It’s that time of the year again. It’s that time when you casually come across walking zombies on the hallways. It’s that time when you get to sit beside someone in class who eventually slumps on your shoulder and flies off to dreamland. It’s that time when the most approachable person you've known in the campus suddenly snaps at you just because you borrowed a pen from her. Yes, it’s that time of the year we call hell week.
I may not know where exactly did the term come from but I have been in the university long enough to experience and know what hell week is.
Hell week, more than you’re recent failed relationship, is what keeps you wide awake at night, sometimes even up to the wee hours of the morning. It severs your relationship with the comfort of your bed. It makes books and papers the softest pillows.
Hell week is the reason why planners were created. These planners, whether big or small, gets easily filled during this time. If you’re the minimalist type, you could write your schedule on colored Post-its. You just have to be prepared for a newer, more colorful wallpaper in your room.
Hell week keeps your status updates and tweets sweet and simple. It’s what makes you write to “Math (insert course number here)”, to your “Reaction/Reflection/Research Paper” (or *gasp* Thesis) and even to a month (October/March) online and tell them to be kind to you; as if they would reply or as if they would be done on their own.
Hell week is a major crisis for students. You could rant about it, shout at it, cry over it or even decide to ignore it. But you could not escape it. It’s something you should face.
However, there’s always the other side of the coin -- if hell week exists then so does grace week.
Grace week is when, after a sleepless night, you would have your mom preparing breakfast for you. She would make sure you get just the right dose of caffeine for another day’s work. It is when your dad would get home early from his night shift at work and seeing you’re too drowsy to commute would drive you to school. It is when you rant to your younger siblings about your school requirements and not knowing what anything else to do, they would just hug and kiss you.
Grace week is about managing your time in such a way that despite a toxic week ahead, you could still look forward to a Friday night out with your girlfriends. It’s seeing a movie with the gang after a draining exam on Statistics. It is even about not skipping a scheduled make-up class just to see your crush.
Grace week means having more time surfing the Internet, not just for research and online requirements but also for socializing. It’s about knowing you’re not the only one struggling. It’s about cheering up those who are also having their own difficulties. More than status updates and tweets, you could share a useful link or an inspiring meme. Perhaps you would also find someone online who could help you on that paper you’re writing.
Here’s the catch: hell week and grace week occur at the same time. It’s just a matter of perspective. It helps to see things in a different light. It’s also just a matter of attitude and disposition. Believe that all of these shall pass. What’s important is we treat both hell week and grace week a learning process. We’re free to choose what situation will we put ourselves into.
I have had my fair share of both hell week and grace week. I may not know where they came from or how long do they really last, all I know is that I try to seek and experience one more than the other. How about you? What do you choose? :)
