Hi there; Birdie here!
It is 8 am, I am in class, I got home at 1 in the morning last night, and I'm the happiest I've been...definitely this semester, at least. Last night was a friend's birthday (my study buddy's boyfriend). I made an experimental vanilla Coke cake--it was triple vanilla, actually, since I 1) subbed in vanilla powder for the cocoa powder in the recipe, 2) used vanilla Coke, and 3) threw in some vanilla sugar for good measure. It actually turned out really well (it tastes like a buttery baked good, and possibly a bit like butterbeer), and he loved it! And since we don't have another test until next Friday, we had a game night! We played Super Munchkin, and it was soooo fun! All 3 of us got really close to winning, and I lost my winning battle by 1 level. But in the end, the birthday boy won. Then we just hung out and discussed life and DnD and everything. It was just so good.
And then today after classes, I get to go home for break! I'm so excited. I'm gonna go sit in my beanbag chair (which arrived after I left for school) and read a book! Ok, I'm not really excited about the dentist thing tomorrow, but it's still probably better than being in class. Of course I'm still going to need to study over break, but not as hardcore as usual, which is nice. Oh, today we start our last new (non-PBL) class. We have one hour of it, last thing of the day, right before break. I'm not sure why they did that.
Yesterday's pharm exam...well, I'm not really sure how it went. There were fully a quarter of the questions that I wasn't sure on. It'll probably be fine, and I most likely passed, but I won't really know until we get the results back. After break, I guess. I did get my systemic path exam back, and I aced it, so that makes me feel better about things. Still waiting on parasitology exam back, too, and that wasn't great. But all that can wait until after break.
My new camera came in earlier this week! I'm really excited about the new camera. It's really nice, and I didn't have to get the most expensive one (it wasn't actually that much better). I haven't picked it up yet though because I'm still waiting on the Best Buy manager to get back to me on the Josh Project donation. I have been trying to get him on the phone all week, but apparently now he's on vacation until Sunday. Still, it's better than if he was going to be in tomorrow when I'm with my parents and won't be able to deal with that.
I'm just gonna throw in another plug for how much I love my li'l sib. I've just run into him a couple of times in the hall (once after one of the failed attempts to talk to Best Buy), and his enthusiasm just makes me feel better about vet school and everything.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
It's been a long week
Hi there; Birdie here!
It's been a long week, but it went so quickly! The parasit exam was today, and I don't think it went great. I don't think I failed, but whether I did well is going to depend a lot on how well I guessed. I thought the lab portion went better...until people were asking me about it afterwards and it turns out I totally messed up something I thought I had. I also didn't realize until a few days ago that our pharm exam is next week, and by that time I was worrying about parasit too much to deal with it, so I haven't studied that at all. Luckily I've got all weekend to work on it--I'm going to work really hard this weekend, and really look forward to next week after the exam! On Tuesday I'm doing a game night at my friend's house for her boyfriend's birthday, and then Wednesday night I'll be going home for fall break! Unfortunately, most of the reason I'm actually going home is that I have to go to the dentist because my face decided to hate me this summer. But other than that, home will be nice, and I might even go to a convention on Saturday--haven't decided yet.
Josh Project is going better than I'd hoped though, or at least asking for donations (to be prizes for the chili cookoff) did. I've gotta say, we have the greatest pitch; who doesn't want to help give cute animals to sick kids? Every place we went to, the person we spoke with seemed interested in helping us. We even got one set of items to put as a prize already. I may have gotten our first prize, too; I went to exchange my new camera (I got a sweet new camera! A really nice one.), I talked with a manager and asked for a certain electronic that would make a fantastic first prize. He said he could definitely help me out, but I haven't been able to get in contact with him since. And I'd really like to since the camera's in now and I really don't want to drive there more than I have to. It's very inconvenient. None of the other stores has gotten back to us either, as far as I know at least. Every c/o 2017 committee member's email was on the letter, so maybe they emailed someone else and I just haven't heard.
This is one of those weeks where I got free lunch every day because I went to so many meetings. I saw my li'l sib at most of them, too...I guess he's being like me and going to basically everything. "Because knowledge is power, you know?" It was kind of nice to hear him say that today, actually. I've been kind of over it and not really wanting to pay attention to the talks and stuff, but today it was better. The fact that it was interesting stories instead of farm animal stuff that's irrelevant to my life probably helped. I do want to learn how to work with farm animals, but their presentation just seemed a lot more intensely farm animal focused than I am. Also, their main club thing is rounds, which mean skipping lunch. And I'd rather do rounds on species I'll actually work with. So I'm not doing farm animal club this year.
I did join critical care club this year because (like internal med), their meetings are interesting and informative, so even if I can't make the wetlabs, it's worth it. I really hope I can make wetlabs for things other than my officer clubs, but unfortunately it seems like things keep being scheduled the same day. Technically I could do the trach tube ECC wetlab and the path wetlab that are the same day, but that's a long day and I'm not sure I can spare it. And I'm really upset about missing the surgery club wetlab AGAIN. I forget what it was last year, but this year it's the same day as the chili cookoff. And as a committee member, I'm pretty sure I need to be there to set up and not roll in late after learning how to suture.
The meeting on Wednesday was our Phi Zeta meeting with (one of) the speakers. It was actually the one whose talk I didn't go to, since I spent those 2 hours studying instead--and the new dean didn't come talk to us! That was one of the ones where I had trouble paying attention, honestly. I think that was around the time I realized how behind I was on studying for pharm. But two of my classmates placed in the poster competition, so I'm really happy for them. I also talked with someone who did summer scholars last year, because I think I'm going to apply this year. I really want to do something actually vet related this summer. And still make money, but I think the part about being able to put it on my resume is a little more important now. The only thing is that I only have (an estimate of) 10 weeks, not the whole summer--because my family is going to Italy, and I'm not going to say no to that! I'm really really excited about the trip, especially since Italy is next on my list of Places I Really Want To Go.
I rode the same horse twice now! His name is Krewe, and he reminds me of my favorite horse at the barn I rode at in high school--mostly because he also likes to hold his head up higher than normal horses. He's very good, and I think I was on him again because my instructor wants me to ride him in the student show coming up in October. She told me about the show and about a clinic that are coming up this semester that she wants me to ride in, which makes me feel pretty good. We've also been doing a little more complex stuff in my lessons, like a bending line and a sort of mini course with a gymnastic around to a single jump. Yesterday she had me go around in half seat at the walk with no stirrups--I think that might be even harder than posting without stirrups! We also did a thing where the 4 people in my group did the course one at a time and then the others said something they liked about the ride and something they didn't. I'm still kind of frustrated sometimes at being worse than I was before I didn't ride for a year, so hearing the positives made me feel somewhat better! I heard some bad news, though, about another horse at the barn, Omega, who colicked and died. I never got to ride him, but I wanted to, and I'm sad for him.
