first one

they say every physician remembers the first time one of their patient's dies. what they don't say is how to prepare for that. while I'm not yet a physician, I had my first patient die today.  I wasn't at the hospital to find out.  I logged onto the electronic medical record to check-in on her because I knew she wasn't doing well, and there I saw it... time of death: 656pm. so odd how this person serendipitously entered my life 11 days ago, and just as quickly left. funny how impacted I feel by this whole event.  i think a lot of that had to do with the fact that she was a fellow physician who still seemed to have so much life ahead of her... anyway, that's enough sadness on the blog front. just wanted to document a not-so-frequently-discussed side of medicine

MS3

Quick recap:
*So... STEP (my first round of medical boards) is OVER. Scores came out, and I was quite the happy camper. Pretty thankful that those 6 months of misery weren't all for nothing :)
*Cruise to the western Caribbean with my mom, sister, and 2 friends from med school was the best way to unwind after studying for so long and also a good way to end living in Galveston - I have to say, living across the street from the cruise terminal has its advantages!
*I MOVED TO AUSTIN! - I was really doubting this rather rash decision and second guessing myself, but now I'm SO THANKFUL to have taken that leap of faith. I absolutely love this city, love being away from the drama in Galveston, and am really excited to only be an hour away from my sister who is a sophomore at Baylor!

So jump ahead... I'm now a 3rd year medical student, meaning I roam around the hospital and get in the way and serve no real purpose! But it is totally fun, and people call me doctor, and I've stopped correcting them because it's at least fun to pretend ;)

My first rotation (July) was in outpatient internal medicine.  I worked in a geriatrics clinic with an amazing doctor and had so much fun with the old people!  It was a great experience and clinic hours are pretty glorious.  No weekends? Last patient at 430? Yes please.

My second rotation (August) is inpatient internal medicine at the hospital.  A typical day involves showing up around 7am, reviewing my patients' overnight labs/vitals/etc then going and examining them and writing progress notes.  I then meet up with my team of residents and attending doctor, and we round on all of our patients.  The afternoons are spent goofing off with the other med students, pretending to study, going to lectures, and then we also admit patients from the ER.  One day a week we have to stay late, but I've gotten pretty lucky so far.  I haven't been at work later than 8:15pm, and that was only once, so I think I've had it pretty easy!

My next rotation (September) is going to be GI consult - meaning we see all the patients who are hospitalized and have complicated GI problems...

It's crazy to think that I'm already 1/6th of the way through 3rd year.... that leaves only... 652 days until i'm a doctor. and have real responsibilities. FRIGHTENING.

School aside, Austin is GREAT. Maybe a little over the top hipster, but I rather like all their fun things like food trucks and live music and healthy lifestyle..... it's pretty cool living in a city that has ban plastic bags at the grocery store!

Reappearance

Last night I stumbled upon my blog and ended up reading through a bunch of old posts. I know, I know, I haven't posted in OVER A YEAR now. Completely terrible, and I plan on eventually trying to recap second year since apparently I'm almost a third year now and haven't posted since first year...   Anywayyyy, I'm in the middle (or should I say end) of studying for my first round of medical boards -- basically THE TEST that determines your residency, so kind of a big deal. Also the reason I decided to go MIA off FB and twitter starting back in January... Which has been kind of amazing, actually. Anyway, I digress. So basically I've been a study machine since January 7th and will hopefully be back after June 10th with a better life update! June is going to be a crazy month! Boards, moving to Austin, cruise, 3rd year orientation in galveston, and then the whirlwind of hospital rotations in Austin begins! Frightening to think that I'll actually have some patient reaponsibilities, but I guess that's why I've been studying my face off for 2 years :)

MS2

so i realize i've been pretttty quiet on the blog front lately, but i've been a teensy bit busy! last week we had finals, and i finished out my first year of medical school! - so surreal. i feel like the year totally flew by! not that i'm complaining. life just goes by really fast when you are constantly counting down to an exam!

