issue 14// vol 46 life & style // no. 13 Student spotlight >» End of semester reflections Photo of Muskan Sharma by Michele Provenzano Muskan Sharma, a second-year science student What are you most proud of accomplishing this semester? “That I made it through.” What are you grateful for? “My friends. They really got me through the semester.” What are you looking forward to when the semester is over? “A lot of partying. And Christmas!” Do you have a message for students as we head into exam season? “Guys, just get through it. Just get through your finals and, like, there’s light at the end of the tunnel! You'll be fine.” Michele Provenzano Staff Writer he end of the semester is upon us. It can be a stressful time for us all, as final projects are due and exams loom on the horizon. I encourage taking a moment to shift perspectives, focusing on gratitude and achievements. Because regardless of your final grades or how the semester will affect your GPA, you have something to be proud of. I interviewed Douglas College students and asked them to reflect on their fall semester. Aiden Kim, a first-year business student What are you most proud of accomplishing this semester? “T finished all of my assignments on time and | stayed on top of my work, so I’m very proud of that.” What are you grateful for? “Dropping two classes. So I’m less stressed about my other classes.” What are you looking forward to when the semester is over? “Quitting school and becoming a farmer. No, I’m just kidding. I’m looking to make a better time plan for myself, setting up new goals for school, and just overall, I want to stay more interactive in school so I want to join more clubs and stuff” Do you have a message for students as we head into exam season? “Just get your work done on time. Do it on the day you got it instead of just waiting until the last week. And use sticky notes! It helps mea lot. Use sticky notes.” Photo of Aiden Kim by Michele Provenzano Photo of Reese Plesko by Michele Provenzano 1a! Reese Plesko, a second-year arts student What are you most proud of accomplishing this semester? “Managing my time well enough to find time to go out with friends.” What are you grateful for? “Friends I’m able to talk to on a daily basis and who help me with papers.” What are you looking forward to when the semester is over? “Puzzles! Doing some puzzles.” Do you have a message for students as we head into exam season? “Take your time. Pace yourself. Take study breaks. And make sure that you try to focus on the big things and not try to remember all of the tiny details.” ‘Bucha Basics: It’s brew o'clock » Your step-by-step guide for day one of kombucha brewing Jacey Gibb Distribution Manager Welcome to ‘Bucha Basics, where we cover everything there is to know about homebrewing kombucha I my previous article I covered the supplies you'll need to make kombucha, so now it’s time for the actual process. Keep in mind: this is only one variation of how to make ‘buch. Plenty of other factors go into the process, like how hearty your SCOBY is, what season you're brewing in, the humidity of your apartment. My recommendation is to follow these steps, and then conduct research based on how your first batch turns out and alter the process accordingly. Note: There are two main parts for brewing, which need to be spread out. You can do part one in the morning, boogie for the rest of the day, and come home to finish the brewing, or you can hover like a helicopter parent. Whatever fits your schedule. First, pour your 4L of distilled water into a large pot, and bring to a light simmer. I’m talking just barely bubbling. Remove your pot from the stove and add one cup of sugar, and stir it. Once you no longer see grains of sugar, add eight tea bags of black tea (orange pekoe, English breakfast) and let them steep for four minutes. Make sure you count the tea bags as you remove them, so no stragglers get left behind and give your kombucha an overly bitter taste. After quadruple-checking that all tea bags are removed, cover the pot and let it cool down to room temperature. Covering the pot slows down the cooling process, but it keeps fruit flies and other lil’ guys out. If youre on a tight schedule, transfer the liquid to a sanitized container. Regardless of your process, it'll take a few hours before you can move on to the next part. If you add the SCOBY before the tea has fully cooled, you risk damaging the bacteria. Once your tea is room temperature, you can transfer it to a large glass container. If you recently purchased a SCOBY, it should’ve come with some kombucha of its previous batch. Slowly add part of the old kombucha, then followed by the SCOBY and the rest of the ‘bucha. (Enjoy the pleasant plop the SCOBY makes when it lands in the tea.) Occasionally the SCOBY will sink to the bottom of the jar, which is fine. After a few days, the SCOBY should float to the surface. Cover the jar with a semi-permeable wrap (cheesecloth, paper towel, whatever) so that oxygen can get in, but critters can’t. Voila! You're partway to completing your first batch of kombucha. Place the jar ina cool, dark area where you won't disturb it over the next week, and resume living your best life. Over the next week, the SCOBY will consume the tea sugar and slowly become the fermented beverage you love. This concludes the brewing portion of making kombucha—tune in next time for the fermentation process.