One happier note so I don't end my post on that: I got to go see The Maze Runner with a couple of my friends from school, and that was a lot of fun (even if the book was, as always, better). Now I'm going to try and get some studying done. Local anesthetics and autonomic nervous system, here I come!
It's been a long week, but it went so quickly! The parasit exam was today, and I don't think it went great. I don't think I failed, but whether I did well is going to depend a lot on how well I guessed. I thought the lab portion went better...until people were asking me about it afterwards and it turns out I totally messed up something I thought I had. I also didn't realize until a few days ago that our pharm exam is next week, and by that time I was worrying about parasit too much to deal with it, so I haven't studied that at all. Luckily I've got all weekend to work on it--I'm going to work really hard this weekend, and really look forward to next week after the exam! On Tuesday I'm doing a game night at my friend's house for her boyfriend's birthday, and then Wednesday night I'll be going home for fall break! Unfortunately, most of the reason I'm actually going home is that I have to go to the dentist because my face decided to hate me this summer. But other than that, home will be nice, and I might even go to a convention on Saturday--haven't decided yet.
Josh Project is going better than I'd hoped though, or at least asking for donations (to be prizes for the chili cookoff) did. I've gotta say, we have the greatest pitch; who doesn't want to help give cute animals to sick kids? Every place we went to, the person we spoke with seemed interested in helping us. We even got one set of items to put as a prize already. I may have gotten our first prize, too; I went to exchange my new camera (I got a sweet new camera! A really nice one.), I talked with a manager and asked for a certain electronic that would make a fantastic first prize. He said he could definitely help me out, but I haven't been able to get in contact with him since. And I'd really like to since the camera's in now and I really don't want to drive there more than I have to. It's very inconvenient. None of the other stores has gotten back to us either, as far as I know at least. Every c/o 2017 committee member's email was on the letter, so maybe they emailed someone else and I just haven't heard.
This is one of those weeks where I got free lunch every day because I went to so many meetings. I saw my li'l sib at most of them, too...I guess he's being like me and going to basically everything. "Because knowledge is power, you know?" It was kind of nice to hear him say that today, actually. I've been kind of over it and not really wanting to pay attention to the talks and stuff, but today it was better. The fact that it was interesting stories instead of farm animal stuff that's irrelevant to my life probably helped. I do want to learn how to work with farm animals, but their presentation just seemed a lot more intensely farm animal focused than I am. Also, their main club thing is rounds, which mean skipping lunch. And I'd rather do rounds on species I'll actually work with. So I'm not doing farm animal club this year.
I did join critical care club this year because (like internal med), their meetings are interesting and informative, so even if I can't make the wetlabs, it's worth it. I really hope I can make wetlabs for things other than my officer clubs, but unfortunately it seems like things keep being scheduled the same day. Technically I could do the trach tube ECC wetlab and the path wetlab that are the same day, but that's a long day and I'm not sure I can spare it. And I'm really upset about missing the surgery club wetlab AGAIN. I forget what it was last year, but this year it's the same day as the chili cookoff. And as a committee member, I'm pretty sure I need to be there to set up and not roll in late after learning how to suture.
The meeting on Wednesday was our Phi Zeta meeting with (one of) the speakers. It was actually the one whose talk I didn't go to, since I spent those 2 hours studying instead--and the new dean didn't come talk to us! That was one of the ones where I had trouble paying attention, honestly. I think that was around the time I realized how behind I was on studying for pharm. But two of my classmates placed in the poster competition, so I'm really happy for them. I also talked with someone who did summer scholars last year, because I think I'm going to apply this year. I really want to do something actually vet related this summer. And still make money, but I think the part about being able to put it on my resume is a little more important now. The only thing is that I only have (an estimate of) 10 weeks, not the whole summer--because my family is going to Italy, and I'm not going to say no to that! I'm really really excited about the trip, especially since Italy is next on my list of Places I Really Want To Go.
I rode the same horse twice now! His name is Krewe, and he reminds me of my favorite horse at the barn I rode at in high school--mostly because he also likes to hold his head up higher than normal horses. He's very good, and I think I was on him again because my instructor wants me to ride him in the student show coming up in October. She told me about the show and about a clinic that are coming up this semester that she wants me to ride in, which makes me feel pretty good. We've also been doing a little more complex stuff in my lessons, like a bending line and a sort of mini course with a gymnastic around to a single jump. Yesterday she had me go around in half seat at the walk with no stirrups--I think that might be even harder than posting without stirrups! We also did a thing where the 4 people in my group did the course one at a time and then the others said something they liked about the ride and something they didn't. I'm still kind of frustrated sometimes at being worse than I was before I didn't ride for a year, so hearing the positives made me feel somewhat better! I heard some bad news, though, about another horse at the barn, Omega, who colicked and died. I never got to ride him, but I wanted to, and I'm sad for him.
One happier note so I don't end my post on that: I got to go see The Maze Runner with a couple of my friends from school, and that was a lot of fun (even if the book was, as always, better). Now I'm going to try and get some studying done. Local anesthetics and autonomic nervous system, here I come!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Deep breath
Hi there; Birdie here!
Yesterday was our first systemic path exam, and our next exam isn't until next Friday (parasitology), so I'm enjoying a bit of a breather. Yesterday I pretty much aggressively did nothing useful (youtube and video games ftw) and ordered Chinese food for dinner. It was a nice break, and I kind of need it after a marathon of Parasit Friday-Pharm Tuesday-Endocrine Friday-Path Tuesday. Welcome to second year? That's definitely going to be happening a few more times this semester...
The pharm exam was kind of a mess. We only had 50 minutes for the exam, when literally every other class gives us 2 hours even if we really don't need it. AND we had 51 questions--less than a minute per question, and 12 questions more than that exam's had in previous years. AND a good deal of the questions were intense critical thinking, like "which of the following is composed of only true statements?" which is basically 4 true or false questions in one. It was not great. We got the grades for that yesterday, and the course coordinator gave us 6 points back on it, and we're all really grateful for that. I'm actually happy with my grade now with those added points!
The weekend I mostly spent studying, because pharm is a big deal. But I did have a nice surprise--my dad was in town, so we got to meet up for breakfast. That was really nice. We also tried to get my new phone, but I want to try out the iPhone 6 before I decide if I'm going to get a 5 or a 6 and they didn't have a demo yet. Oh, and on Friday we had a spontaneous movie night! We made brownies and a frozen pizza and watched The Black Swan--me and my first year roommate and another friend. I wound up not going to the football game, though, and I didn't even manage to give my ticket to anyone. Maybe I'll go this weekend? I am also going shopping with my sister on Saturday, too, so I'm not sure if I'll be ready to leave for football two hours before kickoff like I need to to get parking.
