Yesterday Gusties here on campus and on the other side of the world kicked off January Interim Experience or more commonly referred to as J-term. All this month students, professors and faculty have the opportunity to engage in either teaching or learning in just one class. For those who wanted to escape the frigid winters of Southern Minnesota there were some off campus study opportunities to places as exotic as Zimbabwe and Australia, and there were also some closer to home like Something’s Fishy in Minnesota, in which students focus on studying the species of fish native to Minnesota as well as the ecosystems they live in. There’s really something for everyone this month and it’s a great opportunity as a first year student to really expand your boundaries and potentially discover something that you’ve never studied before. It’s formally called an Interim Experience for a reason, with only focusing on one class all month you really get immersed in the subject that you choose to study. This month I’ll be researching my genealogy and hopefully tying up some loose ends to my family’s history and learning about my peers’ family histories as well. Stay warm!