student Blog: Summer in the City

Because I was a kid who grew up in the 2000s, the soundtrack to High School Musical 2 will continue to live in my mind no matter how old I get or how long it has been.  Despite being almost an adult, the chant “summer, summer, summer, summer” remains constant as the school year ends and the summer begins.  Being in university, summer is infinitely longer, and therefore filled with an infinite number of possibilities.  

I often reminisce on the happiness of the summers of my past, and while this summer is sure to be different for me than its predecessors, I am hoping that it will be just as good.  This is my first summer living in the city! In years past I have headed home and done what every small town youngster does in their teen years; worked a boring job and drove around getting McFlurries and hanging out in parking lots, which was fulfilling in a “right of passage” sort of way.  I have spent my past two summers doing something completely different and planting trees in British Columbia, living amongst the bugs in a tent for three months and enduring grueling labour coupled with a lifetime of memories. This year will be decidedly different, and I am anxiously awaiting to see what it has in store. 

Living in the city for the summer can be daunting.  What am I doing if I’m not headed to campus, finishing assignments, and working on a multitude of shows?  Well, I am still working, but not backstage, not in a costume lab and not in the classroom.  Being a theatre student, I felt like my year was so incredibly saturated with theatre, that I am thankful for a break, and curious to see how it goes for me.  Most likely, I will find myself seated at the sewing machine sooner than later, and I am never not on the hunt for cool and exciting opportunities, but for now, I am looking forward to having more time for enjoying dinner with friends, soaking up the sunshine and watching midnight movies.  

I think that this time is the perfect excuse to get started on some passion projects.  There was a point in the school year where I was sewing so much that I started to almost dread it a bit.  After a slight break, I miss the feeling of completing a piece and seeing it come into actuality.  Ideally, I will find a way to work on my craft in a fun, non stressful way.  With these projects, I want to focus on improving my skills, and genuinely not feeling worried about the outcome.  So much of my work this year was seen on an actual stage and in front of an audience, which I am so thankful for and was so wonderful, but it made me feel like everything had to be perfect, with no room for error. So this summer, I’m vowing to embrace the errors, to appreciate the little things, and to listen to the High School Musical 2 soundtrack often! Who knows what will happen next, but I know it will be wonderful.