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I never thought that as an English major, I’d be saying that I needed a survival kit to make it through midterms. Last year, I was like “what midterms? You be trippin. I’ve got poems to conjure!” I had a few essays and some assignments. Second year should come with a warning label: “Caution: You will spend every waking hour reading boring stuff and writing papers!” Throw all of the school commitments on top of community involvement, actually cooking for yourself and part time jobs, and you have essentially zero time for LIFE! Friends? Who needs em!? Two months into the semester and I’ve already pulled more late nighters than I care to admit.
Enter…
THE HER CAMPUS FALL SURVIVAL KIT! Come on, you know you want to know what’s inside. We are giving away everything mentioned below, plus more!
This baby got me through an intense and stressful week of studying and furious writing and rewriting. There was only so many times I could look at the same paragraph, trying to decipher the meaning behind twelfth century verse, before I wanted to tear my hair out.
These are the little things that kept me going and smiling through the tears
My amazing U of T monkey in place of a fluffy pillow. So cute, and I can unleash rage without denting my wall! When I felt like falling asleep and my seasonal allergies get in the way of staying strong, Cold EEZE and the steam from a hot cup of green tea cleared my sinuses long enough to avoid getting snot on my laptop screen (too graphic?). That yummy (and I wish unnecessary) Berry Flavoured Energy Drink courtesy of Five Hour Energy kept me alert and on the money.
At some point, I decided to take a break and unleash my inner Martha Stewart with some arts and crafts. Who better to aid me on this journey, than the craft wizard herself?
I created myself a little sign of encouragement using some fabulous Martha Stewart craft paint and Sparkle Glue. I’m no artist, but this gave me a welcome distraction and I find crafts very soothing.
Now, a girl also has to chow down at some point, especially if you’re like me and can think of nothing but food once your stomach starts growling.
When I saw this card, I panicked. Let me explain: I’m a vegan, and when you hear Chipotle, you assume they will likely not have meatless options. Well my friend, think again. I consumed one very delicious vegan veggie burrito and my stomach thanked me.
At some point, I made the ill advised move of firing up my Keurig and brewing a cup of much needed caffeine. When it comes to coffee, I usually drink it black, but I needed the extra boost of energy (the energy drink was great but I needed so much more!) I added a package of Zing – a plant based sweetner. All natural with the sweetness of four teaspoons of sugar, but no calories! Just the kick I needed.
Sometime around 2am, I decide to get the creative juices flowing and to up my happy factor. This called for my SUPER DANCE PARTY MIX! I dance to ridiculously fast Indie rock songs (if you’re not as hipster as me, imagine the equivalent of an all-Taylor Swift playlist.)
Me lying in my IKEA bed. I’m not dancing because my room is too tiny and I’m far too clumsy. Plus, I just need the music to keep me awake
Five Hour Energy supplied me with headphones, which I have to say were comparable to my beloved Apple iPhone earphones. The one difference I noticed in favour of this pair was that I could really turn up the volume on my laptop and my roomates couldn’t hear a thing with these plugged in.
Notice the clear skin, too. I – like so many students – break out during times of stress. I was given a Balmer’s Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Stick for blemishes, dry skin and chapped lips a few days before this photo was taken, and in addition to smelling like my favorite scent in the world, it worked well at clearing up blemishes. I was hesitant to use it on my lips at first, but it did a great job at soothing my chapped lips. I’m a St.Catharine’s girl and not yet used to the frigid Toronto temperatures. My lips get pretty dry, even though it’s still October.
4 AM and I’m still plugging away on my laptop (Mom will never know). I need some words of encouragement that I can’t get out of reading my archeology chapters alone. Check out this great poem from She’s the First to give your brain a break:
“The sun is on the horizon and I’m dreaming but I’m awake.
I am a girl but not a failure. Not anymore.
I am a girl and I am better than you think,
sturdier than I look, smarter than you know, braver than I show and stronger than you believe.”
I really believed I could do anything I set my mind to after reading this poem and you know what?
I SURVIVED!
I’d like to thank all our fantastic sponsors for providing us with these survival kits to see us through the midterms. We want to share the love with as many of you as possible, so we will be giving away 1 Grand Prize Pack, 1 Second Prize Pack and 8 Mini Prize Packs! All you have to do is like/follow our social media account on either Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and follow the contest instructions on the page to enter. This contest closes on Tuesday, October 20th and winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 21st.
Grand prize pack includes: 1 HC flag, 2 Cold Eeze Cold Remedy, 3 Martha Stewart Glitter Paint, 3 Glitter pens, 1 Diva Cup menstural cup, 3 packs of Zing natural sweetener, 4 Chipotle “Buy one get one” cards, 2 5-Hour Energy drinks, 1 pair of 5-Hour Energy Earphones, 1 Balmer’s Cocoa Moisturing Stick, 1 NYC Color Chubby Stick in “Champagne”
Second Prize Pack Includes: 1 HC flag, 2 Cole Eeze Cold Remedy, 3 Martha Stewart Glitter Paint, 2 Glitter pens, 3 packs of Zing natural sweetener, 4 Chipotle “Buy one get one” cards, 2 5-Hour Energy drinks, 1 pair of 5-Hour Energy Earphones
Mini Kits Include:1 HC flag, 2 Cold Eeze Cold Remedy, 1 5-Hour Energy Drink, 2 Chipotle “Buy One Get One” cards, 1 Zing natural sweetener, 1 pair of 5-Hour Energy Headphones
Enter On Our Pages:
Another review of the fantastic survival kit you could win can be found here.
GIRL POWER is real, and we will survive!