I had my first vet school exams this week. Number one, microanatomy (the microscopic study of tissues and cells) was on Monday. I studied all weekend, walked in feeling prepared and it payed off-got an A! The post-good grade high lasted about 30 seconds before the Gross-Anatomy-is-sucking-my-soul fog set in. This was the feeling for most of the week:
Despite only being in school for three weeks, the gross anatomy exam covered a ridiculous amount of material. Did you know that the dog has about 33 muscles in it's front leg? I do. Not only was I responsible for IDing all the muscles, but I had to know their origins/insertions, actions, related tendons, bursas, ligaments, bones, and clinically relevant information. Let's not stop at dogs though! Why not throw in horse and cow legs to spice things up? Top off that nervous breakdown sundae with some xrays and you've got one helluva week. I took the test at 7:50 yesterday morning and came out of it feeling confident that I at least passed. Drained of all my brainpower/will to live, I napped for four hours and slept through my afternoon classes. :)
In a moment of stress-induced brilliance, I realized that I could move my desk right on up to my bed, allowing me to wake up and get right to studying. Why waste time moving to a chair? This happened:
I got a little crazy with the scalpel this week and sustained my first vet school injury:
Scalpel cut to my thumb knuckle crack = ouch.
The most remarkable thing that happened this week wasn't almost cutting off my own thumb or getting elected Vice-President of the Surgery Club (Nobody else ran for the position! YAY!!!!), it was this:
What you see here is a ballpoint pen that has run out of ink. This was my favorite pen. I started using this pen on Monday and I managed to run it out of ink by Friday night. What is so remarkable about a dead pen? DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH WRITING IT TAKES TO USE ALL THE INK IN A BALLPOINT PEN? Needless to say, my hand has permanently molded into a pen-holding claw. Bandaid and all.
Guess what?? I can receive packages here! They are almost guaranteed to arrive, it costs about $100 less than sending a package to Africa, and they get here in a week! If you feel inclined, here's the address:
If it's hard to see in the pic:
Sarah Stewart
Ross University
PO Box 334
Basseterre, St Kitts, West Indies
(Sending USPS is the best. If you send FedEx, leave off the PO BOX. Everything should be out of the original boxes or I'll have to pay customs taxes.)
If you feel like sending me a long, nosy letter, I'd love to have something to read that isn't a textbook. You can send it to the same address and I'll write you back! Letters, cards, bills, whatever!
Conclusion: This week was hard. Really hard. I won't get my anatomy grade until next week but I have a feeling that it's an A. The stress of vet school is worth it when I see my hard work pay off in the form of grades that I can be proud of. I might complain a lot (the first thing out of my mouth when I wake up is a string of cuss words) but I'm doing well. I live in paradise. I'm finally learning all of the things I've always wanted to know. Everything I've done in my life has led up to this point and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Stay tuned for scenes from next week's episode: two more exams, a beach trip (FINALLY), and tickling cows on Monday at "Bovine Safety, Handling, and Restraint" class. :)
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