Hi everyone, Happy 2019!!!
It was certainly a busy trip back home, but it was so lovely to be back surrounded by family and friends. The break whizzed by, filled with EMS (Extra Mural Studies) placements, spending time with friends, Christmas and New Year’s, and most of all spending time with family. Although it was busy, I already miss the time spent with everyone.
I had my first taste of EMS over the holidays, and it was a wonderful placement! I worked in a lab associated with a university that specialized in research in small mammals. I had plenty of practice handling mice, rats, and even shrews. (If you do not know what a shrew looks like then I highly recommend Googling a picture of an Elephant Shrew. It will not disappoint!) The employees made the experience noteworthy, and I truly felt like a valued member of the team. I was able to learn so much because of the volume of animals that they had within the facility. I also had some surprise turkey handling to get a blood sample!
Overall, it was great to spend time with my family, and most importantly my dog (Bella, a 10 year old chocolate lab) and Prince (our 4-year old DSH). I was able to do so much with my family and friends, including seeing 3 movies, and doing 3 escape rooms. I even managed to open my textbooks and notes at least twice (but probably should have been more). Although we were supposed to study over the break for a wee quiz when we returned, everyone that I spoke with from this program said that we should put time with family first. To me, that was so nice to hear; although this is our passion, and we all want to succeed, we still see the value in spending our limited time home with our loved ones.
Coming back to Scotland felt like I had never left! The excitement of hearing how everyone’s breaks went and how some placements were wonderful, and others were slightly less so, made the first day interesting with lots of chatter. We all quickly got back into the swing of things and remembered out studying routine. So far, time has absolutely flown by! We have already blasted through the cardiovascular and respiratory system. I am looking forward to this semester, because it is mostly physiology based, with a sprinkle of clinical cases. In the first two weeks, I have come home every day with an interesting fact to tell my friends and family back home. Although it was hard to leave home again, it is so nice to be studying the things you love and find fascinating.
So the adventure continues…talk to you all soon!