anyway, the year ended on a good note, and now i'm drowning in free time and not sure what to do with myself! it's so bizarre just sitting on the couch watching tv and surfing the web without feeling guilty! love.

this summer i'm staying in galveston to do research. we get elective credit that can buy us time off in 3rd and 4th year, plus research looks great on residency apps! yes, they are already freaking us out about applying for residency. no, i still have no idea what i want to do! i've got time, right?....

other summer plans include baking to my heart's content, volunteering at the free clinic, tutoring the incoming first years, going to the beach (so easy to forget i live half a mile away!), and playing with my friends! plus p90x. one of my guy friends recruited me to do it with him... wow, just wow. first day kicked my butt, primarily because it was about a bajillion pushups. today was the cardio workout: MUCH better! and it is so nice having a workout buddy - accountability and it makes you way less likely to crap out whenever you have someone yelling at you to keep going!

more posts to come! promise!

remember me?

remember that time i used to blog? yah, kind of fell off the bandwagon: oops.

so it's been about 2 months... but you haven't missed much! just more of the same. studying my face off and living for the weekend after the test! - the weekend after our midterm was super fun. we made homemade pizza, went out, and ended up going two-stepping :) - granted, i'm the world's worst dancer and can't follow anyone's lead to save my life, but it was fun nonetheless!

other updates... just committed to a summer research project in galv. it is clinically-based and has to do with the psychology of over-eating and food addictions. sounds pretty interesting! also means i'll be here all 8 weeks of summer with the exception of a weekend trip here and there. oh well, can't whine too much! besides, most of my friends will be in town, so it will be fun to actually be able to "be friends" without the stresses of constant studying!

also went and volunteered at the free clinic this week for the first time. it was so weird! we actually got to pretend we were doctors! i got to take the patient history, perform part of the physical, and almost got to do a PAP smear. too bad the lady had a tricky cervix... and by tricky i mean really high up and difficult to reach. wow - that must sound really bizarre to non-medical people. i'm so used to talking about weird body fluids/parts/functions with my friends like it's no big deal. i forget that IS NOT NORMAL, haha.

anyway, hopefully i'll be popping back in without waiting another 2 months!

BREAK!

have to start off with a NEWT photo dump since he has yet to make an appearance on the blog...

ANYWAY, 4 months of blood, sweat, tears, and cadaver juice later, i can finally say i survived my first semester of medical school! SUPER pumped. also pretty proud of myself for how well i did! exciting news: i scored the highest grade in the class on one of my finals :) - i think that might be a first ever. like including since kindergarten - haha, sad but true!

it is crazy how this time last week i was a ball of stress, and now i'm mellow as can be. i have no earthly idea what to do with this free time and have found myself taking 2 hour naps and going to be ridiculously early! i also started reading the hunger games and have done some baking. this past weekend, i got to celebrate lindsey's wedding with her and also enjoyed a mini-maas reunion with kara, cecilia, megan, and maddie! i also got to run back to galveston for a few days to play with my friends there, and we had the best beach bonfire! so fun! already looking forward to a repeat before school starts

it is definitely strange being back home, and i already miss my galveston life and friends! friday i am jumping a flight to pennsylvania to spend the holidays with my mom and her family, and then i'll be back for new year before heading back to galvy a few days early to party it up with my friends before the next semester

9.375% MD

survived yet another test! - which brings me one step closer to that MD :) - i'm officially up to being 9.375% of a doctor... yes, i do celebrate the litte things because if i didn't, i might go crazy!!!

we are down to a lab final, a practice of medicine final, and a biochem final. and then christmas... aka THREE weeks of NOTHINGNESS. guess who is excited?! especially since we are kicking off the break with lindsey's wedding! so excited for her and for a maastricht reunion!

in other news, if you haven't seen my facebook or twitter, i randomly decided to get a cat a few weeks ago. one morning, i saw a lizard dart across my kitchen floor. the next day i came home with a cat. logical? i'm not sure about that. but i haven't seen a single roach or another lizard since i've had him! anyway, he is a siamese mix with pretty blue eyes who i got from the galveston humane society. and while he is absolutely crazy cakes and drives me all sorts of insane, i love him terribly and don't think i could go back to living all by my lonesome. the con: everyone now seems to think i'm the crazy cat lady. and my friends totally like my cat more than me. but i think i can deal with that!