Last week, Aimee rode with me at my lesson! She was on a cute old bay named Jesse, and I had a cranky mare named Baby. Baby did not like being near other horses, so it was a little stressful keeping her away from everyone else, especially since we were all in the indoor. My instructor said she liked the way I rode Baby, though!
I'm pretty happy with how our first pathology club meeting went! A pretty good number of people showed up (not like surgery club levels of attendance, but still) and we had good food and I was able to get the drinks and I think the pathologists did a good job selling why pathology is important even if you don't want to specialize. I know we gained at least one member, too--my little sib!
Speaking of my little sib, the first years are having their first anatomy exam today and yesterday. Apparently my test file was pretty helpful--when I texted my li'l sib Good luck, he said I was the best big sib! So that makes me really happy.
There were a bunch of club meetings, too, since I've last written. Surgery club--I'm not sure whether I'll be able to make it to the suture wetlab this year, either; I think it's the same day as the Josh Project chili cookoff. VBMA--a very uplifting (sarcasm) talk about life insurance and disability insurance. Also a lab animal club meeting I went to mostly for the food, and it didn't change my mind at all about not being in that club.
And speaking of Josh Project...I'm kind of regretting being on the committee. But I'm basically the only one from my class who consistently shows up, so if I don't do it, no one else will. We have to start working on the chili cookoff approximately now; in fact, the second year members are having a meeting about it today at lunch.
Tonight I'm going to work on studying parasitology (because, of course, we still have a quiz on Friday), and (hopefully, if it works out) chatting with my undergrad friends. I'm looking forward to spending this weekend doing some things that aren't studying! Even if I should probably get started studying for my next couple of exams...that'll happen, too.
Yesterday was our first systemic path exam, and our next exam isn't until next Friday (parasitology), so I'm enjoying a bit of a breather. Yesterday I pretty much aggressively did nothing useful (youtube and video games ftw) and ordered Chinese food for dinner. It was a nice break, and I kind of need it after a marathon of Parasit Friday-Pharm Tuesday-Endocrine Friday-Path Tuesday. Welcome to second year? That's definitely going to be happening a few more times this semester...
The pharm exam was kind of a mess. We only had 50 minutes for the exam, when literally every other class gives us 2 hours even if we really don't need it. AND we had 51 questions--less than a minute per question, and 12 questions more than that exam's had in previous years. AND a good deal of the questions were intense critical thinking, like "which of the following is composed of only true statements?" which is basically 4 true or false questions in one. It was not great. We got the grades for that yesterday, and the course coordinator gave us 6 points back on it, and we're all really grateful for that. I'm actually happy with my grade now with those added points!
The weekend I mostly spent studying, because pharm is a big deal. But I did have a nice surprise--my dad was in town, so we got to meet up for breakfast. That was really nice. We also tried to get my new phone, but I want to try out the iPhone 6 before I decide if I'm going to get a 5 or a 6 and they didn't have a demo yet. Oh, and on Friday we had a spontaneous movie night! We made brownies and a frozen pizza and watched The Black Swan--me and my first year roommate and another friend. I wound up not going to the football game, though, and I didn't even manage to give my ticket to anyone. Maybe I'll go this weekend? I am also going shopping with my sister on Saturday, too, so I'm not sure if I'll be ready to leave for football two hours before kickoff like I need to to get parking.
Last week, Aimee rode with me at my lesson! She was on a cute old bay named Jesse, and I had a cranky mare named Baby. Baby did not like being near other horses, so it was a little stressful keeping her away from everyone else, especially since we were all in the indoor. My instructor said she liked the way I rode Baby, though!
I'm pretty happy with how our first pathology club meeting went! A pretty good number of people showed up (not like surgery club levels of attendance, but still) and we had good food and I was able to get the drinks and I think the pathologists did a good job selling why pathology is important even if you don't want to specialize. I know we gained at least one member, too--my little sib!
Speaking of my little sib, the first years are having their first anatomy exam today and yesterday. Apparently my test file was pretty helpful--when I texted my li'l sib Good luck, he said I was the best big sib! So that makes me really happy.
There were a bunch of club meetings, too, since I've last written. Surgery club--I'm not sure whether I'll be able to make it to the suture wetlab this year, either; I think it's the same day as the Josh Project chili cookoff. VBMA--a very uplifting (sarcasm) talk about life insurance and disability insurance. Also a lab animal club meeting I went to mostly for the food, and it didn't change my mind at all about not being in that club.
And speaking of Josh Project...I'm kind of regretting being on the committee. But I'm basically the only one from my class who consistently shows up, so if I don't do it, no one else will. We have to start working on the chili cookoff approximately now; in fact, the second year members are having a meeting about it today at lunch.
Tonight I'm going to work on studying parasitology (because, of course, we still have a quiz on Friday), and (hopefully, if it works out) chatting with my undergrad friends. I'm looking forward to spending this weekend doing some things that aren't studying! Even if I should probably get started studying for my next couple of exams...that'll happen, too.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Oh yes, this is second year
Hi there; Birdie here!
Today we had our first parasitology exam. Two exams, kind of, because we had a written in the morning and a lab practical in the afternoon. Neither of them was that bad, really, and I think I did pretty well on both of them. But I spent a lot of time on that class (especially if you count the time I spent studying for the 2 weekly quizzes on some of that material), and I don't really want to spend this evening studying, too. BUT since this is second year and we have two tests nearly every week, and at least one test every week but two (and one of them was last week), I already need to get on that. Especially since next week we have our first exam in Pharmacology, which as I understand it is basically the anatomy of second year. So I'm pretty worried about it. I haven't actually gotten to that studying yet...but I should at least get something done tonight.
Other than lots of studying, our first and uneventful DIC meeting, and a therio club meeting I attended purely for the free pizza, this week wasn't too exciting. I did order coveralls, though--therio club is selling embroidered coveralls as a fundraiser, and once we get them I can probably wear them to path club's big wetlabs, too. So that's cool.
This year my big sib didn't pass on anything, so I'm compiling a bunch of virtual resources onto a flash drive for my li'l sib. Today I actually got an email, though, from a friend in 4th year with a bunch of electronic resources that should be super helpful! I'm really glad for that. It's nice to not constantly have to rely on what other people put on dropbox.
I went to the Doctor Who viewing at the Mexican restaurant, too. I've probably mentioned it before, since I went for the 50th and also last week. I haven't found a good way to watch online, and since Certain People like to give me random comments about the episodes on Saturdays when they come out, I want to watch them as soon as possible. Which is apparently on Tuesdays at dinner. For the 50th and the first episode with the 12th doctor, it was a really good experience. Everyone was really excited, and it helped me get into the episode. This week, though, it was less great. I missed a bit of the beginning due to being stuck in traffic, and then people were kind of loud and made it harder to watch. One guy even wanted to do introductions and stuff in the middle of the episode. Like, I thought this was a Doctor Who viewing group? I'm not against a bit of commentary, but can we respect the show enough to not carry on unrelated conversations while I'm watching the new episode for the first time? So I don't know if I'm going back next Tuesday. When I was driving home, I was thinking definitely not. But, well, I still don't have a good alternative to watch the episode. So we'll see.
