MIT student blogger Afeefah K. '21

i’m catching up by Afeefah K. '21

a blog about all the things i wanted to blog about but couldn't find the energy to blog about

And just like that my junior year at MIT comes to an end. Not with the usual last-minute packing or the rush over to Logan airport, but with a silent click of a submit button on my 20.330 (Fields, Forces and Flows) final exam. Virtual learning has been rough you guys. My body has been so exhausted from staring at screens all day that when I did have free time I did whatever I could to step away from it. Now that it’s all over, I can finally blog about all the things I wanted to blog about but couldn’t get myself to blog about because staring at screens hurts. So here’s a compilation of thoughts/feelings/things I’ve done over the past (oh my god) 2 months???

1. I’ve been stress baking a lot and made a recipe video, who am I?

2. Whenever I need a break from the house, I drive around in circles around my neighborhood listening to my favorite playlists. This is my PSA to step outside often and remind yourself that the world you see through the window actually exists. 

sunset

3. I took 21M.601, Drawing for Designers, this semester and I’ve been very grateful to have scheduled time in my week to do artsy things. There might be a few charcoal stains on my carpet, but it’s been incredibly therapeutic to be physically producing something right now. Here are some of my favorite pieces from the semester:Self Portrait of Afeefah Afeefah's drawing of grand parents Afeefah studio drawing afeefah studio drawing

4. Recently I’ve been thinking about all the places I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to in Cambridge when we left campus. Here’s a list of places I’ve been missing:

  • Darwin’s (my go-to coffee shop for midterm and finals studying)
  • Stud Five (the one place you can count on finding me at odd hours of the night)
  • The sidewalk that goes down memorial drive (I really took those Charles River views for granted) 
  • The McCormick front lawn (study picnics for days) 
  • Salonikis (oh my god someone make me some zucchini fritters)

5. It’s honestly been really nice to be back home, I haven’t spent this much time at home since high school. I’d like to think that quarantine has brought my family closer together. My lifestyle has also just been more balanced. I’m sleeping more, doing things other than school, eating healthy so you know there’s always a silver lining. 

6. Uhhh I guess I’m a senior now? Who let that happen?