i'm learning entirely too much about my parenting style though, and it is scaring me! first off, i have definitely learned that i am NOT ready for a baby. i was starting to think that could be cute or whatever (i know, don't ask me why? must be my biological clock speaking), but having a cat has made me realize how selfish i am. so NOT ready to be completely about another person. additionally, i found myself feeling guilty for studying so much last week and ignoring the cat. so i bought him toys and a bed and other treats. why do i have a feeling that this will be me when i get older? "here kid, sorry i missed your _______. i was popping out a baby. but here's a ______ to make up for it" -- i really don't want to be THAT mom!!!

other exciting things lately:
- last night was our italian themed dinner party! all i have to say is that my friends are wonderful. and great cooks. and super hilarious. and it was exactly what i needed after the test! -- did i mention that i was so stressed that my muscles started aching, and i had acid reflux the morning of the test?! yah, ridiculous. never had these issues in undergrad...
- we also decided that we are going to have a friends thanksgiving on sunday! which has been abbreviated to "F-giving" -- kind of hilarious. i'm also converting all my friends over to pioneer woman. i just can't seem to understand why people would use any other recipe?!
- my friend Yara and I have decided to get on a gym kick. you know, with that whole bridesmaid thing coming up in a month. probably shouldn't have slacked off so long, but my life has been just a LITTLE bit busy
- super excited because my mom and sister are coming to stay with me on tuesday! and then wednesday i head home for thanksgiving. andddd NEWT gets to meet CLOE. should be all sorts of hilariousness since cloe has never had any other pet interaction in almost 12 years! eeek

okay, that's probably enough babbling. hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit! i definitely did once i saw the red cups at starbucks :) - that, and i can't wait to start baking pies! so happy!!

dinner parties!

so it seems my friends and i have started an awesome new tradition! last night was our 2nd dinner party! the theme was "fiesta," and we went all out with fajitas, beans, rice, guac, tortilla soup, dessert, etc - add to that hilarious convos, and it was an awesome night! have i mentioned how awesome med students are? so funny. and dorky. we may or may not have been criticizing grey's anatomy for their medical (in)accuracies.

AND we've already planned an italian themed dinner "partido!" for after the next test... bring.it.on.

also, i had my first skills exam this week... we learned how to do the head/neck exam, musculoskeletal exam, and heart/lungs/abdomen exam, and then we had to rotate through stations and perform the exams on standardized patients... well, this braniac attempted to feel for the heart on the RIGHT side. now i'm not sure how much you know about anatomy, but the heart definitely points towards the LEFT. luckily, i corrected myself and laughed it off. even better, i almost told the patient that i felt the heart beat on the right side, bahaha.

so we started a new unit called MCT: molecules, cells, and tissues. good news: we only spend 2 hours a week in lab instead of 10. bad news: i already miss anatomy! development, biochem, and histology are about to eat my lunch! but on the plus side, we only have 1-2 hours of lecture a day. and lots of days we have even less! bahaha - i'm really not sure how my friends go to class 9-5pm: CRAZY. i complain if i'm stuck in class past noon...

other than that, life is good! andddd halloween shenanigans are happening all weekend! hooray! pro for being in med school: you can still be immature college kids, and no one judges you for it.

sweet, sweet freedom!

just got out of my anatomy final, i can't even begin to tell you how happy i am right now! we had a 2 hour written exam this morning, followed by 2 (more) hours of cramming for the lab practical, and then a 2 hour lab practical.. BUT NOW WE ARE DONE!!! no more anatomy! no more formaldehyde!

and i am now 6.25% of a doctor :) - 1/4th of the way through my first year AND 1/2 way to christmas break :) - hoorayyyy!

