Checkpoint 3!

This picture precisely describes my emotions and mindset after the exam just 10hrs before the photo was taken. Andra and I were at Riverside Restaurant getting some dinner and enjoying the conversations on non-school-related things. It felt great. I finally pulled through another semester. Well, not just another one, but a harder one in my opinion. This was the new 'first semester' as we had a new batch of challenging subjects to tackle. And even though the last month had been rough, I picked myself up (with help from lovable friends and family) and ran the rest of my race. Relief, is what has been filling my head.

Most of my close friends, if not all, have left the island yesterday and today to go home either in US or Canada to visit. On one hand I really wish I bought a ticket to go home this break, on the other hand I knew I needed to relax and stay fresh by staying here in Dominica. This break is too short for me to go back home and recover from chronic exhaustion! Plus, we all know that traveling is stressful.

Alright, so a little summary of the 1st half of second year of med school. It is getting tougher as we get higher (well, no doubt). Pharmacology was a difficult subject for me, especially because Ross has a relatively more condensed curriculum than others. I pushed my brain to the max and squeezed out all its juice this semester. Definitely maxed it out trying to remember all these drugs and everything about them in such a short time. Microbiology was tough but not as bad. I feel that if I had just a bit more time I could have improved my grades by A LOT. But, don't we all feel that way? Hehe.

I want to thank my Dad for being there for me when I needed someone the most (of course my Mom too). Something he said, something that I just needed to hear then, got me through this tough time and helped me stand back up. When I was feeling down and frustrated about my Mini 3 grades with everything else going wrong around me, my Dad reminded me of the marathons. He reminded me of the times (yes, more than once) when I had seriously injured myself during training and even had to have a time-out so I could recover. He wanted me to remember how frustrating and discouraging those times were. But I took time off to heal. And eventually I did complete my race. I ran, with satisfactory personal time.

We can never predict what lies head or when we will fall. What is more important is to keep your head up and not down, keep looking forward and not back. What does not kill you makes you stronger, MUCH stronger. Hang in there - for whatever you are trying to achieve :)

Gym time, for me.