Finals....

Well, I just finished my finals week and I am exhausted. This week was crazy - it's like a marathon for your mind. I went to sleep some nights not because I was physically exhausted, but it was more that my mind couldn't study/function anymore. I was usually studying for 3-4 days before taking an exam during the semester, but that's not possible during finals week. Finals week is a whole new ball game. You study, take an exam, start studying for the next exam, and continually repeat until the end of the week. I probably studied only 12 for today's immuno exam. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, but I definitely wasn't ready for it.

I went from having goals for a certain GPA to just trying not to let my grades fall that much. I have definitely learned from this semester to try and keep up with the material and start studying early for finals.

I am usually not one of those students that sacrifices sleep to study, but I did have to this week. Last night, it was like I was a little kid that couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve. I was so excited to be done with this semester. I am 1/8 of a doctor!

Now that I don't have to study, I don't know what to do with my time.

Finals Begin

Tomorrow is my first final of my first semester. I have 8 more days and 6 final exams until the end of the semester, and I am soooo excited to be done. Animal Handling is tomorrow, and it shouldn't be too bad. This next week is going to be filled with studying though. Monday - Neuro, Tuesday - Histology, Wednesday - Animal Science, Thursday - Anatomy, and Friday - Immunology. We are used to one or two tests a week and now we have 5 so this is going to be fun.

Something I get asked a lot is: How does vet school compare to what you expected? I kinda think that it is easier than I expected. I had heard a lot of horror stories from other vet students so I expected to fail a bunch of tests and never have a break from studying. While the tests are harder than undergrad and more material is covered, there are breaks from studying and occasionally I have a life outside of vet school. However, I think the best answer to the question is that it's different. Vet school is a lifestyle change. I had to learn how to study a lot without getting burned out. I had to get used to the constantly changing class schedule. Something that I think is really cool about vet school is how the material in the classes overlaps and complements each other. For example, we learned about the eye in probably 4 different classes - anatomy, physical exams, histology, and neuro.

Free Time and HOUSE

I just took my last midterm today until Finals. It was Immunology and apparently our professor likes natural killer cells since there were a lot of questions about them. I feel ok about the exam, but I don't really care right now because I am so excited about this break from tests until Finals.

Yesterday, the surgery club learned how to scrub into surgeries. I have seen it done a lot, but seeing and doing are totally different. I thought the hardest part was figuring out how to position the glove before putting it on. Altogether, it was a fun time learning about the instruments, scrubbing, and draping for surgery. We also had an ophthalmology lab today which was rather interesting. It's fun learning how to actually do procedures that you've seen others perform and wondered what they were doing/looking for. Seeing the optic disk from the back of an animal's eye is really cool.

I feel a little lost right now because I don't have a test to study for. I'm going to relax tonight and maybe start reviewing tomorrow or later in the week for finals. This is such a good feeling to know that I don't have to scramble to complete assignments or stay up late to study for a test. Oh, I'm going to watch House tonight which reminds me of what my professor said about him: He's a bad doctor because he uses treatments to diagnose his patients. We're supposed to use physical exams and lab tests to arrive at a diagnosis and treatment, instead of House's backwards approach. Yeah, this upset some people in my class too.

Changes in Admission at MSU

I just heard today how MSU vet school's admission criteria has changed drastically. The last few years MSU has been trying to eliminate grades from the admission process. However, the new admission standards are that 60% of the class will be selected solely on GPA and GRE scores. The other 40% will be selected based on grades, application, and interview.

This is a huge change and I do have theories about why this has happened, but I haven't heard an explanation yet. This is good for people like me that are good at school - not necessarily smart, just performs well in the class. I wish this would've been the standards when I was applying. I've heard people from my class say how future classes won't have personality or won't be able to interact with clients. On the flipside, vet students need to be able to learn the material and pass the classes before they start worrying about interacting with clients. I do kinda like this idea as about half the class should do well in the classes and the other half will add the diversity of experiences. I think it will be vital for these classes to work together and learn from each other to become "hot shot MSU vets" (being intelligent with good people skills).

One theory why this is happening stems from rumors in my class of a lot of students are struggling in classes. I think there is a lot of diversity of experiences in my class which is why we are expected to be a great class among the faculty. This diversity will also make for some creativity in solving problems. I just hope we can all pass our classes and stay as a class.

