The Ups and Downs

I have been feeling a bit "low" lately. Rationally I think this could be attributed to stress from back-to-back exams. However I think not having much of a social life is starting wear on me. Friendship and loyalty have always been things that I hold dear, but lately I wonder who my "true" friends really are. Back home there is a greater opportunity to socialize and of course there will always be best friends and people that I have grown up with. But here, in this strange, isolated, psuedo-home that we have established for the sole purpose of getting through medical school, the same rules do not apply.

Yes it has finally hit me. Missing home, missing family, missing friends. And even more missing people who I can relate to on more than one level (academics). The stark reality is that medical school is difficult. But medical school is even more difficult with out a significant other or strong peer support system.

How do yogis spend years in the forest in isolation? I guess these experiences are supposed to make a person stronger.

Neuro Practical, One down...too many to go

Two weeks of studying neuroanatomy non-stop, with few breaks for sleep and showering. I was on the verge of going insane. Literally. I would go to bed thinking about cranial nerve tracts, have surrealist dreams that were incoherent and illogical, then wake up with words like "fornix" and "infundibulum" seared into my mind's eye.
My friend Christian and I constantly quizzed each other and forced each other to repeat tracts and the numerous synonyms for each disorder. I would go home to sleep for 5-6 hours then, rinse and repeat the next day.

In the end I rocked that neuro practical. An 82%, which in our medical school is actually assigned an A. And what's even better is that the exam counts for 16% of our grade for the first block and is a great buffer for the block exam that I have in 2 weeks. I was so proud of myself and still am. *pats self on back* I feel like I conquered a mountain and although I physically could not retain new information/study for 4 days after...I am happy to know that putting in hard work does pay off in medical school.

The rest of this block is all Endocrine...hormones and how they regulate just about every physiological process in the human body through a few glands. It's like a breathe of fresh air...albeit a bit boring at times...I'm glad neuro is over. I have a better handle on efficient studying each day (I outline the lectures as I watch them) and I have gotten into the routine of teaching peers difficult biochemical pathways and discussing drug actions in order to learn them concretely. It is definitely better being a 2nd semester... so far a lot less floundering.

Sadly I'm beginning to miss home/Austin/family/friends nowadays. I never felt very nostalgic or home-sick 1st semester but I'm over the novelty of living here and discovering the 1 square mile town we live in. Luckily my generous parents are sending me a package that should arrive in 2 weeks containing: the next book in the series I'm reading (jumps for joy), Milano cookies as requested, and other necessities including photographs that I left at home.
Now that I have time do things other than study (barely) I am getting back to the gym. I really need to reverse my current physical state...stress for me results in weight loss and not working out obviously in muscle deterioration.

Keep your fingers crossed for my first Mini of Semester 2 and wish me luck! Hopefully it will turn out as well as my neuro practical.

Stay tuned for more...