If I had to give a tip on how to escape from college from a little bit, it would be writing to a fifth grader.

Having to answer questions about what my favorite dessert or who my favorite superhero is takes my mind off the seven-page paper I still have yet to start. It's just a kid thing. They'll ask you anything they think sounds interesting.

I can say that my pen pal was definitely more creative than me when coming up with questions. I feel like most of my questions revolved either around school, favorite foods, or general family and activity questions. My pen pal, on the other hand, would start getting into much more specific interests. For instance, she was interested in anime, so she started asking me if I watch and would tell me all about she knew about it.

I can also say I've never been more entertained reading a letter as when I saw that her favorite Thanksgiving food was "smashed potatoes." It was nice to talk to someone that wasn't just stressed about school and work.

I got to get to know someone entirely through letters, and when we got to meet in person, I still learned new things about her. There's a lot of ways to escape college, and these letters were one of them.

So here's a thank you to my pen pal, for making every other week just a little bit brighter.