MSU is still working out the kinks in the new curriculum, but upperclassmen all agree that it's better than it was. I know changes will be made after my class and probably for the next few years. Any school has its problems, but I'm happy to be here at MSU.

Histology

I did fairly bad on our 2nd histology test even with the 12 questions thrown out so I was hoping to redeem myself on the 3rd test last week. At least I did better, but I'm going to have to work hard for the Final. So far, a lot of questions have been thrown out of the last two tests. Apparently, it's still not helping me that much. I do not think I'm meant to be a histologist. I'm still waiting for my lab grade that I'm hoping is better than the lecture portion.

I can't wait till next Tuesday as that is our Immunology test - the last test until finals. I am looking forward to a break in studying. I am already sick of studying Immuno and I have a lot more studying to do before the test.

I'm realizing that I am only remembering school-related material. I can't remember what I did yesterday or what classes I have tomorrow. My sister-in-law diagnosed this as "survival mode." I've never had a good memory for dates and events, but I feel that it's worse now.

Interesting Research

I just read in a magazine how the majority of cows align their bodies in the north-south direction. So the minority of cows face east or west when resting or grazing. I haven't been by any farms to do my own research, but this is definitely something to look for the next time you're driving past a farm. This behavior is thought to be related to the Earth's magnetic field and has been found to occur in other species as well.

An Easy Week

Last week was a nice relaxing week. We only had a small test so there was quite a bit of free time. Early in the week, we had a horse lab. I feel so much more comfortable handling horses and giving them physicals after only an hour of working with them. I wish someone would have taken the time to show me this stuff before now.

I went down to watch some surgeries also. One surgery I watched was an amputation of the hindlimb. This was a great review of the muscles, nerves, and arteries that we've been learning in anatomy. I was able to help them out a little too. The surgeons were wondering where the muscles of the quadriceps originated and if they needed to cut them. In their defense, they don't usually do this surgery. I told them that rectus femoris is the only one that originates on the pelvis while the vastus muscles originate on the femur and don't need to be cut. They looked and saw that I was right. It was nice to show them that I am learning things. Hopefully I'll be scrubbing into surgeries soon.

Watching these surgeries and listening to clinicians has been a huge motivator to keep studying. There are so many times where I'm studying and don't know the clinical importance of the material. Seeing how what I'm studying will be useful and important in clinics encourages me to continue plugging away.

Free Stuff for Doctors

We had a discussion today of whether we as veterinarians should take free pens, lunches, and other stuff from pharmaceutical reps. The moderators obviously thought that these freebies would influence our decisions. I guess the thought is that we would be distracted with the gifts and not look at the research. Are we that dumb? I understand how it can help doctors recognize these drugs/companies names, but I don't think I would blindly start prescribing the drugs because of a pen. I think the big things like vacations may instill a feeling of obligation to support that company, but I grab pens whenever I see them.

One good point that was brought up was that we need to be aware of what we advertise. By this I mean, what are our clients and the general public seeing written on our pens, notepads, shirts, or whatever? I have a Hill's backpack and I actually do support Hill's, but if it said Purina on it, I would probably still use it because it's a good backpack. However, I don't think a veterinarian should advertise companies that they wouldn't recommend. I think a lot of people accidentally advertise companies by using free stuff.

As a side note, the comment was made about making MSU a no free lunch (and other gifts) zone. However, companies like Hill's provide a lot of free gifts to the students, discounted food, money for orientation activities, and even money for student tutors. Taking away this stuff would make vet school a lot less enjoyable.

Avoiding Studying

I have an anatomy exam tomorrow, but I do not feel like studying anymore. I just had my animal handling practical, which was a complete waste of time. I had to halter a sheep, tie a knot, pretend to draw blood, get a heart rate, find lymph nodes, and give a body condition score to the sheep. All of which took about 7 minutes with me taking my time. It took me longer to get to the farm!
Today we had another prime example of a student asking a question that was so far below the professor's intelligence that he couldn't answer it. It's kinda sad when the professor spends 5-10 minutes trying to answer the question and he starts talking about stuff that is unrelated to the student's question. This does provide some entertainment during the class, but it also gets frustrating very quickly because it seems that the right sentence would answer the question and the fact that the student should understand the material because it was covered on our first test. This is just a reminder to really smart people to actually listen to the question and don't be tricked if the question seems dumb. To everyone else: don't ask your questions before you've looked in your notes.
It looks like week 7 of vet school is when you become sick of studying. I know I should study for anatomy, but I probably know enough to pass the tests tomorrow. OK, back to studying.

