Dear Reader,

It’s hard to be purely and utterly honest in this Letter, to not refine the thoughts and words that will be read by however many Herald readers there may be. But for once, I think I will be.

Plainly speaking, these past few weeks have been tough; they’ve been chaotic. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts from every different, disordered direction possible. You have a report due tomorrow. And an assignment the day after! Don’t forget to organize that meeting. Weren’t you planning on having dinner with a friend that day? Write an email to finish up that task. You also have to edit articles. Ugh, I haven’t watched my lecture videos yet, either. And on top of all that, finals are coming up. It felt like I was barely getting through each day, chasing after the most urgent issues.

This is probably a relatable experience for many of you; after all, I am an ordinary KAIST student (maybe apart from the small fact that I happen to be the Editor-in-Chief for a school newspaper). And this time of year is indubitably the most stressful of the semester. Sometimes, I worry that I would one day just fall apart. But whenever those insecurities hit me, I took a deep breath. As much as it is stressful, this is also the period of most anticipation. I reassured myself that I had the promise of a holiday in reach and family and friends to reunite with. I dipped a tea bag into the hot water lapping against the sides of my mug, blowing on the steam and appreciating the aroma.

What we really need is a break. A tune from your favorite music. A chapter of a book. A sip of tea. An embrace or words of encouragement from a close friend. And, hopefully, an article from the Herald.

As much as we strive to make the Herald informative and thought-provoking, I also hope it can be accessible — a light read whenever you feel like it. Cuddle up under your blanket, whether that be for five minutes in the midst of your studies or five hours during the holidays. Check out Culture, where we have reviewed the Netflix show 1899 and the movie Decision to Leave, one of which you might consider watching at your leisure. Take a look at some of the more personal accounts that our reporters have shared about living as a black man in Korea during his four years at university and becoming a “fossil” at KAIST, in Society and Op-Ed, respectively. Want to catch up to current affairs that you haven’t had much time to look into? Our International Spotlight thoroughly analyzes the US midterm elections and what they imply for the future of American politics. And finally, take a peek at what other students have and are planning on doing over their own winter breaks in our Feature for this issue.

I know that this is exactly what I’ll be doing for the next weeks to come, and I believe it’s well-deserved. You, dear Reader, definitely deserve it, too.
 

Enjoy your winter,

Hae-Rim Kim 

Editor-in-Chief