Looking Back and Looking Forward

Is reminiscing counter-productive?There will always be people in your life that you think about once and awhile because something you hear or learn something that reminds you of them. Lately I have realized that dwelling on the past and reminiscing can be counter-productive. My peers and I always discuss how being in medical school (and especially living on this island) is a surreal experience; you rarely think about the outside world because you insulate yourself into your 12 hour days and your intellectually-driven life.
Once you set foot into your new life--your life as a future doc--you step into a metaphorical bubble. You find yourself discussing gastrointestinal disorders (both personal and clinical), reproductive anomalies and other "taboo" topics at lunch or in passing. Nothing phases you. You find yourself eating dinner while intently studying pathological slides and detailed photos of dissected body parts. If you are lucky, you love it.
When I look back on my week, if I have time for that kind of reflection, I find that I really do love it. I love being "in the bubble". I live for discussing weird disorders as casually as people in the "real world" discuss the stock-market, TV shows or sports.
I guess you kinda have to in order to get through each day/week/semester.

However, I have been thinking about whether or not it is detrimental to let yourself become nostalgic about your former life. We spend so much time thinking about the present and about the future. For me the break down is about 60% present, 30% future and 10% past. Is this healthy?

I personally that find dwelling on past friendships, relationships, and memories puts a frown on my face rather than giving me the warm, fuzzies. I often wonder about what I am missing out on and what I will miss out on in the future, for the next 4-5 years. I also wonder about "what could have been", which is honestly the worst.

I wish I could analyze this topic further...but unfortunately I have to resume watching a lecture on...well I will spare you the details. *takes out dinner*

;)

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...