10 things to do during long weekends (at FUS)!
Welcome back (or welcome) to Adventures at Franklin! A blog about the comings and goings of Franklin University Switzerland, written and curated by students. My name's Asa and I'm the new writer of this blog. If you wanna know more about me, then check out my first post:
http://adventuresatfranklin.fus.edu/2020/02/the-adventures-return.html
This past Friday, there were no classes due to the annual February break (not sure why we have a February break but I will gladly accept it). We are in the midst of a long weekend currently, and as you have read from the title, I will offer a few ideas for what to do during long weekends (at Franklin University Switzerland). I have Franklin University Switzerland in brackets because most of this list can really apply to any long weekend anywhere.
What's ironic is that most Franklin students are not around campus during long weekends. So that leads to the first thing to do during a long weekend.
1. Travel. The majority of FUS students take full advantage of the long weekend and Lugano's location. An education in Switzerland and Lugano, means nearly being in the heart of Europe, which means we are close to everything. We are 80 km from Milan, 4 hrs from Florence and Venice, an overnight train away from Munich, Vienna and Paris, and essentially a short flight from anywhere in Europe. I myself went home to Geneva for the weekend, my roommate went to Prague, some of my friends went to Venice... the possibilities are almost endless! Even some students who stay on campus for the long weekend make short day trips. Como is less than an hour away by train, Milan is just an hour away, and anywhere in Switzerland makes for a great day trip as well.
Although many people travel, there are still students who stay behind, so here are some ideas of things to do:
2. Explore Sorengo, Lugano and the surrounding communes. You might think that you know everything about and have been everywhere in Sorengo and Lugano, but just maybe there are some things that you have not seen before. Take a walk and go down a path you've never been on before, who knows what you might find. My freshmen year, I decided to do just this. I start followed the FLP train and started walking towards Ponte Tresa, quickly realized there was not too much to see, doubled back, made a turn and eventually found this:
3. Exercise. For many of us, it is hard to find the time to be active, but with the extra day off, you can occupy some of it with exercise. Exercise is always nice as it can improve energy levels, make you feel happier, and even improve mental sharpness/attentiveness. The gym might not be open, but you can go for a run, go for a hike, go swimming (depending on weather), hit the basketball courts or futsal courts (there are public ones close to campus).
4. Get some chores done. If you have dishes to clean, floors to sweep, dirty laundry to do, groceries to get, or any other chores, then the long weekend is the perfect time to get these done!
5. Get some work done. Professors know that you have an extra day off, and this usually means they assign just a bit more work. It can be annoying, but that's what happens, so once you get your work done, you can move on to doing other things on this list ;)
6. Hang out with others who are also around. Franklin is very small. This spring 2020 semester there's probably a max of 300 students on campus. Although we've seen almost everyone at some point while walking to and from classes, eating in the grotto or dining hall, or studying in the library, we do not actually know or have talked to everyone. So ask your friends if they are staying, ask who they know are staying, and maybe you'll even find the opportunity to make some new friends. Franklin is very cliquey, and the long weekend definitely offers a chance to hang out with someone outside of your friend group.
7. Call your family/friends. You probaby miss them, and they almost certainly miss you. So with the extra time off, call them and catch up :)
8. Spend time on a hobby. This is one of my favorite things to do during long weekends. The weekdays are very busy at FUS, and so we often do not have the time to simply do what we like to do. So take this time and do something you enjoy doing.
9. Catch up on sleep. Most of us do not get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night during the week, so use the long weekend to catch up on some sleep! Sleep is necessary. We are a lot more calmer and focused once we have gotten enough sleep.
10. Watch/catch up on TV shows, movies, YouTube videos, sports games etc. This might fall into the "Spend time on a hobby" point, but 10 things to do during long weekends at FUS reads a lot better than 9 things to do. Regardless, if you are like me, then your watchlist fills up during the week, and you take advantage of the long weekend to clear your watchlist :D
That's all for this post of Adventures at Franklin. I'm really enjoying the blogging process and I'm going to try to write on a weekly basis. My next post is set for 29.02.2020, and it's all about midterms week at Franklin (because it will be midterms week). The semester is really flying by, and so will the blog posts, so watch this space.
