Tide's Out: The Benefits of Studying in the BeachJanuary 22, 2019

The temperature in Sydney could reach as high as 26 degree Celsius, even higher. You would make this prediction after you notice the heat in Bondi. It's warmer than your last remember (or so you think). You don't mind the sea spray, but you're not keen on getting wet. Yet. After all, you have come to the seashore for some blue therapy. You want to take a break from the coursework, and you're lucky that it's longer in this part of the world. (You're about to write a prose, which is called "In Praise of Summer". You're holding that thought, though.) You're aware that it won't be wise to linger in this part of Sydney during the colder months, yet you couldn't help but wonder if frequent visits can make you do better in the university.

You have a cousin, who is based in Brighton, who swears by his worn-out paperbacks that the sight of the sand and sea does have positive effects on his managing of the coursework. And he's insisting that it doesn't have to do with his girlfriend's reading of "Secrets in Summer" and "The Vacationers". You also recall a coursemate, whom you look at strangely after a sober assessment of Peter Bentley's "Jaws". You wouldn't count on "The Beach" as the definitive reading on this subject matter, which is far from what you have in mind. You're still too young to influence anyone in social media, but you get heaps of praises on your capture of Darling Harbour and Royal Botanic Gardens. You're veering off from the topic, though. (Blame it on the sand and the sea.) Blue therapy helps you forget about what you could have done during the previous term, even make you hopeful about the upcoming (school) year. You're not thinking of "Under the Volcano", as you can't relate to the melancholic, if not fatalistic, tone of Malcolm Lowry's masterpiece. The subject is the sea.

How can the sand and sea help you?

Welcome to Beach School: Why the New Push to See the Sea

You need fresh air. You didn't realise that you've been spending way too long in your room, if not the local library. You're a diligent student, which your parents and tutor notice it many moons ago. But you're been suffocating lately. You're glad that the summer is not too warm as you expect. and you're not wishing that the temperature could drop a few degrees lower. You're simply glad to get out, and your mother won't mind you spending less time in the house. There's no doubt that the outdoors has done great wonders, where you feel rejuvenated in no time at all. It's not only that, though.

You become more creative. And it's not what you're suspecting while you're basking in the bright sun. You're not thinking of your own spin of "The Beach", where the narrative begins with your struggles on overcoming your fear of asking your father on financing your holiday in Bali and beyond. You promise that you won't be an embarrassment to your parents, where you won't ever think of begging for a few rupiah bills (or dollars) in the congested streets of Ubud. And you won't ever go to Hong Kong's poorest district (and try busking), It won't be what Alex Garland had in mind, but you wanted to do your own thing. It could wait a little later, if not a few more years. You must finish the coursework, and it would need more than frequent visits to the beach. Outdoor studying is not a bad thing at all. You haven't ask your coursemates about it. Your roommate won't recommend it, but you weren't surprised at all. (It was hard to concentrate on mathematics, as the sunshine could distract anyone.)

You will have new mates (and learn the virtue of teamwork along the way). You may not admit it, but you like to meet like-minded people. It's not hard to find one who likes beach bumming, and you won't have second thoughts on keeping a distance from the surfers. (You still have to learn to ride the waves, even if you keep on denying the fact that you need to lose a few more pounds. A lighter frame should help you move quickly.) And you won't take it hard if they won't share your view (on the benefits of studying on the beach). You have made it a habit of bringing a paperback anywhere, though. You won't mind reading a chapter or two (while sitting under the shade). You wonder about the teamwork, which doesn’t have to be a slight variation on the game of rugby. It might be a stretch to hold a book review, when there seem to be too many things to do. You may want to try it, though.

The Sea Is an Amazing Resource

It would be up to you, if not anyone, to see what positive things that can be gained from a visit to the seaside. You might not be able to gleam one while you become aware that you’re becoming lazy after you notice the lapping of the waves. Blame it on the summer. You would wait for another month or two, and see if your cousin is not pulling a leg. It’s better to try.

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