November 21, 2021
How does a day looked like studying by the beach (in winter)?
So…. Two weeks ago, I went to the beach in Egypt. Of course, the school was still going on, there were no any breaks or holidays for a random week in November. However, since I study online with the distance learning program, I was able to study from anywhere, anytime.
I took some days off from my work in South Sudan, since the nearest traveling destination was Egypt, I decided to spend some days by the beach in Hurghada before coming back to work.
How’s my studying-sunbathing day looked like in Hurghada? Here is a brief introduction of a traveling online student’s day.
8 am: Wake up and eat some amazing breakfast
This was one of the best parts of my day!! Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day, and getting breakfast by the beach is better than dream! I usually read kindle or watch movies during breakfast alone, and I probably would talk a lot if I was sitting with someone.
9 am: Take a morning shower, probably listen to some podcasts
It’s shower time! I like to listen to music (of the language that I’m currently learning) or podcast during this relaxing time since I always wanted to save more time for studying. Maybe you should try it out as well?
10 am: Go to the beeeaaach!!
Now it’s the best part of the day: go to the beach, sunbath next to the ocean, read the readings for university, probably take a nap when I’m tired.
Although I love the natural sound of the ocean wave, I do often listen to music when I’m studying. Again, I listen to music from the language that I’m currently learning. Since I’ve been trying hard to learn French lately, all the songs in my phone were French when I was by the beach.
For readings, I like to use kindle for extensive readings since it feels more like a paper book, and I use tablet for intensive readings as I can write notes and highlight the information. Maybe some of you prefer the laptop? I do too! But not by the beach, especially in public beaches.
1 pm: Lunch time!
As you know already, my days were all about food. For lunch, many private beaches in Hurghada provide food for cheap price, some of them are so delicious that I would come back to the beach just for their food! It’s also a time off from studying: eat delicious food, feel the beach wind, become part of the nature. Please tell me if you know anything better than this!
2 pm: Go back to study!
Or I might also take a quick nap. If my eyes got tired, I would probably listen to the recorded lectures, talk to some of my classmates, or listen to some podcasts/webinar for the related topics that I’m currently studying.
5 pm: Dinner!!!
I know you are thinking that “why she’s eating so much!”, and yes, I love eating! For dinner in Hurghada, I would go to the restaurants by the marina. Food there are delicious, and the view is really nice from the marina! During dinner, I might hangout with some people that I met in the bars or by the beach previously, talk about some random things in our life, or maybe…talk about gender studies!
8 pm: Drinking at the bar! Probably a pub crawl!
Although night life in Hurghada is quite alright, El Gouna has way better night life. Because of that, my friend would drive me to El Gouna or I would take a shuttle bus to there. There are plenty of amazing bars in El Gouna, by the beach or pool, or in the downtown while watching people walking on the streets. I would probably get some snacks (yes I’m eating again) with my friends, talk about social inequalities with old and new friends, debate about certain topics, play some drinking games, enjoy every moments of our life.
3 am (+1): Zzzzzz
At this moment of the night, I might be tired and tipsy. That does not mean I would fall asleep immediately! I am a crazy person and I know that, sometimes I would read some more readings before I sleep, even when I’m drunk. That night in Egypt before I went to bed, I read about how alcohol abuse affected female humanitarian workers more than men.
So this is how my days (nearly everyday when I was on holiday from work) looked like, and this could also be you if you study one of the distance learning programs! In LiU, there are three online Master’s programs. Do you have any questions regarding online studying? Comment below and let me know what do you think about online master’s!