A presto!
Asa
http://adventuresatfranklin.fus.edu/2020/02/the-adventures-return.html
This past Friday, there were no classes due to the annual February break (not sure why we have a February break but I will gladly accept it). We are in the midst of a long weekend currently, and as you have read from the title, I will offer a few ideas for what to do during long weekends (at Franklin University Switzerland). I have Franklin University Switzerland in brackets because most of this list can really apply to any long weekend anywhere.
What's ironic is that most Franklin students are not around campus during long weekends. So that leads to the first thing to do during a long weekend.
1. Travel. The majority of FUS students take full advantage of the long weekend and Lugano's location. An education in Switzerland and Lugano, means nearly being in the heart of Europe, which means we are close to everything. We are 80 km from Milan, 4 hrs from Florence and Venice, an overnight train away from Munich, Vienna and Paris, and essentially a short flight from anywhere in Europe. I myself went home to Geneva for the weekend, my roommate went to Prague, some of my friends went to Venice... the possibilities are almost endless! Even some students who stay on campus for the long weekend make short day trips. Como is less than an hour away by train, Milan is just an hour away, and anywhere in Switzerland makes for a great day trip as well.
Although many people travel, there are still students who stay behind, so here are some ideas of things to do:
2. Explore Sorengo, Lugano and the surrounding communes. You might think that you know everything about and have been everywhere in Sorengo and Lugano, but just maybe there are some things that you have not seen before. Take a walk and go down a path you've never been on before, who knows what you might find. My freshmen year, I decided to do just this. I start followed the FLP train and started walking towards Ponte Tresa, quickly realized there was not too much to see, doubled back, made a turn and eventually found this:
This is the Chiesa di Sant'Abbonio in Collina d'oro, about 15 minutes away from campus. The church sits atop a hill, and there is an amazing view from there. It is one of my favorite places to go stargaze. My point is, go and explore and see what you can find!
4. Get some chores done. If you have dishes to clean, floors to sweep, dirty laundry to do, groceries to get, or any other chores, then the long weekend is the perfect time to get these done!
5. Get some work done. Professors know that you have an extra day off, and this usually means they assign just a bit more work. It can be annoying, but that's what happens, so once you get your work done, you can move on to doing other things on this list ;)
6. Hang out with others who are also around. Franklin is very small. This spring 2020 semester there's probably a max of 300 students on campus. Although we've seen almost everyone at some point while walking to and from classes, eating in the grotto or dining hall, or studying in the library, we do not actually know or have talked to everyone. So ask your friends if they are staying, ask who they know are staying, and maybe you'll even find the opportunity to make some new friends. Franklin is very cliquey, and the long weekend definitely offers a chance to hang out with someone outside of your friend group.
7. Call your family/friends. You probaby miss them, and they almost certainly miss you. So with the extra time off, call them and catch up :)
8. Spend time on a hobby. This is one of my favorite things to do during long weekends. The weekdays are very busy at FUS, and so we often do not have the time to simply do what we like to do. So take this time and do something you enjoy doing.
9. Catch up on sleep. Most of us do not get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night during the week, so use the long weekend to catch up on some sleep! Sleep is necessary. We are a lot more calmer and focused once we have gotten enough sleep.
10. Watch/catch up on TV shows, movies, YouTube videos, sports games etc. This might fall into the "Spend time on a hobby" point, but 10 things to do during long weekends at FUS reads a lot better than 9 things to do. Regardless, if you are like me, then your watchlist fills up during the week, and you take advantage of the long weekend to clear your watchlist :D
That's all for this post of Adventures at Franklin. I'm really enjoying the blogging process and I'm going to try to write on a weekly basis. My next post is set for 29.02.2020, and it's all about midterms week at Franklin (because it will be midterms week). The semester is really flying by, and so will the blog posts, so watch this space.
A presto!
Asa
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