I admit I’m quite the Lau-star. As much as our beloved library holds a soft spot in my heart, it is a black hole. Day in and day out, I leave Lau more drained of life (whether it be from endless hours of studying or procrastination) than I was when I entered the prison-like building. My personal experience has been that all of the information I tried for hours to absorb is easily forgotten the minute I step into the fresh air — and you bet it’s frustrating.

The other day all I wanted to do was go on an adventure, but due to the amount of homework I had piled up, my day was slowly heading in the direction of a night in Lau. Then I remembered a friend raving about a place called Teaism. It has “Tea” in its title, so they must capitalize on busy Americans’ dependence on caffeine, right? I decided that my thought process was rationale enough for me to trek over there with my boulder of a backpack.

I jumped in a cab outside the front gates with the weight of a brick constantly reminding me of the work I had to complete, but I was excited to see this Teaism place in Dupont Circle. As I was getting out of the cab, the driver asked me, “Is Teaism a bar?” I sarcastically responded, “Yes, I’m headed to a bar called Teaism on a Wednesday night with a North Face backpack.” The minute I stepped out and got a clear view of the place, I was already more at peace. It is set off the bustling circle in a classical building. As I walked in, I checked all of my Georgetown worries at the door. The atmosphere evoked a sense of calmness — something Lau does not offer. The walls were painted in calm earth tones. The lighting was warm, unlike the fluorescent lights that give me a headache in the library. There were over 50 kinds of teas from which to choose to aid me in staying awake. I grabbed my favorite jasmine green tea and their special salty oat cookie and headed upstairs to grab a table and set up camp.

This place is a little getaway only two and a half miles from campus. The best part: I ended up getting more work done at Teaism than I probably would have if I had spent the night in Lau. It was an enlightening experience. I was able to experience D.C. When I’m stuck in my classic everyday routine, I forget that there is more to life than what is on our side of the front gates. D.C. is roughly 68 square miles, and we are frequently contained in just a small portion of it. That is an absurd ratio. I challenge you to break free from your comfort zone for the sake of your sanity — because Lau causes all of us to go a bit stir-crazy — and your grades, because studies have shown that the best way to exercise your memory is to add some diversity to your study habits and change your study spot frequently.

Courtney Mastrangelo is a sophomore in the College. She can be reached at [email protected]. MORE FROM MAZ appears every other Friday in the guide.