Random Thoughts

First, I passed my micro exam with an 84%! The average was a 2.0 and 66 people were recommended a tutor. I'm surprised at the comments made by my fellow students like "what am I doing wrong?" or "I'm used to 4.0 and I haven't gotten one yet." Is this unexpected? Was vet school supposed to be easy? I don't understand why they are surprised that vet school is really hard.

Second, I drove my truck 90 miles yesterday and it was fine. I get to school and try to drive 2 miles and it's not driving right (by right I mean able to exceed 25 mph). Today I sort of figured it out, but it's not consistent. My truck is currently an anti-theft machine as no one could steal it if they tried. It would be nice if it were back to normal again though.

Third, my ethics paper is being used as an example for the class. Personally, I thought it was worse than my first one that got a B. This week's paper is going to be so much worse since I don't even know what to write about. Hopefully she doesn't expect me to deliver this "spectacular" work all the time.

Another Day, Another A?

Definitely not another A yesterday. We had our microbiology exam and it was bad. I was scared of this one from the start. We had over 100 pages of lecture notes covered on the test. I thought I may be able to dodge the bullet, but no. There were 50 questions. Questions 1-5 I was pretty good with. Then came 6-20 where I was just picking different letters because they were questions about the most obscure things. From 21-40, I felt I had a chance at getting some right. And again 41-50 was bad news again. The only good thing was after when I was talking to my classmates - we found out that we all felt the same about it. I still don't know my score and we don't think there's curves so for now, I'll just wait.

Also, I've noticed a sign that I may be studying too much especially for anatomy. Have you ever been eating chicken and wondered what the names are of all the different muscles you're eating? I know I have and more than once too.

Oh, yesterday I got to draw blood from and stomach tube a sheep. The stomach tubing was interesting because you have to put a syringe in the sheep's mouth to prop it open and pass the tube through it. Then you suck on the tube to make sure you're in the esophagus and not the trachea. Once in the esophagus, you blow in the tube as you pass it to the rumen. Fun times. Drawing blood was also fun. If you've drawn blood from dogs and cats, drawing blood from larger animals is easy because the veins seem huge.

We have a whole week until our next exam so I'm relaxing a little bit!

Another Day

I just got home from classes and it's almost 7pm. Have I ever mentioned that vet school is kinda like prison? I just go where I'm told and then I go home and study. I usually don't even know what the weather is like. Today was a good day from what I remember: I got my histo grade back and it was in the 90s which will be helpful in case I fail future exams. I had a free lunch and dinner. I survived my anatomy lecture and lab exams. The lab exam was harder than I expected, but we'll see how I do.
Oh and best of all, I was just at a lecture about interesting cases in this guy's career. Apparently some vets mistake the ureter and kidney as the uterine horn and ovary. Don't ask. Toothpicks are dangerous to dogs. For example, this one toothpick pierced about every organ (lung, liver, kidney, gall bladder, etc.) in this dog before the dog died. If you see a hole, look where it goes: one dog had a stick through its heart and another one had a broadhead arrow in its head. Anyways, the vet was talking about treating high potassium and I actually understood it because of histo stuff about intracellular and extracellular ions and their pumps. I thought this was really cool because I really didn't see the importance of the information and how it related to things like bloodwork.

First Test

Today we had our first test of vet school. It was histology so I've been studying for the past week for it. It was funny today because I got to watch my classmates stress all day about the test since it was at 5:30. I didn't think the test was that bad, but we'll see when I get my grade back.

Now I have to start studying Anatomy for the exam on Monday. At least I'm interested in this subject so it should be less work. However, this has been another slow week since it feels like today should be Friday.