I also had my second riding lesson. This time I was on a bay mare named Lily, and all the lessons rode inside because it was raining. I will never get over being thankful for having an indoor arena--before I went to college, the barn where I rode had a few different rings, but none that were covered. So I've had several lessons canceled just because it rained. But this week, I still got to ride! There was a little gymnastic set up with 3 pretty low jumps that we went over a few times. We were pretty good, except that Lily kept landing on the wrong lead...even though the correct lead was the one she usually picks up automatically. So that's on me. I got the correct lead a few times, but mostly it was wrong. Especially at the end when I was jumping with one hand behind my back. At the very end of the lesson, my instructor asked me to post the trot with no stirrups for half a lap. I used to do no-stirrups work all the time in undergrad, and I really want to be good at it (and to get my muscle back)...plus, even in the huge ring we were working in, half a lap isn't much. So I did a lap and a half. I probably could have finished a full two laps except that my instructor asked me to come back in. So that, at least, made me feel pretty good about myself.
You know how last weekend was the first LSU football game? This weekend is the first home game. I've got a ticket, because my dad made me buy the season pass, and it's surprising how difficult it is to get rid of! I've messaged two people already who were looking to get a ticket, but one meant for next weekend and the other already decided not to go. So now I've got a couple more facebook messages waiting in the ether for the person to hopefully see it and respond...hopefully both of them don't try to take me up on it! And no, I really don't want to actually go to the game. See: pharm test on Tuesday.
Despite all that studying, I've also been doing some reading just for myself. I don't usually go for nonfiction (although there's a lot more of it on my to-read list now than there has been in the past), but I'm currently reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I'm about halfway to 2/3 of the way through it now, and it's really interesting. Sometimes I get kind of irritated, but generally the author seems to realize the importance of balance more than pushing an "Introvert Ideal" to counter the Extrovert Ideal she talks about. It also brings up a lot of questions that I find interesting, especially with my psych major background. Sometimes I wish I were having a conversation with her about this stuff instead of just reading it so I could ask her a bunch of questions (though, admittedly, frequently those questions are about what the control group was or how significance was calculated, for experiments she didn't even run). I haven't finished it yet, but I'm hoping to read the rest this weekend probably. You know, in between all the studying that also needs to happen.
Today we had our first parasitology exam. Two exams, kind of, because we had a written in the morning and a lab practical in the afternoon. Neither of them was that bad, really, and I think I did pretty well on both of them. But I spent a lot of time on that class (especially if you count the time I spent studying for the 2 weekly quizzes on some of that material), and I don't really want to spend this evening studying, too. BUT since this is second year and we have two tests nearly every week, and at least one test every week but two (and one of them was last week), I already need to get on that. Especially since next week we have our first exam in Pharmacology, which as I understand it is basically the anatomy of second year. So I'm pretty worried about it. I haven't actually gotten to that studying yet...but I should at least get something done tonight.
Other than lots of studying, our first and uneventful DIC meeting, and a therio club meeting I attended purely for the free pizza, this week wasn't too exciting. I did order coveralls, though--therio club is selling embroidered coveralls as a fundraiser, and once we get them I can probably wear them to path club's big wetlabs, too. So that's cool.
This year my big sib didn't pass on anything, so I'm compiling a bunch of virtual resources onto a flash drive for my li'l sib. Today I actually got an email, though, from a friend in 4th year with a bunch of electronic resources that should be super helpful! I'm really glad for that. It's nice to not constantly have to rely on what other people put on dropbox.
I went to the Doctor Who viewing at the Mexican restaurant, too. I've probably mentioned it before, since I went for the 50th and also last week. I haven't found a good way to watch online, and since Certain People like to give me random comments about the episodes on Saturdays when they come out, I want to watch them as soon as possible. Which is apparently on Tuesdays at dinner. For the 50th and the first episode with the 12th doctor, it was a really good experience. Everyone was really excited, and it helped me get into the episode. This week, though, it was less great. I missed a bit of the beginning due to being stuck in traffic, and then people were kind of loud and made it harder to watch. One guy even wanted to do introductions and stuff in the middle of the episode. Like, I thought this was a Doctor Who viewing group? I'm not against a bit of commentary, but can we respect the show enough to not carry on unrelated conversations while I'm watching the new episode for the first time? So I don't know if I'm going back next Tuesday. When I was driving home, I was thinking definitely not. But, well, I still don't have a good alternative to watch the episode. So we'll see.
I also had my second riding lesson. This time I was on a bay mare named Lily, and all the lessons rode inside because it was raining. I will never get over being thankful for having an indoor arena--before I went to college, the barn where I rode had a few different rings, but none that were covered. So I've had several lessons canceled just because it rained. But this week, I still got to ride! There was a little gymnastic set up with 3 pretty low jumps that we went over a few times. We were pretty good, except that Lily kept landing on the wrong lead...even though the correct lead was the one she usually picks up automatically. So that's on me. I got the correct lead a few times, but mostly it was wrong. Especially at the end when I was jumping with one hand behind my back. At the very end of the lesson, my instructor asked me to post the trot with no stirrups for half a lap. I used to do no-stirrups work all the time in undergrad, and I really want to be good at it (and to get my muscle back)...plus, even in the huge ring we were working in, half a lap isn't much. So I did a lap and a half. I probably could have finished a full two laps except that my instructor asked me to come back in. So that, at least, made me feel pretty good about myself.
You know how last weekend was the first LSU football game? This weekend is the first home game. I've got a ticket, because my dad made me buy the season pass, and it's surprising how difficult it is to get rid of! I've messaged two people already who were looking to get a ticket, but one meant for next weekend and the other already decided not to go. So now I've got a couple more facebook messages waiting in the ether for the person to hopefully see it and respond...hopefully both of them don't try to take me up on it! And no, I really don't want to actually go to the game. See: pharm test on Tuesday.
Despite all that studying, I've also been doing some reading just for myself. I don't usually go for nonfiction (although there's a lot more of it on my to-read list now than there has been in the past), but I'm currently reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I'm about halfway to 2/3 of the way through it now, and it's really interesting. Sometimes I get kind of irritated, but generally the author seems to realize the importance of balance more than pushing an "Introvert Ideal" to counter the Extrovert Ideal she talks about. It also brings up a lot of questions that I find interesting, especially with my psych major background. Sometimes I wish I were having a conversation with her about this stuff instead of just reading it so I could ask her a bunch of questions (though, admittedly, frequently those questions are about what the control group was or how significance was calculated, for experiments she didn't even run). I haven't finished it yet, but I'm hoping to read the rest this weekend probably. You know, in between all the studying that also needs to happen.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Whew!