it feels so good to lay on the couch, watch tv, read blogs, and NOT feel guilty about it for the first time in a whole month!! that's a LONG time to be so high-strung! i got out of the final and was hugging everyone and jumping up and down. and like yara says, i'm not a "huggy person!"

anyway, the plan is to clean my disgusting apartment then head to houston for the weekend. hana wants to carve pumpkins, go shopping, and play :) - i'm thinking that baking, running, and sleeping also need to happen! hopefully i'll snap a few pics to spice up the next blog entry. hope everyone enjoys their weekend!!!

why am i blogging

so it is wednesday night, and i have a test on friday morning... i should NOT be blogging. but i am... why? because i'm in a particularly good mood and figure i should document such an occasion.

have i mentioned how utmb is pretty much the perfect school for me? and how i'm so thankful that i did NOT get my way and end up at houston's med school? i totally love the people here. i love only going to class until noon. i love the atmosphere. i'm even kind of in love with galvatraz. i've only been off the island ONE day since school started, and i actually missed it while i was gone.

today was our LAST day of cadaver lab. kinda bittersweet. i do love dissecting. however, after 8 weeks in lab this semester, and 6 weeks in lab this summer, i'm a little bit over smelling like formaldehyde. so while i'll miss it, it will be nice to smell decently. and have more free time. CON: not having an excuse to wear scrubs to class on the daily. and see all the guys in scrubs. yes, i'll admit it. i'm a med student, and i find guys in scrubs to be 10x hotter.

other than that, life is good. i've been cooking a lot, have a trip to houston coming up this weekend, a "fiesta" with my friends on tuesday, and hopefully some beach time!

did i mention that as of friday's exam, i'll be 1/4th of the way through my first year?! that is UNREAL. we are like 10 days away from november. when did THAT happen?

oh and for kicks, i have been suffering from the plague all week. i have no idea what it is, but basically when i try to sleep at night, i wake up every few hours with insane coughing fits. it has been so bad that my abs are sore.

okay i really should go study now so that i DON'T have to write an 'i hate med school' post next week when i find out i failed my final... k bye!

drowning

it is saturday night here in the galv, and i'm spending the night at home. studying. like i have been all day. the test isn't for 2 weeks, but I AM DROWNING. it is amazing how much we have covered in 2 weeks.... ahhhhhh - do you know how many nerves and tiny muscles are in the head/neck?? about a million. believe it or not, med school is NOT as glamorous as you may think...

anyway, to catch-up, last weekend i ran home to houston and went to lindsey's first wedding shower! it was really fun getting to see her and finally help out with the wedding!

this week was busy busy. lots of class and studying. you know, the usual.

we did take a study break thursday night and had a dinner party + carved pumpkins!! let me just tell you, nerds take pumpkin carving seriously. we had a drill attachment specifically for hollowing out the pumpkins, a drimmel for more precise carving, and a probe stolen from anatomy lab. yep - it was pretty awesome.

last night, there was a fancy white coat dinner put on for the 1st years and utmb faculty. everyone got dressy and enjoyed a few hours away from textbooks!


anyway, i've probably wasted enough time now. back to the grind :X -- already counting down until the 21st!!! hurry up, freedom!

week 5

i swear my blog post titles are always in reference to time. but let's be real: med school is all about time. or the lack thereof. or the mismanagement of. or or or... you get my drift...

ANYWAY, test scores are in for round one, and the verdict is: i scored above average! while the psycho, almost 4.0 in undergrad inside of me was slightly put-off by being JUST above average, the logical side of me rememebered that the competition has obviously escalated since my baylor days. my days of easily being in the top of the class are OVER. womp womp. 3, 2, 1: I'm over it. good news is, the only real incentive for being in the very top of the class is if you want a specialty like dermatology or opthamology. yep, nope. so life is good!

so this week has been head and neck week. and unfortunately, that is continuing into next week as well. what is the problem you say? well, there is an unreasonable number of structures/tiny holes/vessels/nerves/details/details/details crammed into a TINY amount of space. and for someone who has never taken a neuro class, i feel like i'm learning a new language! zygomatic, orbicularis oris, pterygoid, depressor anguli oris, epicranial aponeurosis...... yah, you get the point. SO many new vocab words!!!

