happy reading week!

It may seem early, but I've reached that coveted mid-semester week that many students long for and typically know as "Spring Break." I knew it as Spring Break for the first 22 years of my life, too, and always tried to take the opportunity to get out of town during my college years.

Well, in Canada, we have no such "Spring Break." No no, up here we enjoy "Reading Week." (I'm still thinking of how Dad laughed out loud when I told him this on the phone earlier tonight.) Nobody up here has really helped me understand why it's called Reading Week instead of Spring Break. I guess because it's not quite spring here yet (it is currently snowing as I type). But I also don't know what kind of reading I'm supposed to do - I would love to have a week of leisure reading, but unfortunately will probably only read class-related material. (Maybe that's the point?) I'll also be working three days this week, so no extravagant trip to Cancun for me.

While my very limited research did not come up with an explanation of where the term "Reading Week" came from, I did find this interesting tidbit:

"Rumour is that Reading Week was originally implemented to prevent suicide. In the 52 weeks of the year, this was the week where most suicides allegedly took place. So technically, Reading Week is just a sugar-coated title for 'Please-don’t-kill-yourself-week.'" (Found on this Saskatchewan blog.)

So I guess the break is not about actually enjoying yourself, it's just about surviving. I think I can manage that.