Hi there; Birdie here!
I really love being so involved that I have twenty million things to do, but man is it exhausting! I spent time after class almost every day this week working on plans for the semester and posters for club fair for both DIC and path club. I also did a vidchat with my undergrad friends on Thursday, which mean that I had to work really hard to get enough studying done for my parasit quiz and still do that!
My riding lesson was great! Okay, I was kind of a mess. We did some no-stirrups work, and I was trying hard just to stay on the horse! I used to be pretty good at that...a year ago, when I last rode. It didn't help that my horse had a very bouncy trot! He was a cute pinto named Fox, and my instructor referred to him as "the advanced babysitter." Another instructor seemed impressed that I was on him for my first lesson--"so you must have some experience, then." I'm scheduled to keep having weekly riding lessons, and I'm really happy about that (thanks, dad, for giving me the money for it)! I did move them to Thursdays instead of Wednesdays, though, once I realized that Wednesdays are a TERRIBLE idea because both my officership clubs like to have wetlabs then. Towards the beginning of the lesson I couldn't keep the canter for more than a few steps, but at the end we cantered over a crossrail, so I'm already feeling happy about coming back to it. Now if only I could get my heels to remember how to stay down...
Yesterday I was supposed to be in the VetFit relay, but between group confusion (three members dropped out, then we found more, then two of the members were sick) and how tired I was (especially when I had to spend my lunch at club fair), I didn't even show up to watch.
Oh, and we had our first VBMA meeting sometime early in the week, too. The speaker was a financial consultant who talked to us about budgets. He gave us his email and offered to give us non-sponsored advice, so I asked him about whether there are any options for paying back private loans the way there are for government ones. If he tells me anything useful, I'll let you know, in case any of my readers will have private loans after vet school, too. Do I even have any readers anymore after the summer off? Besides my parents, of course (hi mom & dad!).
Today I decided not to go to the first WHL workday/orientation. I'm planning to feed the night birds again this semester, but I offered to do AM if that's where they need more help. A TON of first years signed up, so I'm not sure they need me at all, but I think I'd like to stick with it. What I did instead this morning was go running--which may have not been the greatest idea considering the rain that started somewhere over a mile into it. I think I might have to replace my old iPod, which got water damaged...luckily my car key still works, so I still regret nothing. I'm not sure exactly how far I ran today since I didn't do the whole track, but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere between 2 and 3 miles so I'm still okay with that.
Tonight is the first LSU football game, against Wisconsin. Did I mention how our endocrinology teacher cares a lot about football? She passed around a sheet where we could predict the score of the game and whoever is closest gets a bonus point. I don't even remember what score I put (by the time I got the sheet, the one I wanted to pick was taken). People near me were googling and stuff like, what sorts of numbers are football scores? (multiples of 7, in case you were wondering). Apparently one of my classmates is having a party at his house to watch the game--I'm not sure whether I want to go. For one thing, I need to see how much studying I get done today. I took yesterday off, and I really want to get caught up on pharmacology objectives and study parasitology over this weekend. Speaking of which...I should probably get on that.
I really love being so involved that I have twenty million things to do, but man is it exhausting! I spent time after class almost every day this week working on plans for the semester and posters for club fair for both DIC and path club. I also did a vidchat with my undergrad friends on Thursday, which mean that I had to work really hard to get enough studying done for my parasit quiz and still do that!
My riding lesson was great! Okay, I was kind of a mess. We did some no-stirrups work, and I was trying hard just to stay on the horse! I used to be pretty good at that...a year ago, when I last rode. It didn't help that my horse had a very bouncy trot! He was a cute pinto named Fox, and my instructor referred to him as "the advanced babysitter." Another instructor seemed impressed that I was on him for my first lesson--"so you must have some experience, then." I'm scheduled to keep having weekly riding lessons, and I'm really happy about that (thanks, dad, for giving me the money for it)! I did move them to Thursdays instead of Wednesdays, though, once I realized that Wednesdays are a TERRIBLE idea because both my officership clubs like to have wetlabs then. Towards the beginning of the lesson I couldn't keep the canter for more than a few steps, but at the end we cantered over a crossrail, so I'm already feeling happy about coming back to it. Now if only I could get my heels to remember how to stay down...
Yesterday I was supposed to be in the VetFit relay, but between group confusion (three members dropped out, then we found more, then two of the members were sick) and how tired I was (especially when I had to spend my lunch at club fair), I didn't even show up to watch.
Oh, and we had our first VBMA meeting sometime early in the week, too. The speaker was a financial consultant who talked to us about budgets. He gave us his email and offered to give us non-sponsored advice, so I asked him about whether there are any options for paying back private loans the way there are for government ones. If he tells me anything useful, I'll let you know, in case any of my readers will have private loans after vet school, too. Do I even have any readers anymore after the summer off? Besides my parents, of course (hi mom & dad!).
Today I decided not to go to the first WHL workday/orientation. I'm planning to feed the night birds again this semester, but I offered to do AM if that's where they need more help. A TON of first years signed up, so I'm not sure they need me at all, but I think I'd like to stick with it. What I did instead this morning was go running--which may have not been the greatest idea considering the rain that started somewhere over a mile into it. I think I might have to replace my old iPod, which got water damaged...luckily my car key still works, so I still regret nothing. I'm not sure exactly how far I ran today since I didn't do the whole track, but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere between 2 and 3 miles so I'm still okay with that.
Tonight is the first LSU football game, against Wisconsin. Did I mention how our endocrinology teacher cares a lot about football? She passed around a sheet where we could predict the score of the game and whoever is closest gets a bonus point. I don't even remember what score I put (by the time I got the sheet, the one I wanted to pick was taken). People near me were googling and stuff like, what sorts of numbers are football scores? (multiples of 7, in case you were wondering). Apparently one of my classmates is having a party at his house to watch the game--I'm not sure whether I want to go. For one thing, I need to see how much studying I get done today. I took yesterday off, and I really want to get caught up on pharmacology objectives and study parasitology over this weekend. Speaking of which...I should probably get on that.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
I'm back, baby!
Hi there; Birdie here!
Aaand I have been welcomed to second year! Like, can we talk about the fact that we had a test and a quiz on the first Friday back? It honestly wasn't bad at all--the exam was basically a review of what we learned about endocrinology in physiology, and our teacher gave us plenty of warning for what would be on the quiz. But that's still kind of a signal about what this semester is going to be...we have at least one exam every week except this week and the last week before the end of the semester. I have a new roommate this year, too, a c/o 2018-er who used to be in my class but had to defer for medical reasons. She has a cat, too, so that's fun!
This past weekend was crazy busy, and really fun. This week is pretty busy, too! But I'm happy with it, tbh. Not sure if I can keep it up once exams start in earnest, but I'm enjoying riding the wave right now.
