After coming back to college after three months of holidays, you’re itching to learn, right? Back to the world of acronyms, Student Link and syllabi. However, you don’t have to limit yourself to the confines of Comm. Ave. As they say, “the world is your classroom,” so take part in one of the many exciting learning opportunities the Greater Boston area has to offer. Here’s a schedule of what your day could be like if you were a student of the whole city instead of this campus alone.
6:30 a.m., sitting meditation, Cambridge Zen Center. They have daily chanting, bowing, and sitting and hold a free weekly Introduction to Zen Class on Thursdays at 7:00 pm. If you’re already familiar with meditation, you may want to attend one of their weekend retreats.
9:30 a.m., Modern dance Class, The Dance Complex. Once you’ve leveled your breathing patterns, head over to the nearby The Dance Complex in Central Square to work up a sweat. The Dance Complex is a volunteer based artist run organization. Class prices range from $6-15 and in styles like Belly dancing, Flamenco, and Afro-Cuban with, many of which are accompanied by live drumming and singing. Most classes are drop-in and for all levels.
12.15 p.m., Vinyasa Yoga, Back Bay Yoga. To continue with the “working the mind, body, soul” theme, the Back Bay Yoga is an affordable option. It has $5 drop-in community classes or if you’re a first-timer to the studio you can pay $25 and get 14 days of free classes. The classes range from Ashtanga to more modern hip hop yoga. Don’t have a mat? No problem—you can rent one there for $3.
3:00 p.m., Vegan cooking class, Boston Vegetarian Society. After all the sweating and calorie burning of calories, let it go to waste by becoming the next Emeril…or just learn how to sustain yourself with cooking classes. At Dave’s Fresh Pizza in Somerville you can take classes to refine your Italian cuisine skills for $50. For something more exotic, take a Bollywood Fusion Explosion class at Artepicure, also in Somerville. The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts offers couple’s classes in a variety of different cuisines which fill up very quickly.
5:00 p.m., Introductory Bartending Class, The Drink Master Bartending School. After all the hard work you’ve put into the day, it’s only natural that you’d want to kick back and relax with a nice, cool drink—one that you’ve made yourself, of course. Learn to shake and stir your favorite drinks for free at an introductory class at the Drink Master Bartending School on Saturday or Sunday afternoon from 5- 6 pm. To attend the school costs $595, but if you sign up before September 15th, you pay $295. At the end of the program, you receive an official diploma which would allow you to put your new found skills to work.
9:00 p.m., “Cyberpunk: Postmodernism[s], High Beams and Low Lives” class, Corvid College. If, after all of this, you want a nontraditional class setting, sign up for classes at Corvid College. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about the metaphysics of anarchy or non-traditional music concepts, this is your place! It describes its classes as “more like an art studio, a workshop or a dinner party than like the governed space of most classrooms.” Most of the classes are on a price negotiable basis.
