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Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Tutor Vinni 's Column

Finding a Club for Me

Weekly Topic: What extracurricular activities did you do when you were a child?

Apr 10, 2020

As a kid, I played sports a lot. I used to rollerblade in my neighborhood for hours every day. I played street hockey and soccer and baseball with my friends. I played basketball in elementary school, soccer and soft ball in middle school... but I didn't enjoy team sports so much. I'm pretty introverted, so I prefer one-on-one interactions, and the "fighting spirit" encouraged by competitive sports just felt aggressive and stressful.

I've always been a swimmer. I could swim before I was three years old, but I only did swim team for a short time. I was a lifeguard in high school and college, and I still enjoy swimming - just not as a sport.

So instead of team sports, I got into theatre club and chorus. I joined my school's literary magazine and newspaper club. Theatre let me overcome my shyness. Writing-based clubs let me enjoy club life at more my own pace. In college, I began participating in foreign language and culture clubs and language exchange programs.

Extracurriculars are great, but they should make your life happier, not stress you out. I think it's important to do as much (and the type of thing) that works for you.

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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