Hi everybody!
This year has been quite a whirlwind of events, with everything being so drastically different from how they were pre-COVID times. Naturally, the way we are taught this year is also very different and unique from the previous years!
I started this year becoming a 4th year student, diving straight into lectures on Cattle, Equine, and Veterinary Professional Health. All of our lectures have transitioned online; most of them are being delivered live by our professors, while a handful are pre-recorded ones from the previous year. Every week, we go onto campus, on a designated day, for our practical classes. Each year of study goes in on a different day, to minimize students mixing on campus. It feels quite bizarre to see the normally bustling Easter Bush campus so very quiet and empty. Although I do miss being able to attend lectures in person, with my friends, I’m very grateful for all the safety measures the school has in place to ensure everyone is healthy and minimize spread of disease. It’s also times like these that I appreciate more than ever, topics that we learn in classes like Veterinary Public Health. 
With everything being online, we are now also more isolated than ever. It is so easy to sit at your desk and study away all day, and neglect self-care. Even though it may be tougher, I try my best to maintain a work-life balance. I try to follow a schedule I’ve written out for myself, and also make a list of some work and recreational activities that I would like to do that day. Recreational activities I find myself doing these days are things like quick 30 min YouTube workouts, sewing, walking outside, looking after my plants, calling my friends, chores around the house, etc. Anything I enjoy, really! (I do very much enjoy cleaning and chores, yes) This stops me from sitting and staring at my computer screen all day, everyday, and also gives me a mental break from school work!
While many things may seem bleak these days, use it as a reason to find more joy in the littler things in life 😊🌹🌻
Hope this gives you a little glimpse into the current life of a R(D)SVS vet student.
Until next time!
Viv.