On Friday my club officer stuff started up with a DIC officers meeting where we figured out wetlabs and meeting dates at lunch, and then after school I went with the path club president to meet with our faculty advisor and talk about the semester.
Friday night, we had a surprise birthday party for one of my classmates, which was such a good time! I made a funfetti cake to bring (because you can't have a birthday party without a cake, right?) and had a great time. I met a couple of first years (oh yeah, I also met my little sib--he's pretty awesome and I'd like to hang out with him more) and just had a great time socializing. I noticed that I kept coming back to the same few people, and that makes me really happy--I really have vet school friends!
Saturday morning I did my first 5k (after running for the first time in months the day before..maybe not the greatest idea, but shhh). I decided at literally the last minute to go and was probably the last one to register (AS they were lining up already). It was a "zoo zoom" to benefit cheetah conservation, and one of my classmates posted about it on our class facebook. My time was 33 minutes, which I'm actually quite proud of. And I was in the top 100 (...out of 141, and only counting females. But still. Shhh). Then that afternoon (ALL afternoon, tbh) was Homes for Hounds--a Purina-sponsored doghouse painting contest we did in groups of 4. Our house was "Batdog" themed, with colorful houses like New Orleans shotgun houses. And we won...4th place, which is the highest place you can get without getting a prize. Ah well--they called our team name at least. Raise the Ruff!
And then Sunday was Spay Day. I worked anaesthesia this time since I've never done that before and am not 100% comfortable cat wrangling. I didn't actually end up wrangling many, though, mostly weighing and pulling up drugs, though I did inject a couple and hold one. I did a great stick on one in a squeeze cage--and completely failed at a different one, twice, so I guess it evens out. After that, I realized how tiring my insanely busy weekend was! I still spent a few hours that night studying pharmacology with my friends though. That's the class I'm most worried about--one of my classmates had been a year above me until she failed pharmacology.
This week is pretty darn busy too. The club fair is on Friday, so I've had to do a lot of work with both path and DIC to prepare for those, including making the board for DIC. The things I was supposed to have Monday got cancelled due to immense amounts of rain, which was kind of a relief--after the weekend, I kind of needed the time to recharge. Last night I went to the Doctor Who viewing group to see the new episode (the first one with the 12th doctor). It was really good!
Friday is also our first Fridays in the Courtyard, and a Vet Fit relay. I might not be able to do that anymore though...I think 3 of our 5 group members backed out. Tomorrow I'm hopefully doing a group chat with my undergrad friends--and tonight I have a riding lesson! I'm super excited. I haven't been able to ride in a year, and I really miss it.
At this point, I don't think this weekend is going to be too busy, but who knows. Last Friday I thought this week would be quiet, too!
Aaand I have been welcomed to second year! Like, can we talk about the fact that we had a test and a quiz on the first Friday back? It honestly wasn't bad at all--the exam was basically a review of what we learned about endocrinology in physiology, and our teacher gave us plenty of warning for what would be on the quiz. But that's still kind of a signal about what this semester is going to be...we have at least one exam every week except this week and the last week before the end of the semester. I have a new roommate this year, too, a c/o 2018-er who used to be in my class but had to defer for medical reasons. She has a cat, too, so that's fun!
This past weekend was crazy busy, and really fun. This week is pretty busy, too! But I'm happy with it, tbh. Not sure if I can keep it up once exams start in earnest, but I'm enjoying riding the wave right now.
On Friday my club officer stuff started up with a DIC officers meeting where we figured out wetlabs and meeting dates at lunch, and then after school I went with the path club president to meet with our faculty advisor and talk about the semester.
Friday night, we had a surprise birthday party for one of my classmates, which was such a good time! I made a funfetti cake to bring (because you can't have a birthday party without a cake, right?) and had a great time. I met a couple of first years (oh yeah, I also met my little sib--he's pretty awesome and I'd like to hang out with him more) and just had a great time socializing. I noticed that I kept coming back to the same few people, and that makes me really happy--I really have vet school friends!
Saturday morning I did my first 5k (after running for the first time in months the day before..maybe not the greatest idea, but shhh). I decided at literally the last minute to go and was probably the last one to register (AS they were lining up already). It was a "zoo zoom" to benefit cheetah conservation, and one of my classmates posted about it on our class facebook. My time was 33 minutes, which I'm actually quite proud of. And I was in the top 100 (...out of 141, and only counting females. But still. Shhh). Then that afternoon (ALL afternoon, tbh) was Homes for Hounds--a Purina-sponsored doghouse painting contest we did in groups of 4. Our house was "Batdog" themed, with colorful houses like New Orleans shotgun houses. And we won...4th place, which is the highest place you can get without getting a prize. Ah well--they called our team name at least. Raise the Ruff!
And then Sunday was Spay Day. I worked anaesthesia this time since I've never done that before and am not 100% comfortable cat wrangling. I didn't actually end up wrangling many, though, mostly weighing and pulling up drugs, though I did inject a couple and hold one. I did a great stick on one in a squeeze cage--and completely failed at a different one, twice, so I guess it evens out. After that, I realized how tiring my insanely busy weekend was! I still spent a few hours that night studying pharmacology with my friends though. That's the class I'm most worried about--one of my classmates had been a year above me until she failed pharmacology.
This week is pretty darn busy too. The club fair is on Friday, so I've had to do a lot of work with both path and DIC to prepare for those, including making the board for DIC. The things I was supposed to have Monday got cancelled due to immense amounts of rain, which was kind of a relief--after the weekend, I kind of needed the time to recharge. Last night I went to the Doctor Who viewing group to see the new episode (the first one with the 12th doctor). It was really good!
Friday is also our first Fridays in the Courtyard, and a Vet Fit relay. I might not be able to do that anymore though...I think 3 of our 5 group members backed out. Tomorrow I'm hopefully doing a group chat with my undergrad friends--and tonight I have a riding lesson! I'm super excited. I haven't been able to ride in a year, and I really miss it.
At this point, I don't think this weekend is going to be too busy, but who knows. Last Friday I thought this week would be quiet, too!
Saturday, August 23, 2014
What an experience!
Hi there; Birdie here!
Yes, I'm back! I've just finished my first week of second year, but I'll get to that blog in a couple of days. Right now I want to talk about my one veterinary-related experience over the summer: the Veterinary Leadership Experience in Post Falls, Idaho. I meant to do this blog soon after it happened, but...well, blogging doesn't happen on breaks! Now that I'm back in BR, though (and having a crazy weekend, but more on that later) I think I'll take some time to reflect on VLE.
