I will begin by stating the obvious - life/school off the island is a completely different experience. They are dichotomous worlds.
Since my last over enthusiastic and sleep deprived entry I have gone from Alberta to North Dakota to California to Florida.
Start at my arrival at home in Alberta.
J-bird picked me up and the airport, which could have been a scene from a RomCom movie (if they ever made a movie on the love of best-friends-and-happen-to-be-cousins). I busted through those final arrival doors, turned the corner, eyes locked with my J-bird, and started running towards my darling cousin. Bags dropped. I lept into her open arms as she steadied herself with a wide-based-stance, prepared for the fullness of my weight. Nailed it.
Let's just say it was a beautiful moment. Did we turn some heads and get some suspicious looks? Sure did. And did we stay arm-linked together as we got my bags and walked out? Sure did.
Live out movie scene. Check.
The next morning - when I woke up at 445am because I was so excited to be home - I saw the email telling me I now had a nephew!! Brodie Mitchell.
Chelsa is a friggin superstar. She does all the work, and I still get to share in the high of endorphins at the news of his arrival. Awesome.
My time at homehome was spent studying all day then going to hot-yoga with J-bird when she got off work. We would sweat our lives away as we opened our hips, cleared the fog from our third eye, aligned our chakras, and did whatever else is supposed to happen in yoga. Personally, I focus so hard on not falling over or passing out, such that yoga has become the only time when my mind will STFU for a wonderful-torturous hour.
In addition to sweating it out at hot-yoga with J, we practiced some 'free-style' yoga at home. This picture is self-explanatory.
Doubles Yoga. Check.
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| Nailed it again. |
Of course once I got settled into my routine at home it was time to pack up and head to North Dakota. I spent a short 3 days there with my sweet, "preth-ous" (A's form of 'precious'), beautiful nephew and niece. Chelsa rocked my world when she decided to join me and the parents in PS with Aubrey and Brodie.
We all spent a wonderful week in PS, even though I struggled with trying to find a sliver of balance between studying and soaking up the family time. I mostly was isolated in my office-cave doing countless practice questions/studying for the upcoming COMP exam (comprehensive of all 4 semester. which equals the first 2 years of med school).
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| My cave of scieneee-wonders |
Finally, I made the trek to Miami. There was a bit of apprehension and dread going on in me because the comp exam was getting *that* much closer, but even more than that, the idea of seeing people from the island again was super unsettling. Eugh.
Okay, so since I got here on May 9th... moved in with the one friend I have in my class - Candice. We studied out asses off until we finally took the comp exam May 18th. The exam was a horrific experience. I really felt like I was prepared enough and sat down confidently at the beginning of it. That was quickly sucked out of me as I hit the middle of the exam, where it seemed almost every question I read and stared at and thought 'WTF ARE YOU ASKING OF ME!?!?!?'
or it was a type of question where I knew what they were talking about in the question stem, but then what they were asking you to extrapolate from it and answer in a very specific way made my brain cry and say 'wwwwhhhhhy are you doing this to me you A-HOLE!?!?'
To top off the ulcer inducing experience was the issue of time management. This has never been an issue for me. I have always been a relatively fast test-taker. On average for all the exams on the island, I finished with 30-40mins left over.
BUT. O.M.F. I have found out when you are thinking SOOO hard and trying REALLY hard to get to the answer in your brain... time speeds up. and when this happens a lot... those 4 hours are over before you know it. I kept looking at the clock. Panic set in when I knew I would not finish if I was to actually read the questions fully. So I shit you not, the last 30 questions at least, my eyes would take in the last 3 words of the first sentence and last sentence then go straight to the answer choices. make a quick judgement on what the question was asking based on the answer choices. pick one. and move the hell on.
I was shaking. I was circling in the very last question and finished Lit-cher-ally as the proctor called "pencils down". I almost shat myself. I had a tremor for a solid hour after the exam. I walked around in a zombie-like daze trying to process what had happened.
The next 10 days were a combination of bliss and torture. (The comp was on a Friday) and 8am Saturday I was in the group that had all weekend training for ACLS (advanced cardiac life support). However, once I got that out of the way, I really perfected my slothness/ability to watch countless episodes of movies and shows. Netflix really knows the way to my heart.
How much are you envisioning me watching as you read that? Well, whatever it is. Double it. I am truly amazing like that.
Okay, fast forward to Tuesday May 29th. Release of scores day. Anxiety filled.
When I clicked on the grade page and saw that not only did I pass, but did beyond my expectations, I just sat there staring at the screen making sure I was reading it correctly. My heart was pounding so hard and fast that every beat was palpable. That moment was probably the best so far of my schooling.
Bascially what passing the comp means, is that I can now sign up to take the exam that actually matters - Step 1 - which is the first board exam.
So without going into more detail and boring you, I'll just leave it at that for now.
I'll leave you with some of my favorite tumblr posts. A site that was a great source of tear-inducing-laughter.
So obnoxious.
Pretty much universally true.
Truly my greatest fear.
Going through my med school class book.
Kids these days.
I realize this and I'm sorry. Thanks for still loving me.
xoxo
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