March 20 was the official beginning of the spring season, but there is still plenty of time to enjoy spring in Kansas City. Leaving the dreary winter and entering sunny days is the perfect opportunity to get outside and explore. Spring can be a stressful time for college students with final exams looming, so taking time to enjoy yourself can be a great way to de-stress. Here are some ways to enjoy the season:

1. Farmer’s Markets

The farmer’s market in City Market, located in downtown Kansas City, is an excellent way to enjoy the warm weather and support local businesses. There are a variety of vendors that sell fresh and local produce, plants and handcrafted items on Saturday mornings. The atmosphere is fun and lively with great food, making it an enjoyable weekend outing. After walking around the stalls to shop, you can also grab a coffee or lunch at the surrounding restaurants. There are plenty of authentic restaurants and food markets that offer a variety of cultural cuisines. 

1. Plan a picnic

Setting up a picnic outside is a fun way to take in the sunshine and relax. Planning a picnic with your friends is easy and a great photo op too. You can make or buy some food, set up a blanket and chill. There are endless locations for a great picnic including the Nelson-Atkins Museum Sculpture Park, Loose Park and William Jewell College’s campus. You can catch up with friends, read or just take a moment to breathe.

1. Visit a botanical garden

Spending time around nature and beautiful flowers is sure to lift your mood and help you appreciate the earth. Spring is the perfect time to see flowers bloom before it gets hot outside. There are a variety of gardens in the Kansas City area. Some of the most popular are The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, Powell Gardens and Overland Park Botanical Gardens. 

1. Cheer on the Kansas City Royals

Springtime means baseball is in season. Cheer on the Kansas City’s Royals at the Kauffman Stadium as they begin their season April 7. Enjoying a baseball game with friends is the perfect way to have fun and enjoy the day. Even if you’re not a big sports fan, baseball games have a great atmosphere and food. 

1. Volunteer in the local community

This spring is the perfect opportunity to get outside and help out the local community through volunteer work. Earth Day is in April and is a reminder to take care of the environment. You can volunteer through KC Parks to assist with litter cleanups, gardening and landscaping and park beautification. It only takes a couple of hours to make a difference in your community. You can see other volunteer opportunities here. 

1. Pickleball

Pickleball is a fun sport for players of all abilities. It’s super easy to pick up and fun to play with 2-4 players. The nice weather is ideal for trying pickleball or perfecting your game. Chicken N Pickle, in North Kansas City, has many outdoor courts available for rental. You can also enjoy food and drink after your game in the lively outdoor spaces. 

Growing up my parents emphasized the importance of discovering a hobby. Both my brother and I were encouraged to explore whatever piqued our interests – from karate lessons to barrel racing – with no gender specificity, might I add. I attempted several activities, including the aforementioned karate, as well as barrel racing lessons, piano and violin lessons, baking, drawing, photography, crochet and a brief stint in potholder making. I quickly learned that I lacked the patience necessary to commit to these hobbies.

But one hobby has remained as an exception to my slight character flaw: dance. I began consistently dancing at the age of six, stubbornly insisting to be a ballerina and refusing tap and jazz. Over the years, I opened up to a range of styles and appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of each. Discovering an activity to partake in outside the constant rush of life has been essential for my mental health and overall happiness.

If I’m going to be honest, I am not the most talented dancer in the world. I lack the flexibility, natural grace, and athletic physique worthy of any applause. As someone who has always strived to be the best at what I do, realizing that fact was brutally difficult. But a hobby is not something you are required to be amazing at. A hobby is something you do because you enjoy it, regardless if you are good at it. Dance is my escape from feeling like I have to do everything perfectly all the time.

I encourage you to give dance a try, even if you know you aren’t any good. As I said, I am not either. If you are new to the world of dance, I would begin by finding a tutorial on YouTube or TikTok. I would be lying if I denied that I learned the WAP dance one night instead of studying. When choosing a dance, look for songs or styles you enjoy. Kyle Hanagami’s Break My Heart tutorial is a good example of what to look for. I also highly encourage inviting friends to join.

Outside of choreographed dancing, improvisation is my favorite way to relax and release stress. Improv is a great way to connect with your range of motion and explore a new creative outlet. When I improv, I typically warm up to a few of my favorite songs and then choose either one or a playlist of songs to dance to. It can be hard sometimes, not knowing what step to do next, but I imagine improv as acting out a story as a trick to keep moving. 

Dance doesn’t have to be anything complicated. It can be as simple as turning up the music and letting loose. Don’t hold yourself back. There’s no right or wrong way to move, just have fun. There’s also no right time or place. Dance down grocery aisles, under the stars or in the rain. Have your own high school musical cafeteria moment, I dare you. Or maybe dancing is not your thing, but give it a try before you decide – it’s a good excuse to act ridiculous intentionally.

Inevitably over the course of my 18 years, I have been asked several times during different icebreaker activities the dreaded question: “What would you bring if you were stranded on a deserted island?” The obvious answers would be food, water, flare gun, etc., as these items are necessities for survival.