Lindsey (the other LSU student who went) and I got into the Spokane airport around one in the afternoon on Monday, June 2. Once we got our bags, we found the people with the VLE sign and joined a large group heading across the street to a hotel, where we waited and ate snacks for a bit and talked with some other participants before we boarded the bus to head to Ross Point, the camp that would be the site of our activities. It was beautiful! There was a lake (which was way too cold for my Southern self to swim in, but other people did) with really nice houses across from us, and pine trees everywhere, and a park with trails next door. Just wandering around at first, I made friends with a few VLEers who were there for VBMA. One of them even ended up in my small group!
That night we mingled as a large group, then did a couple of activities in our small groups. Lindsey and I were in different groups, but my group (Teeeeeam SEVEN!) did have an LSU SVM clinician, Dr. Burba, as a facilitator. I absolutely loved my small group. After the first day, most of our time was spent in small groups, with some time for large group activities.We made team posters that showed some of our core values as well as things we would try to avoid, and Team 7 was great at living out the values we chose: Inclusion, Encouragement, Patience, Trust, Communication/Listening, and Fun. I love that we made one of our core values Fun, and man, was it ever!
One of the major themes at VLE was Challenge by Choice: the idea that each activity is a different level of challenge for everyone in the group, and so it was each person's own choice whether to participate. One of our group members had some physical issues that made her unable to physically participate in certain activities, but she was still always a phenomenal and important part of the team. In fact, she was one of the people I grew closest to in my time there.
Every day, we started with a TED talk and went over a Meyers Briggs letter pair and a communication skill. This was, of course, the second time I talked Meyers Briggs since I started vet school and got my new type, but going over them this time made me feel really comfortable with my new letters. I do feel like I have to add the strength of each preference, though: Strong I, moderately strong N, moderate T, very weak J. We also did some communication skills training as like half of the large group: consensus model and conflict resolution, for instance.
That's not all this leadership training was about, though! Most of the small group activities were sort of obstacles or puzzles that we had to physically and mentally work together on. One was "whale watching," a moving platform we had to get everyone onto--and then move people around!--without letting either end touch the ground. Another used 4 logs to get everyone onto one side of a "river." Others didn't have such an environmental element, like the balloon train where we had to all move together (which we rocked--"chugga chugga"-ing all the way!). After each activity, we reflected on it together. Some of the activities were really frustrating. But others were really fun, especially Fay's Amazing Race on the last day! And I definitely learned something from each of them.
We did some individual activities, too. One such activity started with an introduction that characteristics of vet students are associated with "left-brained" people (of course that whole "only using half your brain" thing is total bunk, but as groups of personality traits it's alright) and VLE wants to foster "right-brained" type characteristics. Then we each got to paint a little 4"x4" canvas! I love doing artistic stuff, so that was really fun for me. Other people had more trouble with it, but at the end everyone had a little piece of art! There were sheets on each table that talked about meanings of different colors, so I took my inspiration from that. I made a (anatomical) heart full of passion and courage and happiness (reds and oranges and yellows) surrounded by green for protection from the demands/expectations of others. It's really a symbol of what VLE is to me. When we put them all together, I really liked some of the others--but I think mine still would have been one of my favorites if someone else had done it (and that's the first time that happened).
Another major thing we did was craft "Gladiator statements." This is a statement that "reveals yourself," like the main character in the movie Gladiator; a statement of where you come from, what you are, and what you are going to do. I don't think I want to post mine in its entirety, but here's mine minus the first few lines:
Of course, it was also basically camp, and we did a bunch of less serious, incredibly fun, things. One of the first things we did every morning was dance, led by all the group facilitators, camp directors, those sorts of people. Every day started with happiness and fun (even if it did get emotional sometimes in other activities)! We also had a thing called fun on the field, with little sports relay type of things that were incredibly silly. One was sort of a rock-paper-scissors-based team tag, some of them needed partners...one made us try to knock each other over while keeping our hands on our ankles. I got my glasses knocked off on that one. There was also a karaoke night, which was FANTASTIC. Lots of groups sang, from Bohemian Rhapsody to my group's gender-swapped Summer Nights. Betsy, the lady in charge of VLE, did Ice Ice Baby. I sang a song on my own, too, and it was AWESOME! I did Unwritten, about halfway through the night (...I thought it was at the end when I signed up...but it was okay). I don't know if it was for me or the song, but when I got up on stage everyone was cheering like crazy! That definitely helped me be confident--and I owned the stage! It was so much fun. One of the last evening activities was a dessert cruise on lake Coeur d'Alene, which was beautiful. We were blessed with great weather for it, if a little chilly. But at least we all had our VLE jackets!
Oh, and the videographers who were there all week for the highlights video (see the end of the post if you want to watch it) also shot a music video to the song Happy. I don't really like that song...but I like it a little better now that that happened. The video is pretty great. I may have videobombed one part (there was a group dance-walking in front of my cabin...so I might have leaped out behind them.).
There was also the less official fun...there was a bar within walking distance, and on the last night I went with some of my friends there. Where I got a huckleberry Italian cream soda instead of anything alcoholic, 'cause that's the kind of nerd I am apparently. It was tasty, though. Up in the Washington/Idaho area, huckleberries are a big deal apparently. There was also a huckleberry salad dressing that I enjoyed--and I don't even like salad dressing.
Of course, we did trust falls on the last day. Well, I didn't do a trust fall...after I got fussed at for talking when someone else was on the table, I stopped being in the catching line, so I didn't feel like I deserved to do the fall after that. I did do the two steps prior to that, even when the second step was something that made me uncomfortable, so at least I can be proud of that.
In the morning before we left, there was a final assembly. They called it the Gauntlet of Happiness--we walked up and got some little bits of swag (like the VLE pin) and our paintings from the stage, then passed through high-fiving and hugging the facilitators as we left. One of those bits of swag is a rubber bracelet that says Live with INTENTION--if you see one of those, it's a VLE thing. A Mizzou professor started it a few years ago. It's another symbol of what VLE means.
In conclusion, if you get a chance to go to VLE, go for it! It was such a great experience, and I'm so very glad I got to do it. One of my favorite parts about it was the chance to really make friends with clinicians and practicing vets and teachers--people I would normally think of as sort of superior to me. But at VLE, I was able to interact with everyone as a peer, and that let me learn so much from others. I sort of assumed everyone was a vet student until I was told otherwise (why not? our class has a resident old guy, so age became irrelevant). I guess I'm still not used to thinking of myself as an adult, so people with actual jobs and stuff seemed sort of "other," but at VLE they were my peers. That's probably one of the biggest things I want to take with me from VLE...that and the feeling of being a rockstar at karaoke!
And if you want the highlights reel of the whole week:
Yes, I'm back! I've just finished my first week of second year, but I'll get to that blog in a couple of days. Right now I want to talk about my one veterinary-related experience over the summer: the Veterinary Leadership Experience in Post Falls, Idaho. I meant to do this blog soon after it happened, but...well, blogging doesn't happen on breaks! Now that I'm back in BR, though (and having a crazy weekend, but more on that later) I think I'll take some time to reflect on VLE.
