With the ability to count my weekly contact hours on one hand (yes, that’s including lectures too), it is shockingly easy to spend my days alone, flipping through the pages of journal articles and book chapters, week in and week out. The life of a historian, or any student for that matter, can be a lonely one if you let it be.

“Quality time with ourselves doesn’t need to be complex or extravagant – the intimacy of simply sitting down with yourself, away from all the noise, is more than enough”

Terms pass us by so quickly, to the point where scheduling brunches and formal swaps are continually pushed until the next deadline, next week, or even next term. To prevent this perpetual postponement, I present you with four categories of traditions to infuse our days with a little more excitement.

The first is those traditions that we preserve for ourselves: from sweet treats and time spent reconnecting with ourselves, these moments of self-love are vital to getting through our intense terms. Personally, I like to treat myself to a matcha latte whenever I have an essay due (a necessary investment to churn out 2000 words, I tell myself) and flowers at the end of the week to bring some new life into my room. And, once my essay is handed in, I head over to my weekly yoga class to stretch out my shoulders, having been hunched over my laptop for the past eight hours. Quality time with ourselves doesn’t need to be complex or extravagant – the intimacy of simply sitting down with yourself, away from all the noise, is more than enough. And, at least for an introvert like myself, these moments to reset allow me to better enjoy the traditions and commitments that I’ve set aside for others.

The second of these categories is traditions dedicated to spending quality time with someone special. Punctuating my week is a regular movie night with a friend, one who I would scarcely see otherwise. Our movie nights have become a non-negotiable in our schedules, as we look forward to talking over the week’s screening with gossip from the week past and thoughts on the latest TikTok trends. Having a tradition that breaks up my week, and more importantly, that I can share with someone I love, has become so special to me, and is very needed amid the chaos of a Cambridge term.

“I’ve been embraced by the community that exists outside the collegiate bubble”

This leads me onto the third of my suggestions: traditions that embrace exploration. For us, exploring the city through its many coffee shops and bakeries has become a classic outing whenever we are in need of a walk. As I’m pried away from my table at Harvey’s, I am enlightened to the world that exists beyond Sidgwick Avenue. Most recently, Café Foy ,with its beautiful view of the river, and Maison Clement, nestled in Newnham Village, have impressed us the most. We joke about starting our own Instagram account to review each spot, her tasting the iced coffees and me the matcha lattes, though it would be surely destined to join the graveyard of the many other ‘Rating Cambridge Cafés’ pages.

Though once cripplingly shy, I have really grown to love talking to strangers, not heeding all the warnings about ‘stranger danger’ that I received as a child. As I stop by the Porters’ Lodge and the Buttery, I receive my daily dose of college gossip and soon enough, find myself knowing all sorts about the inner workings of their lives – just as they know mine. Small talk has evolved into conversations that are not so small and has become a fixture I look forward to. This past month being one of increased worship for Muslims, I have visited the Cambridge Central Mosque nearly every night. In doing so, I’ve been embraced by the community that exists outside the collegiate bubble. From interacting with families who have grown up here for generations and students from neighbouring universities, there’s a special feeling of existing in the limbo between town and gown.

“Everyone has a story to share, and even those who seem tough at first tend to soften very quickly”

When you frequent the same places, be it coffee shops or society events, you begin to notice your fellow regulars each time – and they notice you too. Your separate lives continue as they were, but now intersecting every so often as you both fulfil your own traditions. You may never end up speaking to them, but I can say that I’ve made real friends from doing just that – embracing the awkwardness, sitting down with a stranger when there are no other tables free, and starting up a little conversation during breaks between study sessions. And from then on, each time you return to that location, a small part of you is hoping they’ll be there too (or is at least pleasantly surprised when they are).

So many of us are hellbent on gaining 500+ connections on LinkedIn and networking our way to the top, but we miss out on the beauty of genuine connections when we neglect the people who simply exist around us. We have nothing to lose (except, maybe a little mystery, if that’s the vibe you’re going for) from complimenting a stranger or chatting with the college librarian as you prepare for a study session – everyone has a story to share, and even those who seem tough at first tend to soften very quickly.

As you begin or continue to cultivate your own term time traditions, don’t let yourself exist in a vacuum. Embrace all that the city has to offer, from its people to its culture, and open yourself up to the idea of new friends (or simply smiling faces). These traditions of transmitting love and joy have been instrumental to me in creating a home out of this city.

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