Study Hal: Week 6 – Staying Active

Now that summer classes have wrapped up and his mental health is a little more sorted, Hal took time this weekend to be active… in his community! With the growing movements around racial injustice, LGBTQ+ rights, voter suppression, and healthcare, Hal sat himself down to fill out his absentee voter ballot application and write some postcards to his elected officials. Checking your voter status and corresponding with your reps are good ways to make sure your voice is heard while staying at home!

Requesting an absentee voter ballot is easy in Michigan, and you can learn more about it for your particular situation from your state’s government website. If you’re a student like Hal and you’re not sure where you’ll be living for the future elections, put your home address so your ballot won’t get lost at temporary housing. Your family can forward it to you wherever you end up!

Hal’s sending postcards to his elected officials because he feels like it draws more attention than an email. If you don’t have any postcards on hand and you have some spare change, you could buy some from a minority artist or an artist donating funds to a worthy cause!

Hal is a U-Mich student who’s moved back home for the summer of 2020. He’s here every week with updates on all of the wild things that have been coming with this pandemic. If you want to see more, search the Study Hal tag!

Study Hal: Week 5 – A Very Good Helper

Hal’s been taking some online classes, and summer finals season is almost here. He’s been diligently trying to finish all of his work. But, his family’s dog, Sparky, is not a very good study partner. Sparky would much rather play…

Pets may not understand this whole “work from home” thing, but they do love hanging out with you. If you have a pet, I bet they would appreciate if you carved out some time to hang out with them.

Hal is a U-Mich student who’s living at his childhood home over the summer of 2020. He’s back with updates on his exploits and experiences every week. If you want to see more, search the Study Hal tag!

Study Hal: Week 4 – Practice and Patience

In the quest to be more mindful, Hal has started learning about origami! It was supposed to be a way to relieve stress, but, he’s been frustrated that he can’t even make a paper crane… He was up late last night trying to get it to work. It seems like practicing and sticking with something can actually pay off!

Hobbies are a cool way to make time for yourself and feel productive at the same time. Reading, crafting, and making art all let you take a minute to breathe while they provide you with a concrete accomplishment! What hobbies have you been keeping up with?

Hal is a U-Mich student who’s moved home for the summer of 2020. Every week, he’ll be here to share his experiences of this odd time. If you want to see more, search the Study Hal tag!

Study Hal: Week 3 – Correspondence

It’s been an especially stressful week, so Hal’s taking it easy to take care of his mental health. One of his favorite ways to stay grounded is communicating with his loved ones. Hal’s been exchanging letters with his cousin Fil for a long while. Fil has a particular talent for drawing flowers, but, Hal could probably use a little art practice…

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or you haven’t checked in with your friends and family in a while, now is a good time to reach out. Maybe you can send a fun doodle of your own! Or, if you’re like Hal and you’re less artistically inclined, you could send a meme or joke instead.

Hal is a U-Mich student staying home for the summer of 2020. He’ll be around every week to share his experiences moving back home during this weird time.

Study Hal: Week 2 – Work Space

Hal’s back again! After being home for months, Hal finally got to set up his ideal study space… in his childhood bedroom. Perhaps he should use this time inside as an opportunity to redecorate?

In case you missed the first post last week, Hal’s a U-Mich student stuck at home during the summer of 2020. He’ll be here every week to share with you some good, bad, and plain unexpected things that come with moving back home during a pandemic.

Study Hal: Week 1 – Quiet Time

Everyone, this is Hal! He’s a student at the University of Michigan. Through the summer of 2020, he’s stuck at home like the rest of us. He’ll be back every week to share with you some of the good, bad, and plain unexpected things that come with moving back home during a pandemic.

This week, Hal’s been aching for some alone time. He wants to enjoy his book, but it seems like everyone else has other plans for the afternoon… Is there ever a moment when someone isn’t mowing their lawn?