Lindsey (the other LSU student who went) and I got into the Spokane airport around one in the afternoon on Monday, June 2. Once we got our bags, we found the people with the VLE sign and joined a large group heading across the street to a hotel, where we waited and ate snacks for a bit and talked with some other participants before we boarded the bus to head to Ross Point, the camp that would be the site of our activities. It was beautiful! There was a lake (which was way too cold for my Southern self to swim in, but other people did) with really nice houses across from us, and pine trees everywhere, and a park with trails next door. Just wandering around at first, I made friends with a few VLEers who were there for VBMA. One of them even ended up in my small group!
That night we mingled as a large group, then did a couple of activities in our small groups. Lindsey and I were in different groups, but my group (Teeeeeam SEVEN!) did have an LSU SVM clinician, Dr. Burba, as a facilitator. I absolutely loved my small group. After the first day, most of our time was spent in small groups, with some time for large group activities.We made team posters that showed some of our core values as well as things we would try to avoid, and Team 7 was great at living out the values we chose: Inclusion, Encouragement, Patience, Trust, Communication/Listening, and Fun. I love that we made one of our core values Fun, and man, was it ever!
One of the major themes at VLE was Challenge by Choice: the idea that each activity is a different level of challenge for everyone in the group, and so it was each person's own choice whether to participate. One of our group members had some physical issues that made her unable to physically participate in certain activities, but she was still always a phenomenal and important part of the team. In fact, she was one of the people I grew closest to in my time there.
Every day, we started with a TED talk and went over a Meyers Briggs letter pair and a communication skill. This was, of course, the second time I talked Meyers Briggs since I started vet school and got my new type, but going over them this time made me feel really comfortable with my new letters. I do feel like I have to add the strength of each preference, though: Strong I, moderately strong N, moderate T, very weak J. We also did some communication skills training as like half of the large group: consensus model and conflict resolution, for instance.
That's not all this leadership training was about, though! Most of the small group activities were sort of obstacles or puzzles that we had to physically and mentally work together on. One was "whale watching," a moving platform we had to get everyone onto--and then move people around!--without letting either end touch the ground. Another used 4 logs to get everyone onto one side of a "river." Others didn't have such an environmental element, like the balloon train where we had to all move together (which we rocked--"chugga chugga"-ing all the way!). After each activity, we reflected on it together. Some of the activities were really frustrating. But others were really fun, especially Fay's Amazing Race on the last day! And I definitely learned something from each of them.
We did some individual activities, too. One such activity started with an introduction that characteristics of vet students are associated with "left-brained" people (of course that whole "only using half your brain" thing is total bunk, but as groups of personality traits it's alright) and VLE wants to foster "right-brained" type characteristics. Then we each got to paint a little 4"x4" canvas! I love doing artistic stuff, so that was really fun for me. Other people had more trouble with it, but at the end everyone had a little piece of art! There were sheets on each table that talked about meanings of different colors, so I took my inspiration from that. I made a (anatomical) heart full of passion and courage and happiness (reds and oranges and yellows) surrounded by green for protection from the demands/expectations of others. It's really a symbol of what VLE is to me. When we put them all together, I really liked some of the others--but I think mine still would have been one of my favorites if someone else had done it (and that's the first time that happened).
Another major thing we did was craft "Gladiator statements." This is a statement that "reveals yourself," like the main character in the movie Gladiator; a statement of where you come from, what you are, and what you are going to do. I don't think I want to post mine in its entirety, but here's mine minus the first few lines:
I am shy, but I am not weak. I am excited about experiences, strong in my friendships, and I basically don't know how to give up or try less than my best.
Of course, it was also basically camp, and we did a bunch of less serious, incredibly fun, things. One of the first things we did every morning was dance, led by all the group facilitators, camp directors, those sorts of people. Every day started with happiness and fun (even if it did get emotional sometimes in other activities)! We also had a thing called fun on the field, with little sports relay type of things that were incredibly silly. One was sort of a rock-paper-scissors-based team tag, some of them needed partners...one made us try to knock each other over while keeping our hands on our ankles. I got my glasses knocked off on that one. There was also a karaoke night, which was FANTASTIC. Lots of groups sang, from Bohemian Rhapsody to my group's gender-swapped Summer Nights. Betsy, the lady in charge of VLE, did Ice Ice Baby. I sang a song on my own, too, and it was AWESOME! I did Unwritten, about halfway through the night (...I thought it was at the end when I signed up...but it was okay). I don't know if it was for me or the song, but when I got up on stage everyone was cheering like crazy! That definitely helped me be confident--and I owned the stage! It was so much fun. One of the last evening activities was a dessert cruise on lake Coeur d'Alene, which was beautiful. We were blessed with great weather for it, if a little chilly. But at least we all had our VLE jackets!
Oh, and the videographers who were there all week for the highlights video (see the end of the post if you want to watch it) also shot a music video to the song Happy. I don't really like that song...but I like it a little better now that that happened. The video is pretty great. I may have videobombed one part (there was a group dance-walking in front of my cabin...so I might have leaped out behind them.).
There was also the less official fun...there was a bar within walking distance, and on the last night I went with some of my friends there. Where I got a huckleberry Italian cream soda instead of anything alcoholic, 'cause that's the kind of nerd I am apparently. It was tasty, though. Up in the Washington/Idaho area, huckleberries are a big deal apparently. There was also a huckleberry salad dressing that I enjoyed--and I don't even like salad dressing.
Of course, we did trust falls on the last day. Well, I didn't do a trust fall...after I got fussed at for talking when someone else was on the table, I stopped being in the catching line, so I didn't feel like I deserved to do the fall after that. I did do the two steps prior to that, even when the second step was something that made me uncomfortable, so at least I can be proud of that.
In the morning before we left, there was a final assembly. They called it the Gauntlet of Happiness--we walked up and got some little bits of swag (like the VLE pin) and our paintings from the stage, then passed through high-fiving and hugging the facilitators as we left. One of those bits of swag is a rubber bracelet that says Live with INTENTION--if you see one of those, it's a VLE thing. A Mizzou professor started it a few years ago. It's another symbol of what VLE means.
In conclusion, if you get a chance to go to VLE, go for it! It was such a great experience, and I'm so very glad I got to do it. One of my favorite parts about it was the chance to really make friends with clinicians and practicing vets and teachers--people I would normally think of as sort of superior to me. But at VLE, I was able to interact with everyone as a peer, and that let me learn so much from others. I sort of assumed everyone was a vet student until I was told otherwise (why not? our class has a resident old guy, so age became irrelevant). I guess I'm still not used to thinking of myself as an adult, so people with actual jobs and stuff seemed sort of "other," but at VLE they were my peers. That's probably one of the biggest things I want to take with me from VLE...that and the feeling of being a rockstar at karaoke!
And if you want the highlights reel of the whole week:
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