It has been a really great day today for me :) I am slowly getting better at studying more efficiently (thanks to the wisdom from my wonderful med friends) although improvement is still needed. The sun was out all day today and not a single drop of rain. Everyday when I leave my apartment I take my umbrella with me. Not just for the torrential downpour - it is HURRICANE season here! Sounds crazy but the locals are so numb to it because it never hits Dominica greatly (Thank goodness).I made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor in Rosseau to have my foot injury checked. The pain has subsided, but the discomfort is still there. I have not been running for at least 3 weeks now. Sigh, this just brings back the painful memories of when I had my first injury from running 2 years ago. I had to take 6 months off running. But back then I was not as into running as I am now, so this time it really hurts me emotionally! But I am rational and perhaps logical and I know the importance of pulling back when necessary if I want to keep running for the rest of my life. This injury is quite bothersome though. I am hoping it is not plantar fasciitis... *fingers crossed* We will find out soon. To compensate for the lack of (my favourite) exercise, I started swimming again. Fortunately I brought my Speedo and my swimming goggles! :) That makes life a lot easier when I do laps in the swimming pool.
Mini 2 is 6 days away. But today I felt my inner calmness come back to me, which is exactly what I wanted. Exam anxiety will always hit me to some degree from now until forever but as long as I put a leash on it everything will be fine. I have been keeping up with the lectures and that, surprisingly, is something that is difficult to do for many students. I guess I can see that - which is why I do not ALLOW myself to fall behind. Even if I have to delay other parts of studying, I make sure I cover lectures on that day before the day is over. We learned about Hemophilia A/B and van Willebrand Diseases. You can do different tests (ie. Bleeding Time, Prothrombine Time, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) to find out whether it is due to defect in platelet adhesion/aggregation or absence of clotting factors. Super cool!
Anyhow I gotta do some quick review before I jump into bed. Goodnite!
PS. The photograph was taken the evening after Mini 1 exam - party at the beach! They fixed the pier and you could see that lots of people were hanging out on it getting sunburnt!... and drinking Kubuli.
Hey Alexis,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you keep this blog, and let people like me know how things are going for you. It sucks that you aren't running. You are really passionate about running, so I can imagine that it's very difficult for you right now. But it's great that you're getting it checked out. Swimming sounds like a great replacement. Do you get to swim in the ocean?
Excellent job with studying. You are machine, woman! Thumbs up! Best of luck on Mini 2!
My update, things are overall going well. I'm just working. I still haven't decided if I want to go back to school in Sep or not. There is still some time. But I will need to figure things out pretty soon.
Keep posting, Alexis! And take very good care of yourself.
lots of love!
I just returned from a mini-vacation that consisted of Kelowna-HotSprings-Calgary-Edmonton and back. I am glad that you had figured out how to leash up the stress. What did the wise med students tell you?? I'd like to steal (i.e. borrow) some of that wisdom as I had done for ages with you! *wink wink* :P
ReplyDeleteP.S. How come you are swimming in the swimming pool and not all that beautiful water???
Iran - Take your time with things :) Knowing you though, you'll get stuff figured out in no time. But think twice before any decisions are made. I miss ya and our dinner dates on Broadway!!
ReplyDeleteBarbara - Lucky girl you! I feel like my brain is just stretched out like a highway hahaha. Maybe I can do a roadtrip here... I learned a lot of things from the upperclass medical students. It is hard to summarize all the wise things. But a MAJOR advice from all of those who are doing well is - RELAX. Also I swim in the pool and not the ocean b/c: 1. I don't want my training speedo to be damaged by seawater, 2. ocean is too salty for early mornings, 3. seajellies everywhere. Take care love!