You can't be good at everything

During our anatomy lectures, the professor talks more about life lessons and random stories from his life. While it's interesting, it makes it hard to figure out what is going to be on the lecture exam. Do we need to know that his dog is on a 70 foot cable when it's outside? One of his life lessons was that you can't be good at everything. You can be good at a lot of things, but not everything. Lately, I haven't been studying anatomy because I kinda know enough to get by for now so I've been focusing on studying histology. However, what he said has got me thinking that I'm probably going to use anatomy in surgery a lot more than I will use histology (if I ever use that). I can't remember ever seeing a vet prepare a slice of tissue to look at. They just send it to the lab. I've started studying more anatomy even though we have a histo test next week.

I'm a week and a half into the program and I can see that my life has been consumed by veterinary medicine. All I do is go to class till 5 and then come home and study. Oh, yesterday we went to the dairy farm and learn some physical exam techniques on the cows. It was really cool, but I'm definitely not a large animal person as they pushed me all over the place. I really thought about going into Subway with my coveralls still on and smelling like a barn, but I changed so people could eat their food without the smells of the farm. See I am considerate to others.

One of Those Calls

I just got one of those calls. If you're slightly interested in animals or becoming a vet, you know what I'm talking about. Someone calls you about an animal that is doing something weird/abnormal and they ask you if there's something wrong and what they should do. It had actually been a while since I had received one of those calls, but it looks like they may start back up again.

This puppy was shaking all the time...What's wrong with it? First of all, I have completed an entire week of vet school and I don't think we covered the shaking puppy and its cure. Then the person wants me to agree that it's a neurological issue. You may be wondering why they don't just take the dog to a vet...I don't know either. As a vet-in-training, I don't think it would be wise to hand out diagnoses (especially over the phone) based on all of my lack of knowledge and experience. Furthermore, I don't think an experienced vet would even diagnose it without running tests and examining the animal.

So for now, I will tell you "I don't know. Take it to a vet." if you ask me what's wrong with your animal.

Almost One Week Completed

I must say that the school days are very long. I'm in class 8-5 or 9-5 most days then I get to come home and study. My life has definitely been consumed. Yesterday felt like it should have Friday with all that I've done this week. I asked a vet student if I was supposed to be learning stuff. He said, "No, just absorbing and then dumping after tests." So I think I'm on the right track. In Histology we looked at different types of nuclei, but I don't know what I was supposed to learn from that.

I did learn that a pimple is a cheat sheet in a Microbiology exam as it shows the 4 signs of infection - redness, heat, inflammation, and pain. I also understand why vet students don't respond to emails right away. It's because we get so many everyday and skim through them and go back to studying.

On a side note, I think there's a daycare right outside my apartment door. While I'm studying, I hear little kids playing/screaming/crying and riding their scooters and tricycles by my window.

First Day

I just finished my first day of vet school, and I think it went fairly well. Classes were kinda boring because it was a lot of introductions. Histology is going to be a long class as neither the professor or the material seems very exciting. Anatomy was cool in that we got a dog skeleton to use for the semester. I started studying all the bones and parts of the bones. However, I learned that we can't take pictures of our preserved specimens when we get them because animal rights people don't think it's right. To those people I say, "Thanks for hindering my studying and pursuit to better help animals. You should be proud!"

We got our locker assignments today and mine was on the end so I would have plenty of room, right? One catch: it came pre-locked. The next locker they assigned me was also locked so I currently have a locker in the men's bathroom on the first floor while everyone else it on the second floor. Apparently, I'm special. Another snaffoo I ran into was that everyone else received a free lunch bag except me. I'm wondering if this is the result of me being the last in my class alphabetically.

So far, I've been able to borrow books and only buy coursepacks. It's nice to save a few bucks here and there.

We've been receiving lectures the past couple days about how we're professionals and need to act like it. The main point was that we should be at classes and meetings on time which I think I was so I'm good. Another point was that we are already veterinarians. We already took the veterinarian's oath and we're probably going to graduate. That one really made me think since I considered myself still a kid or student.

A little bit on my pet peeve of high expectations: After this weekend of orientation, my mother said something that has been one of my fears/concerns for a while. She said I better do well and get through vet school since the director of admissions and a lot of people here are saying that I am going to do great. Nothing like a little pressure. Oh, and apparently I know more people than I really know here. I had a conversation (not just a greeting, more of "what are doing now") with a woman that knows me, but I had no clue who she was. I guess I'm just that popular.

