Ah, summer.
This is usually synonymous to other three more “S’s” – sand, sun and surf. Here in the Philippines, summer officially starts when the last bell rings after the “final” final, when you’re able to shout “SUMMER!” at the top of your lungs without any worry of an impending exam (I have heard a lots shouts in the hallway during the last week of March, so yes, this happened).
So starts the time you can bum out on the couch, sleep till noon and laze in the sun.
But what if you could spend all that time being productive and at the same time, get that summer tan you’ve been wanting all year long? Based on first-hand and solicited suggestions, you may want to consider doing the following other S’s for the summer:
1. Sideline business.
Pretty obvious, this one – school year’s over, and so does your allowance. Mind you, your parents also look forward to summer, ’cause this time of year, their pockets take a breather. Popular businesses that thrive during summer are those that are literally cool – why not concoct your own lemonade mix or halo-halo, or dive into the closet and rummage through stuff you don’t need anymore and sell them? If you’re adept in the kitchen and know how to bake, you can use the time to experiment with different recipes and sell them to neighbors or consign at a local store. Think of something innovative yet something you want to do but could not during the school year.This way, you not only get to have fun, you get to earn too. Which leads us to the next S…
2. Save.
So you have something to do during the summer to earn – this gives you an opportunity to save. In an earlier blog post, I stressed that saving is an important skill to master since this would literally “save” us in times of financial trouble, and I believe the best time to do this is during summer, when your hard – earned money doesn’t get consumed by photocopies or homework printing.
3. Summer school.
This one’s for my mom. The one thing I was grateful for was the time when she enrolled me in summer music school. A few summers not-so-way back, she enrolled me in art school, which did not bode well with me (hence my reluctance in taking any course which involved drawing), and so to get me off her back during summer, she enrolled me in summer music school. And that was where I my passion for piano started.
Aside from music lessons, schools offering summer workshops for singing, acting, modeling and cooking also flourish. Learning a new skill,honing what God-given talent you already have or sharing it with others makes for a productive and fulfilled summer vacation.
4. Share your time.
Though this hardly rakes in any monetary consideration, the fulfillment of being to give your time to help those in need would be a perfect gig to cap not only your summer but others as well. Enlist to become a youth or children catechist at your local parish and teach others about the word of God or discuss current events at your local youth club. You would not only help others, but meet new people and learn new ideas in the two-month school hiatus.
So you we have our four S’s synonymous to summer. Hope you’re having a blast with yours! 🙂
What do you plan to do with your summer? Do comment below! I’d love to hear them! 🙂
Nicole Orcullo 
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