Homework, tests and papers keep students busy during the semester, but they each find fun activities to do to relax from daily stress.
After a long day of classes, papers and tests, Jane Doe returns to her apartment, kicks off her TOMS and prepares to relax by listening to something that most students would never dream of blasting in their apartment — opera music. She joins dozens of CBU students who stand out with unique hobbies.
Students at California Baptist University have a variety of unique hobbies that help them stay focused and motivated.
Garine Koujaian, freshman graphic design major, listens to opera while doing math homework or reading. She first became interested last year after watching the play “Les Miserables.”
“It really gets my mind to relax,” Koujaian said.
Adding another twist to the hobby, she listens to opera in Latin and French.
“I understand French as well so it makes French opera even better.”
Matthew H. Galton, senior psychology major, plays hacky sack. He began playing over the summer in Spain. Galton plays hacky sack in a circle of friends.
“It’s such a great way to minister” because it looks interesting, Galton said. “It’s a great way to just fellowship.”
Through this, Galton had the opportunity to share the gospel. He said that even with a language barrier, hacky sack is a fun way to connect with people.
Alexander R. Witt, senior political science major, reloads his own ammunition for pistols, rifles and shotguns. This has been passed down to the men in his family for generations.
One benefit Witt points out is that it saves money and is a good skill to have because ammunition is limited. Witt said he finds reloading his own ammunition calming and relaxing.
“It’s a good hobby to do if you like doing stuff with your hands,” Witt said.
Philip P. Carlisle, senior health sciences major, is writing a fantasy trilogy. It began in 2009 when a close friend asked him to tell her a story.
“I knew she liked the fantasy theme … and it’s just grown since then,” Carlisle said. He has already completed two books and is currently working on his third.
Carlisle describes his trilogy as a romance that switches between the normal and fantastical worlds.
“The fantasy world is allegorical of what’s happening in the normal world,” he said.
“The book is simultaneously a hobby, a fun endeavor, but also it is a coping mechanism,” Carlisle said. “I’m actually creating something that I’m going to have forever … that makes me feel like I’ve done something with my time.”
What may interest readers is that the trilogy’s plot is interwoven with his CBU experiences.
“If you ever do get around to reading the book and you pay attention, you will see similarities … this is almost an autobiography,” Carlisle said.
