I love my physics major. But oftentimes I get buried in the coursework or find myself being snagged by my lack of prowess in math or concepts that I can’t quite grasp in the week I am afforded to learn the contents of each chapter.

I am so thankful to the people surrounding me, those that remind me that I’m not a failure, I’m not that bad at math or physics—I’m not going to have to drop out and become an apiarist.

My favorite moment from the past few days was on Valentine’s day. A few other physics majors and I were crammed into a booth at Union Street Diner and watched with fear and wonder in our eyes as one of us broke from our ranks and stepped up to the jukebox with a dollar in hand. He scrolled through the beginning and middle of the alphabet and slowed when he got to the W’s, invoking from us gasps and pleas for mercy on the other patrons. And yet, he continued. He selected Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat?” from the list triumphantly. His work was done.

Besides the ever-present struggle with physics, this past week was one of writing bad code, feeling bittersweet as my friends receive acceptances from grad schools, and watching Call Me By Your Name for the first time with my friends.

There’s not much happening at the moment. But there are many things to come. I’ve been checking the price of plane tickets from Columbus to Madrid, and if I went for the duration of spring break I would only have to fork over $700. Usually round-trip flights cost more than a thousand. Seeing my host family again would be worth it. However, the current plan is a road trip to the East Coast, which is significantly less expensive. In either case, I’m excited to get through midterms and have a week off to spend with people I love.