Easter in Final Year

 

My final Easter break as an undergrad! With several assignments and a dissertation due within a month, it was certainly going to be a busy one. But we had officially entered spring and I had a variety of playlists and types of tea to keep me focused. (And a cat sleeping on your lap certainly makes you sit at your laptop for a while!)

My Easter break started off wonderfully with a lovely family get-together for the weekend outside of Llangollen. We walked lots, and ate even more! I then popped back up to Manchester for a couple of days for some trips that were part of my heritage module. 

The first of these trips was to the amazing Jodrell Bank, radiotelescope and UNESCO World Heritage Site owned by the University of Manchester. Here we got to debate the concept of universal heritage, look at some of the 'behind-the-scenes' areas of the site, and tour around their new First Light Pavillion. This had some really interesting (and interactive displays), such as using some of the old panelling on the famous Lovell telescope to project information into. Before I decided to go into archaeology, I wanted to study either cosmology or astrophysics, so I had a wonderful time reliving some of my childhood dreams and letting my imagination go wild. (And yes, I bought a book about stars). 

The second trip I went on was to Liverpool, where we looked at exhibitions in the World Museum, the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. These exhibitions were incredibly moving and thought-provoking- generating a lot of discussion about what museums can do. We also went along the waterfront to discuss some of Liverpool's iconic built heritage and discuss the city's loss of World Heritage status a couple of years ago. 

After these trips, I then headed back to lovely Shropshire to focus on writing my assignments. The assessments I have had this semester have been incredibly varied, from creating an interpretation board to a group-led seminar. Archaeology in general is a very varied degree, with a wide range of different types of assessment as well as the more conventional essays. I really love this variety, and I find them a great way to have a trial run at the types of assignments you are likely to be given in the workplace.

Even though I had a lot of work to do, I still made sure to take regular breaks. In fact, taking regular breaks generally helps you maintain your focus (and motivation) for longer. Some of these breaks were simple things that got me away from my desk, like making a cup of tea or watering the houseplants. I also had some more ambitious goals, such as having a go at making my own hot cross buns. These are made in several stages as you are working with active yeast, so were a great way of breaking up some work sessions.