Mid-Term Swimming

It's Mid-Term Break this week for Chinese International School, and once again I'm busy as a bee. Every day at least 2 hours of lessons and tutoring are scheduled, not to mention the daily dose of literature, be it in English, Chinese, French or Spanish. We mustn't forget the daily exercise required for a growing girl, be it 30 laps of freestyle or a simple 2km run on the family treadmill. Many will think of this routine as torture, but my perspective proves to be different. I think such a routine is excellent, especially for a girl approaching adolescence. A person's idea of an adolescent is a reluctant, stubborn teenager who manages, somehow to drag themselves out of bed at 3 in the afternoon on weekends, and an oily, lazy lump who only opens their mouth to shovel food in, not to have a casual chat with their family. I think this routine can stimulate adolescents, children and even people approaching puberty to get into the habit of organizing their day, and always having something constructive to do. I think this is the perfect solution for the ever-growing "slob" population. This schedule doesn't leave even a minute for people to feel bored, and somehow provides enough time for people to relax, sit back and admire the view, whilst providing a constructive task for people to pass the time wisely. So take my advice- on a school holiday, be it a week long, a day long or even a month long, before you jump on the phone to organize playdates with friends, before you sit and wonder how you will possibly manage to kill a week's holiday time, before you consider passing the time with movie after movie, perhaps consider a more constructive holiday, one where your time is spent studying, being active and enjoying every minute of the opportunity.