Playing with animals

First week of classes went pretty well. We had a lot of clinic based stuff for lectures, and we started diagnostic imaging (so cool!). I ended up missing one day to wait for my beautiful, wonderful, memory foam mattress to arrive. It was worth it. I have never slept better in my life. And it's a major improvement over my mattress in College Grove.

Stuff to look forward to this week: hematology, vomiting and regurgitation in small animals, and an animal handling exam.

Yup, that's right. Second week of classes and I already have an exam. I did know about it since last year, and I did a bit of studying over summer break, but not really. It's really 5 stations of different animal handling scenarios and we need to show that we are proficient at each. Shouldn't be too hard, hopefully.

Leaving on a jet plane

Well, the summer is officially over. My flight to Heathrow is tonight, so I'll be back and in my new house in about oh...15 or so hours? School starts on the 19th. That means I have 4 days to acclimate to UK time, arrange my room, order a mattress, and have homework-free fun.

It's been a good summer, minus the whole mess with Tropical Storm Irene and being without power for 3 and a half days. I visited my best friend S. and her husband, spent time with my grandparents, hung out with friends in Providence...couldn't have had a better time.

And now, back to reality.

10 years.

By this time last year, I was already getting settled into my room at that place my brain has blocked the name of (it was pretty bad) in London. I was tired, dirty, and probably asleep (I stupidly took a nap). Maybe I was eating dinner.

But 10 years ago, I was just getting out of school, still in shock about the events of the day. I was probably waiting for my sister to walk down with me to her car. We were all zombies, in a way, since our innocence was taken from us so swiftly that day.

I've been watching bits and pieces of the memorial that is happening at Ground Zero today. I can't watch all of it, since it's making me too emotional. Has it really been 10 years? Was I really only a teenager when all this happened? I was in Chemistry class when we heard about the first tower being hit, and by lunchtime it was all over school. Terrorist attack, the towers have fallen, etc etc. It didn't really sink in until they replayed the footage of the South Tower collapsing. All I could think was, "I have family that works near that site. Did they get out? Are they still alive?"

I keep hoping that this immense tragedy will keep this country together, that our shared grief and shock will somehow help remind us that we are all Americans and are working towards the same goal: a better future for us and our children. I think we've lost sight of that in the past few years.

Time's almost up!

In a month, I'll be recovering from jet lag in my new place near the Hawkshead campus. And preparing to go to Oktoberfest (possibly).

It's strange how a whole month has gone by and it doesn't feel like I've really been here all that long. Visiting family and hanging out with friends has basically been the bulk of my activities since I've gotten back, with placements sprinkled in the mix (started the last one today!) This next month is sure to pass by quickly as well. The next two weeks I'll be working with lab animals for my last placement, going down to NJ to celebrate my roommate J's birthday, before I then go visit my best friend at the end of the month, followed by visiting another friend before going to her wedding at the beginning of September.

Phew. Busy last month in the states. I better fit in finishing my AHEMS write-up stuff in there too.

Goodness.

You never really know what loud is until you have a screaming piglet near your face because you're trying to inject them with anthelmintics. I don't think my ears will EVER stop ringing.

But the little piglets are so adorable! And the mamas are surprisingly sweet as well. Except when you try to take their babies away from them to treat them.

5 more days of pigs, then a week off for friends/family fun, then doing lab animal work for 2 weeks. After that, I'm done with AHEMS.

Just 6 weeks left until I go back to London!

Off to the pig farm I go!

On Saturday, I'm taking a ferry over to Long Island to start my pig placement. While I'm not the biggest fan of pigs, there is a giant perk to this placement: it's situated about 10 minutes from my grandparents' house on LI. Free accommodation, home cooking every night, and extra time with my grandparents? Yes, please.

If you couldn't tell from my previous post, I passed my G year! I ended up with Merit, which is kinda like a B. So yay! On to 3rd year I go.

Back in the USA!

I'm home! I have my dogs around me. I'm an extremely happy camper. I managed to stay awake on the flight, even though I got into Boston at 3am UK time. When I walked into the main part of the airport, I saw my dad almost immediately, got a little too excited and I almost ran some poor guy over.And then we walked to the car and discovered that my sister and my father had brought my sweet girl Bailey to the airport with them. What a homecoming! It was great.

If you reading and sort of confused, it's ok. I decided to only do one week at Wimbledon and fly home early to spend more time before going to my pig placement in NY. That means more time with my sister, more time with my friends, and more time to recover from jet lag.

Exam results come out in about 45 minutes, so today will either be a very good day...or a very bad day. We'll see.

EDIT:

It is a VERY good day. :D