Entry Twenty-Eight

When I lose the freedom to dictate my own schedule during the week, I'm not going to like it.  The biggest change that I've made since last semester is early to bed, early to rise.  On an ideal day I go to bed by 9 and get up at 5 to get in some studying before classes or whatever begins.  Not everyday is that ideal but when they are, it's amazing how much more rested I am.

My summer plans this week got a little bit jostled with the news that we may not be able to go to Honduras for our Hospital rotations if the country doesn't stabilize some since it's recent rise in violence and drug-related crime.  Our trip sponsor, Dr. Carter, says its 50/50 at this point, but we'll still prepare as if we're going which means a few things: 1) I'm still getting to study medical Spanish, which I love 2) I can't make other plans for the summer until a decision is made about going or not and 3) I will be shadowing a orthopedic surgery resident on his trauma rotation Thursday morning to learn sterile fields.  I'm more than a little nervous about that last one.

Rock climbing = a wonderful way to de-stress.  We've been going weekly this semester and it's been a fantastic diversion.  As has running.  A group of us are training for a half marathon in April, and so far I've worked up to 6.5 miles!  And it's not even February yet :-)  It'll be my second mini, but the first where I'm attempting to run the whole thing.  We're thinking about doing a Tough Mudder competition in October if the mini goes well.  It's the little things in med school you have to look forward to 'cause sometimes it's just really hard to keep yourself sane.  For example, sitting in a library by yourself on a Sunday afternoon with a quiz looming the next morning, but no motivation since you feel like the only one in the world having to be productive.

I really hate Sunday afternoon studying.  There's just something about it.  But it will be worth it one day when I'm getting to actually care for patients... for now that's just a scary, far off thought, and I need to know these amino acids before I can get there.