EVEN WORSE: my small group guilt-tripped me into being their contestant for med school jeopardy. i agreed before thinking i'd have to get up in front of people and attempt to regurgitate all these words that i can't remember let alone pronounce. should be all sorts of amusing.

in other news, headed to houston on friday! for the first time in 5 weeks! yes, i have been on this island for FIVE weeks. we were joking about how med school was like survivor... and how it was even funnier since we are literally ON AN ISLAND.

okay, so my brain stuff isn't going to learn itself. happy hump day!

freedom!

so i'm enjoying 2 sweet days of freedom after our first midterm! it is so nice to do NOTHING and not feel guilty! today is the first day in an entire month that i haven't had to study - woah. speaking of which, i have survived an entire MONTH! - honestly though, time is flying. i can't even believe it will be october next week! hoorayyy - bring on cooler weather, all things fall, AND what i'm most excited about: THE TOURISTS GOING AWAY!!! - you don't understand how obnoxious they are! guess i should have anticipated that moving to a beach town...

anyway, like i said, we had our first midterm yesterday! we had a 2.5 hour written portion, then a lunch break (i got subway and ate on the beach!), and then a 2 hour lab practical... grades are posted next week: crossing my fingers :) -- overall, i felt okay. the questions are obviously harder than undergrad - they don't test facts; they write clinical questions that you have to apply what you know to try and understand. if that makes any sense...

speaking of trying to apply what i've learned [which seems like a ton for a month!]... i went to walmart today and overheard the cashier talking about going to the doctor for shoulder pain. we had just gone over the shoulder joint and all the associated problems, so i definitely asked her for the details.... she asked me if i was in nursing school: NO!... anyway, apparently another cashier overheard our convo and stopped me and asked me about an ear problem she is having... UM I'VE ONLY BEEN IN SCHOOL FOR A MONTH. she seemed to think that that was adequate schooling to diagnose her and recommend medication. i told her we haven't even studied the ear yet... fail

other updates:
- this week was crazy cakes. everyone was super focused and went into lockdown mode. i spent THIRTY hours by myself in my apartment. embarrassed to admit this, but a lot of talking to myself happened. i didn't realize how psychotic i seem to go without social interaction!
- i also SINGLE-HANDEDLY cut out my cadaver's GI tract this week. tied off the esophagus and rectum and cut that baby out! liver included! i might love anatomy lab.
- went on a night walk on the beach! i was surprised to see how many people were out there swimming and stuff. it was fun!

anyway, off to enjoy more shenanigans before the whirlwind picks up again monday! hope yall have a wonderful weekend!

chugging along

today i logged NINE hours of studying. and i still feel way behind. and still overwhelmed by everything i need to learn by friday. BUT i know i'm not the only one!

started the day at the library at 9am - pretty sure i was the first person there: gunning! haha... hung out there until 2pm and then decided i desperately needed OUT!

after studying at home a few more hours, i started going a little crazy. limited human interaction + reading about testicles + realizing it is saturday night = STIR-CRAZY. luckily, my friend katie wanted to go walk along the beach! it was fun wandering along the beach at night - minus the random crabs and birds that were running around! sadly, that was my first time on the beach since i lived in galvy this summer. pathetic considering i only live 1/2 a mile away! but i guess that's med school for you...

anyway, enjoying some downtime before bed... i have a date with cadaver lab at 9am - woooooo.... (ps: did you know cadaver lab is open 24/7?? how creepy would it be to go at 4am?!)

