Two months have flown by since the last post. It was only a month ago I was finishing up finals and was ready to post.... but clearly that didn't happen... So what HAVE I been doing these last 8 weeks??? Well Let me tell you.
After Spring break and its madness I started Musculoskeletal anatomy... Upper extremities and then lower extremities.... rocked both! AND extremity anatomy has a TON to do with orthopedics (the current speciality winning my options). Shortly after that I finished up ICM (intro to clinical medicine) with a full head-to-toe physical exam in 25 minutes or less - rocked that too :D This was rewarded with free dinner from my physician teachers and drinking all around at the Elk :D Sometimes it's good to be a medical student!
This brings me to the first week of May - the start of 2 weeks of finals!!! The Dream Hell that is year one of medical school had a light at the end of a VERY L O N G tunnel.... I rocked all my finals and finally feel like I have the swing of medical school down.... now that I get a break lol, I am no sure what to do with myself.... Oh wait - summer vacation isn't for vacationing, it's for projects.... more to come on that in a second.
First - at the end of every MS1, the directors of the program and some of our teachers get to Roast the students. My Roast speech had something to do with me being the biggest spokane fan of the class, the prom planner, crazy hair dye/feathers, and the fact that I always wear heels.... not too bad if I don't say so myself.... The roast went pretty well and led into the End of the Year Gala (dessert reception etc)....
Around this same time, my class decided to have a Cadaver Memorial Ceremony to honor the bodies donated to our education and their families. We had several speeches and many people said words. We had a plant dedicated to the bodies of 2011 and lit several candles with a moment of silence. I decided to write a poem for this event:
"Immortality"
The Great Mystery of Life
How to live forever?
From ancient Egypt to modern religion
People seeking immortality
A life lived
some story
the manuscript remains
a host
an empty vessel
a foreign land yet discovered
some were unsure how best to meet you
discover your story
traverse the land
but somehow I arrived
I searched and I found
I learned from you
Things not from talking
not from hearing
not from reading
but from the very parts of you
I know your skin,
your organs
your muscles
highways of arteries, veins, and nerves
crossing your land
the very system that ruled your world
I know things about you the people who knew you didn't know
I saw the parts of a whole
I know if you battled disease
And how you found your way to me
And how in the end you knew
found immortality
because knowledge of your vessel
your land
your body
it now goes with me
living on and touching others
I really think that sums up how I feel about cadavers, the experience and how grateful I am to the knowledge I recieved from their bodies.... such an experience!
This brings me to the end of MS1 and another new adventure in my life... This awesome guy fell into my life and I can't seem to get enough of him. Hence I spend a lot of time with him and his family.... so while I couldn't be with my family on Mother's day, I sent gifts to my mother in advance, called her, and then spent the day with Brandon's family.... had a blast BBQing and hanging out... Love his family!
The week after that I began my research project... Remember that whole summer vacation thing... ya not for University of Washington Medical school.... I am participating in a medical student research training program. I am studying the pharmacokinetics of nicotine in e-cigarettes in regular smokers, opiate dependent smokers and meth dependent smokers.... we (the research team and I) are also looking at CO2 levels, cotinine levels, urine analysis, heart rate, bp, blood samples (which I get to take :D) and more... hoping to get the FDA's attention to have e-cigs regulated more and cite our study! All very cool and exciting....
The summer has continued with lots of volleyball, some golfing, hanging out at Brandon's parents house, etc etc etc....
And then my Maddie came to visit too!!! We walked the MAC just like old times and wandered through ArtFest, finishing with our favorite and traditional Ethiopian dinner at Queen of Sheba.... MMMMMMM (boyfriend didn't agree but we'll work on it :D)
Last but not least was the trip to Seattle with my mom..... from space needle, chihuly glass museum, house hunting, Nordstrom outings, Pike Place Market, the orginal starbucks, and more we had a full weekend.... WE also found our new favorite hang out - The Wild Ginger!!! OMG a must eat and drink! A delight for all the senses - and ask for Scotty - best bartender ever - great server with lots of cool stories he shared with my mom, Hannah (MS1 bestie), and I.... So much fun..... Now on to the next adventure... and a double post :D
(pics are having an issue loading from the ipad - any help on this would be appreciated as I have a ton of pics I would like to post!)
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