Sorry...

Hey all,
Wow...I hadn't realized it's been a month since I last wrote on here....so sorry!!! It's been fun and crazy. I can't believe I have one week of class and then finals (I will then be finished with my first semester of med school). Way weird! It seems like nothing has changed and yet everything has changed. I feel older, way older. It's amazing how quickly this thing called school saps it out of ya:-) I am successfully putting off studying right now, haha. I'm super excited about being able to come home in a couple of weeks. The finals week wraps up on the 14th and then it's Holiday Ball! Wohooo...watch out, it'll be fun (I'll be sure to post the pics). Then I'll wrap stuff up down here and it's back home again, home again...ahh, sweet home. I miss it so much. I miss all of you. It's been too long. I want to hang out with everyone. Well, I suppose I should get to bed, but I just wanted to let you all know I'm alive. Hugs and kisses!

So my jaw almost hit the ground today. I was standing there in anatomy lab getting ready to take the review quiz with my fellow comrades and in walks one of our professors with a couple of guests. Imagine my surprise when one of these individuals was introduced as none other than Dr. Chung, world-renown author and professor of anatomy! DR. CHUNG was standing in our anatomy lab!!! Okay, sorry, I know you are probably all going, "Dr. Who?" Let me just tell you, this guy is probably one of the better writers of board review books for anatomy. Okay, I'll stop now, but I just have to say, I WAS FLOORED! :-)
Other than our very cool visitor to anatomy lab, I have to say that life in general stinks at this point. We are on the downward slope of the semester, but it's still a real challenge. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's difficult when I feel that I have few friends. Some girls are all quite "catty" and I'm really tired of it. Not to say that there aren't very nice people here...there are but I daily realize that med school is not designed to bring out the best in people (although, I am proud to know some individuals who I have to say are shining quite brightly through it all!).
I have also come to the realization that after the second round of tests, certain academic standards are unachievable. It's disappointing but I realize where I have failed and what I need to improve next semester (ahhh, but the question is can I act upon that knowledge?).
So, all is not gloom and despair. I am quite looking forward to Holiday Ball and then Christmas break. Abril, our lovely friend from Mexico, is coming up to stay with us for Christmas, so I am quite excited to show here our little area of the world.
Well kids, I have spent the last 3 hours on one packet (yes, very unproductive tonight, I know) and I should probably get back to it!
Kisses!

What's new

Well kids, it's been a crazy couple of weeks since my last post (a thousand apologies for taking so long!). This may sound confusing, but so much has changed and yet so little has changed. I think the biggest thing that I feel has changed is that I finally feel I am settling in (took long enough). I still spend copious amount of time studying, but I'm learning to not sweat so much under pressure. I remember how at the beginning of the semester I would get freaked out when I heard people talking about stuff I didn't know and now, I walk by them and smile:-)
It's finally getting chilly down here (well, I actually have to wear a jacket now, let's just say that), but no frost (don't know if they actually get that here....hmmm). I am so looking forward to being done with this semester, although I know that it's probably the easiest yet most hard semesters of my career, simply for the life adjustment factor. I think I'll probably be coming home mid-December. I must also apologize for the fact that I didn't get a chance to see people when I came home last weekend. It was a crazy weekend. I don't like American Airlines at all and I was so pooped from the whole ordeal that after the wedding, I just crashed.
It's been exciting around here this week because it was the first week of interviews for the Class of 2012 so that was very cool. Man, I hope I didn't look that nervous when I interviewed, although I probably did:-)
That's about it for now. Later!

Things

Things annoying me right now:

1. People who don't say hi when you say hi
2. People who suddenly quit being nice to me (what on earth did I do? I sit racking my brain and come up with nothing!)
3. My loud muffler (dang brick wall that was too low to see, but at just the right level to smash my muffler)
4. Gloomy weather:-(
5. Tests that I know nothing about....

Things I'm grateful for:

1. God and His awesomeness
2. My wonderful family
3. My sister Rachel, Angie, and Keri for calling me and cheering me up last night (even though I didn't get to be there for Angie's bachlorette party, sniff sniff)
4. Good food (California pizza kitchen anyone?)
5. Going home in 12 days!!!!!!


Okay, back studying.........hmmmmmmmm

What a weird yet wonderful feeling

Sitting at Panera studying developmental anatomy of the heart for the next anatomy test, I am suddenly struck by this sudden thought that I'm actually in med school. Yes, silly I know. After all, I've been talking about my experiences for the past several months, but sometimes I just have to pinch myself and realized it's not a dream. It's such a weird thought. Okay, so I can't help but people watch while I'm here. A very diverse crowd comes and goes. From the little children begging their parents to carry their own tray of food to the young teenage girls discussing the latest new drama in their life (it's funny to think that life doesn't change much as far as what we experience- just different variations of the same general concepts I suppose) to the old couples looking so sweet together, I am surrounded by life! Where am I going with you might ask- oh, I don't really know, except to say that life, of all varieties, is wonderful! Even while I go through what everyone around me deems misery (I myself even feel that way at times), I still feel privileged to have this life, to experience it, to taste it, feel it and live it. I just got an email from a friend in Ethiopia that I met this summer. He was telling me about all that is going on there and I couldn't think about how blessed I was to be sitting at Panera eating a bagel, drinking coffee, and studying for my test:-)

So this is what we call biochem...

Okay, for all you undergrads out there, it ALL comes back to haunt you:

Biochemistry for MS1: combination of Freshman biology (and you thought Pope was hard), molecular (thank-you Dr. Grens for forewarning us that it would come back and haunt us!), cell (hmmmm....), organismal physiology, genetics, and BIOCHEM (with the lovely Dr. Gretchen Anderson and Nicholas Cage, hehe), oh yea, and a little O-chem thrown in for flava!

Anatomy: Anatomy, organismal physiology, devo (wish I would have taken it now!)

Histology: Anatomy (the histology in the lab helps a little, but nothing prepares you for the Meekster (or his equivalent at other medical institutions!).

Diagnostic imaging: nothing really helps with this except maybe physics (yuck!)

Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: massaging my little sister, hehe, just kidding

Classes that may come in handy later: Microbiology, chemistry (gotta love acid-base!)

Ok kids, back to biochem! Just thought I'd leave you those words of wisdom.

Okay, three exam down and all were passed (THANK GOD!!!). Sitting here wasting time in the library when I should really be studying. Gretchen Anderson, how I love thee! You are saving my butt in biochem right now (and we haven't even got to Krebs yet!!!! wohoo).

So outside of school work, I must say that God is teaching some mighty strong lessons right now. In particular (and an all-time favorite for me to learn I suppose), I am learning (STILL!) to trust and rely on Him for everything. A situation arose earlier this week and I must say, it was very testing. I won't go into details here, but I'm so grateful to have a Savior who loves me unconditionally and who I know won't leave me like some that have. While my fleshly side still hates the rejection, I solace myself in knowing that He will never leave me or forsake. I wish and am trying to give Him the kind of devotion that He has given me.

At times I question why I left everything I've ever known for the calamity that is out-of-state med school and why I've exposed myself to all this ugliness. But I have to remind myself that I have been called to serve a purpose (although I know it not yet) and that the most I can do is try to glorify God while doing it.

Well kids, I am sorry for the tardiness in this latest post. I will try to be more diligent. I love you all at home. Kisses to all!