3 weeks down!

i survived another week :) - in college, you celebrate semesters... in med school, i celebrate weeks :)

we are now officially one week away from our first test: the anatomy midterm! i can't tell you how excited i am about next friday night and NOT feeling like i should be studying 24/7!!!

on the plus side, i was sitting in the library this week, and i thought, "wow. i think i might actually like medical school" - i'll probably retract that statement soon, but for now, we are only studying anatomy, and i love it! please tell me what is cooler than studying yourself? totally useful, applicable info. and i love anatomy lab. if you asked me before school started, i would've guessed i'd be one of the kids that stood back and watched. FALSE. i want to dissect the entire 2 hours straight. SO FUN. i'm so weird... did i mention that i woke up one day last week with really sore shoulders and realized it was because i had the most intense day of dissecting the day before? yep, embarrassing.

and so that i remember this embarrassing story, we were in lab today talking about plastic surgery. one kid said he would hate to do boob jobs the rest of his life. another kid mentioned that plastic surgeons can specialize in other areas, like focusing on the hand. naturally i blurt out, "I'd rather do boob jobs than hand jobs!" -- WOW. 5 seconds later and i was TOMATO red, and my entire group was dying laughing. note to self: think things THROUGH your head before you talk.

also embarrassing, i definitely woke up at 4 am one day this week really tense and focused. i couldn't figure out what was going on... and then i realized that i was studying my anatomy atlas IN MY DREAM - wow. nerrrrrd.

hmm, what else... oh yah! i started running again! i ran a 5k in march, but i slacked off running after that. now that it is cooling off and i have a track outside my apartment, i'm starting back up! i'm halfway through couch-2-5k (same program i used last time), and i'm feeling good! i think running is a good outlet to have :)

anyway, going into crazy study mode for the next 6 days - eeeek.

staying afloat

survived week 2: hallelujah! talk about the longest 4 day week EVER! - i thought having a day off would make the week fly, but somehow i was wrong!

so thankful that UTMB only has half-days of class. i can't imagine going to school 9-5 like some of my friends! at the same time, i've found that extra time = extra procrastinating ;)... nap? walmart? kardashians? baking? -- it's all happened this week.

this week's wrapup isn't too exciting...
- anatomy continues... this week we tore apart the back and brachial plexus
- my allergies are in full swing. didn't realize this before moving here, but apparently galvy has massive amounts of allergens. lovellyyy. i need a frequent shopper card at walgreens.....
- held a study group at my apt last night! is it sad that is the first "get together" i've had at my place?
- first test is in TWO weeks. aka: everyone is starting to panic! i'm not freaking out yet because a lot of the material we covered this summer. so luckily, most of this is a review, but i'm sure the adrenaline will start pumping soon!
- decided to bring running back into my life! cooler mornings = super motivational! it's also pretty convenient that the track is a 5 second walk from my apartment :) -- it is hard to get up at 6am, but once i'm up, it's all good! watching sunrise is nice too! -- hoping to run along the beach soon :)
- speaking of the beach, i live HALF a mile away. and i NEVER see the beach. sad day.

hope everyone has a lovely weekend! i'm planning on studying, r&r, running, and cooking :)

picture post!

so i officially survived my first week! and was rewarded with a wonderful 3 day weekend! super happy. even happier that a 3 day weekend = a 4 day school week! hallelujah! -- after a busy, exhausting week, i've enjoyed a relaxing weekend. i went out with some friends on friday for pizza and to hangout. then saturday, my dad brought my sister down to stay with me, and we've just been hanging out. watching the kardashians of course. for some reason, E! has been showing a kardashians marathon, and it is totally killing my study time. i just can't turn it off, ugh.

anyway, thought i would share a few pictures! here is my lovely kitchen! teeny tiny (there is a counter and sink on the other side), but not much counter space! oh well, less to clean :)

lots of de-stress baking happened! luckily, i have friends who have no problem taking cookie dough and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins off my hands!

