Summers for me and my family have always been a little chaotic. We’ve always travelled a lot, but our travels almost always for moving from one place to the next, not for vacation.
Since we travelled so much, we rarely spent summers in the same place as our friends and
extended families.
When it started to get warm and the days got longer, my parents, siblings and I only had each other,
so we found a variety of family-friendly things to do together while we settled into a new country
and community.
Most of the time, that family-friendly activity was an unfriendly game of Uno or Spot It. Growing up, I was the queen of Spot It, a game about matching two items on separate cards and testing your observation skills. To this day, whenever my siblings and I get together, we play a deadly game of Uno.
It’s fun to do something simple and competitive with your family, and card games are consistent way of having family fun on the move. You can play cards on an airplane, in a hotel, or on the beach. No matter where we went we always had a stack of cards in our packet.
—Clanny Mugabe, Senior Lifestyle Editor
As an introvert at heart, I’ve always loved Kingston summers. It provides the perfect opportunity to explore the city without the overstimulation that comes with being around an excess of people. Now entering my fourth summer in Kingston, I’m excited to fall back into my favourite solo summer routines.
I love to start hot mornings with an iced coffee in the shower, to be followed up by doing some research in a shady spot at BSE’s back patio.
I’ll also be spending my afternoons praying I don’t burn to a crisp while taking a dip at my favourite secret swimming hole.
In the evenings you’ll find me cruising through the streets of the University District on my bike, with Slaughter Beach, Dog and Maggie Rogers filling my headphones while I bask in the soft pink hues of a Kingston summer sunset.
A day in such a life may sound mundane, but after spending eight months surrounded by other stressed-out students nothing seems like a bigger treat.
—Cassidy McMackon, Editor in Chief
Every summer, my friend group all drive up to a country house owned by one of my friends. We throw a joint birthday party for all of us, and have a fun little competition where we see whose gifts match the theme the best. We spend time catching up, singing songs and splashing
in the lake nearby.
As a group of ten, it’s typically quite difficult to line up our schedules, so this has become one of our favourite things to do together.
Every time we get together, we try to include a group activity that at least six of us haven’t done before. This summer we went ziplining in Quebec. It was an absolutely exhilarating experience—up until I walked through some poison ivy.
Otherwise, this tradition creates enduring memories that we will reminisce about for
years to come.
—Oluwamisimi D. Oluwole, BIPOC Advisory Board Member
My favourite summer activity in Kingston is going to the pier. Although the water was really cold, I loved swimming over the first few days of exams this year—especially with people you just had an exam with.
Going to see the sunset is also a really great experience, and there are always lots of students around and it gives the space a sense of community. I grew up on the water and the pier gives me a sense of being at home. I’m really looking forward to when the water starts to warm up so that swimming becomes a lot more enjoyable.
—Claire Chow, Assistant Videos Editor
Tags
staff picks, summer activities
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