Sigh. It all sounds so perfect, right? Pack the few essentials and live by wandering from place to place. When I first learned how to bike, it seemed as if I had my ticket to freedom. Over the years I got bike bags, flashlights, helmets, and other unnecessary equipment to add to my dream that I could get away whenever I wanted.

So much for that dream.

How’s IB, you say? It’s like biking across an endless number of hills. You work so hard to reach the first hill, and when you do, you enjoy a fleeting moment of euphoria as you coast down the hill, and before you know it, there’s another hill waiting for you. And lots more.

We’re carrying more frustration and worry than we can handle.

Sooner or later we realize that we can’t handle constant frustration and fatigue without an inevitable crash.

We’re expected to handle everything, even in the most desperate circumstances.

It isn’t just about homework, procrastination, and a lack of time. We have lives, too (or at least we try to have one). We have relationships, family issues, and ambitions to take over the world, and balancing life and IB isn’t easy.

But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and (despite what the UBC grads said at our last Friday Session) future life might be a little easier for us after we go through the dark tunnels of IB.

And if it isn’t, there’s something to be said for laughing with amazing friends and planning for the stunning IB Talent Show, even during moments of stress and panic.