THREE weeks after my couches arrived, my end tables and coffee table FINALLY arrived!!! so nice to not have my lamp sitting on a rubbermaid storage box! happy day.

picture day (yes, we had to wear our white coats)! too bad my self-portrait came out better than my real picture :( - not to mention that the photographer suggested i smile WITHOUT teeth. what is he trying to say?

and for kicks, a picture with Cloe on my last night at home. miss that furball already!!!

hope you all enjoy your labor day weekend! i know i am! although i do have more studying to do (ALWAYYYS!)

skooool

so today is wednesday! we are halfway through the first week - although i feel like i've already been here a whole semester! unlike undergrad, med school started for real on day one. we had a 2 minute "welcome to utmb" speech, and then we had an hour lecture and headed into anatomy! not to mention that studying started day one :(( -- oh undergrad, i miss you!

highlights of the week so far:
- CUTTING OUT A HEART AND HOLDING IT IN MY HANDS!!! - wow. one of the coolest things of my life. i don't even know how to describe it. especially when you realize that kept someone ALIVE for 73 years. at (an average) of 70 beats a minute. wow.
- holding a pair of lungs was also cool. super squishy! but compared to the heart..
- my awesome small group mentors - one is a pediatric ENT, and the other is a surgeon - they lead our group called "practice of medicine" and basically teach us doctoring skills and how to think like a doctor... and they are both really fun and eager to teach!
- fun classmates!

low points:
- being EXHAUSTED.
- not being used to studying. even in undergrad, i could get away with taking days off. NOT true anymoreeeeeee
- feeling overwhelmed! and feeling like some of my classmates already know everything.

anyway, i should probably stop procrastinating, turn off the kardashians, and get to work on learning all this cardiac anatomy! only 3.98 more years until i'm a doctor, ha.

last day

so today was my last day of freedom! until the afternoon of september 23rd at least! while i'm sure i'll have a spare moment here and there, it will definitely be high stress until then! (our anatomy midterm)

anyway, tomorrow is the first day of class - we have lecture at 8, lab from 9-11, small group from 11-12, lunch 12-1, and our practice of medicine group from 1-4! -- it is definitely going to be a longggg day!

tomorrow is also a big day because we meet the cadaver we will be spending the next 8 weeks with! keeping my fingers crossed for a good one! that sounds weird, but let's just say some are easier to dissect and identify things on than others...

so just for memory's sake, i spent my last day at home this morning, then drove back to galvy, shopped at HEB, baked cookies, watched the kardashians, and pretended to read over stuff for tomorrow...

hopefully you'll be hearing from me again soon! i'm STILL waiting to post apartment pics because my coffee table and end tables have yet to arrive. they are only TWO weeks late. and will end up being THREE weeks late if they arrive as expected (not holding my breath!)

ok - need to go to sleep. day one of being a medical student happens tomorrow. i still can't wrap my brain around that!

year one!

so my blog "a year reclaimed" is hopefully going to end up chronicling my first year of med school! i'm going to attempt to check in every so often, but i'm not making any promises! i hear life is about to get nutzo, and i've heard the "time management" lecture about 100 times now...

anyway, i drove down to galveston on friday and moved in the last of my things! i'm still waiting on my coffee table and end tables to be delivered this coming friday, but other than that, my apartment is starting to feel homey :) - planning on a few more decorations here and there, but i've definitely made progress from just having a lawn chair in the living room!!

please check out the lovely packing box end table i set-up to improvise in the meantime! will post more apartment pics once everything is in place!

saturday was our first day of orientation - nothing terribly exciting. however, i did get to meet lots of my classmates, and everyone i've met so far is really chill and easy to talk to! i'm excited to have ended up somewhere with a good sense of community instead of a super competitive place! school is hard either way, but i think it will make it a lot more bearable with fun classmates!

this morning was our white coat ceremony! up to this point, i didn't really feel like a medical student. but after being coated and introduced as the class of 2015, i'm starting to warm up to the idea of being a MS1!! weird to FINALLY be a medical student after saying i was pre-med for like a decade (or more!!)

big thanks to my dad and sister for coming in to town for the ceremony and helping to set-up my apartment! it was nice having family in town even if it was just for the afternoon!

anyway, we are continuing orientation this week through thursday. lots of exciting sessions about hippa, safety, and how-to sessions to come... luckily they've scheduled lots of fun things as well! class officially starts on monday the 29th - first up is gross anatomy!