These answers are also the easy way out of a very important and relevant question. No one wants to end up like Tom Hanks’ character from “Cast Away,” with a volleyball as their only companion and no entertainment for an indefinite amount of time. So, my packing list must be full of items to keep me sane during my hiatus from modern society. If I were to be dropped in a deserted island in 24 hours with no notice I would be quickly packing my suitcase with these items in no particular order of importance:

– Sunglasses   

Since it’s pretty sunny on a deserted island, I would want to relax in the sun without worrying about developing ocular melanoma. Sunglasses serve a dual purpose: preventative eye care and also a cute fashion statement. My go-to would be the big mom-style sunglasses over the tiny sunglasses – which wouldn’t do much in terms of protection.

– Air Mattress

Given that I won’t have a bed to sleep in on a deserted island, this is a great alternative to sleeping on the sand, which would be uncomfortable. Since good sleep is a necessity, and I won’t have much else to do on the island, this is an important item. To go along with the mattress I would have to also pack a blanket and pillow. A good night’s sleep is important after a long day on my deserted island. 

– Deck of cards

Even though I’m the only one on the island, a deck of cards would still give me entertainment. With my extra time, I could brush up on my Solitaire skills or even try to create some new games if I’m feeling extra creative. I could even finally learn how to shuffle a deck of cards.

– My best friend

Even though a deserted island might be a nice getaway, I know I’ll get bored and need some company. This is a little more difficult since I would have to go through the extra work of trying to convince my best friend to join me on a deserted island. Also, this could be a major drain on resources, which is a downside. Bringing my friend would be much better company than relying on a volleyball for emotional support.

– Matches

This is a practical item. I’ll need to start fires to cook my food, keep warm and even maybe light a candle. Since I don’t know how to light a lighter or rub sticks together to start a fire, this is the best option. Matches would also give me the chance to learn how to breathe fire – something that has always been on my bucket list.

– Hammock

Even though I’m not sure what kind of terrain my island will have, there’s a strong chance that there will at least be a couple of trees, so a hammock would be convenient to have. It would be great for chilling in the sun during the day and for naps.

– An iPod shuffle with earbuds

I chose an iPod shuffle rather than a smartphone or other type of device for music because the battery life is unbeatable. Even though I wouldn’t have service to download music, I could just relisten to my old music until my iPod shuffle inevitably dies since I won’t have any way to charge it. Even though iPod shuffles aren’t the most technologically advanced, I’d be able to at least get a couple of hours of music from it.

– Reading material

Since I would have plenty of free time, I would want to bring lots of reading material to keep my mind active and occupied. I’ve only read about a quarter of my collection of Tennis magazines, and I could use my time to catch up on my reading. I would probably pack my textbooks, too. That way I can still continue learning, even if I’m stuck on an island.

– Notebook with a writing instrument

Since I’m going to have lots of time to contemplate life, a notebook will be handy to write down my thoughts and ideas. I could even write a memoir about my time on the island or take up poetry.

– My Britta filter

It’s debatable, but drinkable water might be kind of important. A Britta is a dorm essential as well as a deserted island essential. Since the ocean water is a health hazard, I can filter my water safely with my Britta and stay hydrated.

CUA will be continuing with some of Jewell’s favorite events like Lighting of the Quad, CUA winter and spring formals and CUAt the Movies. All of the dates for these events will be sent out in emails, so keep an eye out for the invitations.

Lighting of the Quad is a long standing tradition that involves a lot of cookies, Christmas lights and candles. Jewell students gather on the quad to watch the buildings they walk past every day be decorated with twinkling lights. During this time, the quad is always full of shivering students with big smiles.

Winter and spring formals bring the entire campus together to enjoy food, dancing and Jewell community. They always take place in a location that students love and allow the student body to take a much needed break to have fun.

CUAt the Movies is an event that allows Jewell students to put the books down for about two hours and go choose a movie to watch for free at the local movie theater.

Along with CUA’s traditional events, Hague and Quiroga are adding new events to the 2016-2017 calendar. The first CUAt the Drive-In is scheduled for the weekend of homecoming. It will be similar to CUAt the Movies, but students will be able to enjoy the fall weather and community with fellow students.

Later in the semester, CUA is excited to present an “Escape Room” event. Escape Room is a game where each team gets locked in a room, assigned a task and then must solve their way out of the room. It’s challenging, but always ends with exciting stories and lots of laughs. Finally, CUA is planning an event called “Late Night Odyssey Climb” with s’mores.

Another change this year is the time of CUA events. CUA is making an effort to schedule more events on Saturday night in order to provide students that are around campus on the weekend to have fun things to do. A lot of CUA events are on Wed night or on the weekend.

Hague and Quiroga are excited to have the students of Jewell participate in CUA this year. If you would like to help, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities, especially when events like Lighting of the Quad and Jewellstock draw closer. This year looks like it will be filled with exciting events, so keep your eyes open for the CUA emails!

All photos taken by Chandler Eaton.