Orientation and White Coat Ceremony

Yesterday was exciting, but I'm glad it's over. There were activities from 10 am - 9 pm. I looked at my schedule and it's crazy. It's basically the same every week except little changes that are going to be annoying. The schedule itself doesn't look that bad as days start at 8 or 9 pm and end at 3 0r 5 pm. BUT I heard that students study an average of 30 hours a week. There went my life. Everyone seemed cool, but then again I think most of us are still in shock of what's going on. Out of 111 students, there are 14 guys.

We received so much information this first day that I'm still trying to sort through it all. My first test is the 10th then the next week I have 3 more tests.

We did get quite a bit of free stuff, so my $10,000 a semester bought me a backpack, shirt, and some meals. That was worth it, Right?

I received my white coat and took the veterinarian's oath and am officially a veterinarian in the making.

School is Approaching Fast

I'm usually not the kind of person to speak up or volunteer to do things first, but I was thinking a few weeks ago that I need to do these things to learn and have more opportunities. My new motto for vet school: Learn by doing. When the doctor asked if anyone wanted to try to suture a dog's ear, I had to volunteer. So those were the first sutures I had put into a live animal. It was fun! But my hands were shaking too much with the doctor watching. Also, it was harder than practicing on a sponge - getting the needle through the skin and come out where I wanted was sometimes a challenge.

Overall, I think my volunteering this summer was successful as I learned a few things and the doctors said I could come back on breaks from school. I think that's a good thing.

I think the going-away parties are signs that school is about to start and the summer is over. This is my last week. I have 1.5 days of work left. Then I move into my apartment on Thursday and Friday is orientation for vet school. I'm at the point where I can't prepare myself anymore so I just want it to start. Let's not put off the inevitable any longer.

I've never felt more unprepared for school in my life than I do right now. Fear is a good motivator sometimes and I am counting on it to push me to study harder than ever before. It should last at least the first few weeks.

3 Weeks Till School Starts

I'm actually excited for the start of school this year. It is a strange feeling. With every email with details about orientation and books and supplies, I get hit by the realization that I am in vet school now. Up to this point and even now still, it hasn't fully clicked that I am a vet student now. I think that time will come a few weeks after school starts.

While I am definitely excited about school, the other half of me is extremely nervous. Am I ready? Will I succeed? - Questions like that keep flying through my head. I guess they say, "Learn by doing." So, Let's do this.

The summer has gone by so fast and I don't doubt that will change in the next 3 weeks. I look back at my summer job and just have to laugh as I worked in my city's engineering department (not exactly veterinary related). I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Kodak i260 scanner and how to survey streets and measure concrete. However, I do think the job was good for me because it gave me practice interacting with fellow employees and being the lead person on some projects (that's also funny when I tell engineering majors what to do in their field).

Anyways, I have a few more weeks to enjoy the summer and hopelessly try to prepare myself for vet school. I plan to enjoy this free time.

Volunteering

The last few weeks I started volunteering at a vet clinic. It's funny to see people's reactions when you ask to volunteer and tell them it's not a requirement for a class or anything. I'm just volunteering to gain more experience and be exposed to different cases and situations. I guess managers don't encounter this situation all the time.

My first day I saw the insides of a baby bird from the outside. The doctor showed me the lump of food as it passed through the esophagus, the breast muscles, a major artery, stomach, and part of the liver. The skin was so thin that you could see all these structures.
I was also told by a doctor to prepare for vet school by reading the James Herriot books and relaxing this summer. I didn't expect this.One doctor suggested not shadowing vets anymore and just relax my last summer that I'll have free time. I get her point, but I was think it's fun and RELAXING to be in a vet clinic and see these cases.

I'm still volunteering occasionally, but not as much as I had originally planned. During the last few weeks, I was able to hold a baby pig, chinchilla, and try to restrain a 200+ pound mastiff. It's been fun and boring at times, but I think it's better than watching TV.

I have less than 2 months before I'll be back at State and starting vet school. It's hard to believe the summer is halfway done. Part of me just wants to start school and get this show on the road.
Next weekend will hopefully be filled with tubing and skiing along with good pictures/video.

The Summer So Far

I'm finding out that working full-time eats up most of your life. I had a lot of things that I wanted to get done that I will hopefully start in the next week or two. My anatomy book is slowing being read. I can't believe I've been out of school for about a month and vet school is approaching fast.

