Veerle deJong

To negate all the bad luck I feared was coming my way simply for having so many wonderful people in my life, I felt the need to be perfect at everything I did — to work myself in circles so that I would be deserving of them.

January 2022 me feels like she existed lightyears in the past, but that’s because my life is so different now then it was just a few months ago. Even though there’s so many events to process, while I reflect on everything I’ve experienced this year, there’s one moment in particular that stands out most.

Dead week is looming over our shoulders, so you all know what that means: how many different ways can we procrastinate studying for our finals? The answer is endless, because if college students are good at anything it’s putting off all their work until the very last minute.

Baking is the perfect excuse to take a much needed mental health break from all that studying and it helps us get into that wonderful holiday spirit! I don’t know about you all, but I’m an absolute sucker for ginger, cinnamon and anything else holiday spice – hence the following gingerbread cookie recipe.

There’s so much good and bad to unpack, but I won’t bore you with the particulars. Even though I felt like I was being thrown back and forth a lot, I managed to make it through all right – and I’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way.

Let’s be honest, finding the perfect gift for someone can be one of the most stressful and time-consuming tasks. You might spend days, maybe even weeks, searching for a gift that will hopefully make that special person grow the biggest smile in the world, only for them to be slightly excited or even disappointed when they receive it.

I firmly believe banana bread is a gift from the universe. It’s carbs, sugar and banana goodness all rolled into one — what more could you possibly want?

This pie holds a very special place in my heart. We eat it every year during holidays, whether it is Christmas, Thanksgiving or even one of our birthdays or anniversaries.

While there is so much out there to be thankful for this holiday season, pie clearly remains a large reason why we all get together once a year. Just remember, Thanksgiving dinner is a marathon, not a sprint, so make sure to save plenty of room for a slice or five of pie this year!

Let’s be honest, the classrooms in UC Berkeley are hot enough to boil you any day of the year, so it’s just a matter of getting from A to B in one warm piece.