A weekend getaway, in my opinion, is definitely food for the soul. After a long week of midterms and the stresses of nearing the end of the semester, I felt a weekend to myself was in order. Whether it be a day at the beach, a peaceful hike, or a road trip out of state, anything is better than nothing when it comes to allowing yourself to relax. Some choose to go on vacations and fill their days with sightseeing and other activities, while others choose to lounge around without care and responsibility.
Personally, I chose to go out of state for a change and to both lounge and sight-see during my weekend getaway. This combination is the best of all, because it allows you to both unwind from a stressful week, and make the most of the area in which you are vacationing in. Although it was nice to spend a few days to myself, I had to fit in at least one event that would aid me in my future endeavors.
While there, I had arranged to go to the University of Maryland for a Cybersecurity conference geared toward the usage of the “black box,” infotainment, and telecommunications in vehicles today. It was a topic that had piqued my interest from the moment I heard about the conference, and it was certainly a great opportunity for me considering that I’m going into software engineering. Another great aspect of this conference specifically was that it was only open to women. Being a woman in a male-dominated field is certainly difficult at times, and when you see other women interested in the same topics you are, it is definitely comforting.
Overall, being able to both be productive and lazy on vacation is the best of both worlds. I am happy that I had both the opportunity to further myself academically, and wind down from a hectic semester by taking a road trip out of state to do something that I love.