Last week, I received my diploma so that was cool. At first glance, it looks like a bunch of scribbling. I guess I don't appreciate the fancy writing. It was definately an encouragement to see that I have actually achieved something in the last 4 year.

Last weekend I was able to go up north and relax. After putting in 250 feet of dock, we were able to ski and tube in the 50-something degree water. It was fun, but my body is still recovering. For my family, tubing is not the usual tube being pulled nicely a fishing boat. It's more of my dad trying to kill my brother and I on the tube. Also, we have been doing tricks the last few years - barrel rolls and jumps. Below is a picture of me combining the two:

Taste of Summer

I finished 3 of my exams and with one left on Friday, I took a break today. It was a little taste of summer. I was able to relax without any studying, get some personal reading done, and I didn't have to worry about any upcoming deadlines. As you can probably tell, I am not too worried about my last exam. It is a rather easy class as I only need a 59% to 4-point.

I was also able to talk to a few people about vet school in the fall. It worries me a little that a doctor that really doesn't know me says I'll do great. Then I talked to a vet student franticly studying for finals. She talked to me about how the students fight for that much desired 2.0 to pass the classes. It's weird because I'm fairly certain that vet school is something that you can't fully prepare for, but I am still trying to get as much advice as I can to learn how to prepare for it. This is what I've worked so hard for it, and I want to do my best with the opportunity. I don't want to mess up.

I just borrowed an anatomy book that we will be using next year. I was flipping through it and it looks awesome. I am really excited to finally be studying something that directly pertains to my career!! I'm all done with Fisheries & Wildlife and how to manage people, write surveys, analyze habitat, etc.. I am going to try to start studying anatomy this summer to hopefully give me a little headstart before classes start.

Almost There

With less than 2 weeks left, I woke this morning with a little optimism which is a little odd for me. I completed 1 of my 3 big assignments yesterday and another one is almost there. I'm starting to see things wrapping up in my undergrad classes. It's a cool feeling! I can finally see my classes wrapping up. Finals are around the corner and the smell of summer (freedom) is in the air.

I'm almost done with undergrad classes. I remember earlier this year telling my adviser and supervisor that I wasn't going to attend my graduation ceremony. They flipped out and started lecturing me on how a bachelor's degree is a big achievement. BUT, I am not a big supporter of public recognition - I don't believe in doing things so other people say, "Look at what he did." Another reason is that I didn't come to MSU for a bachelor's in Fisheries & Wildlife; I came here to receive my DVM degree and I'll celebrate when I've achieved that goal.

Enrollment

Today I enrolled for my classes for next year. At first glance, my schedule doesn't look that bad - classes start at 9 AM and I'm done by 3 or 5 PM. By "done" I mean with classes, I'm guessing I'll have to stay in the labs for another 2-4 hours after that and then go home and study.

My classes are a little intimidating being 500-level courses. I'm not too sure how I'll like the 20 credit semesters either. Here's first semester:

Animal Science for Vets - I'm not much of a large animal fan, but it could be cool.
Vet Microbiology and Immunology - That just sounds scary!
Vet Neurosciences - Sounds interesting, but hard.
Comparative Vet Gross Anatomy 1 - I am looking forward to this class the most!!
Vet Tissue Structure and Function - Not a fan.
Vet Clinical Exams and Techniques - It should be hands-on which is always fun.
Ethical & Animal Welfare Issues in the Profession - I foresee this to be interesting but not enough to keep me awake.

Michigan

I always hear people talk about how they hate Michigan - the weather is unpredictable and cold or there's nothing to do here. While there really isn't anything to do here, I have found something good about Michigan.

I was reading my Parasitology book for my test this week and noticed that a lot of the parasites are only present in the southern US. So there you are, a good thing about Michigan - parasites can't survive as well in Michigan and colder areas, and therefore there aren't as many parasites here.

Mammalogy Class

I had my Mammalogy Lab Practical the week before spring break. I actually enjoyed this test because I knew the material fairly well. I was surprised at how much I retained and the fact that you can identify the family or species of an animal just by its skull.

It's amazing how many distinguishing features are on an animal's skull. I also just found out that I did really well on the test, so that's a plus. Now we're learning rodents and they all look the same.

Parasitology

I finished my first round of tests and have a week break until a couple more. The other day I was thinking about my Parasitology class. A lot of the information is really interesting. BUT on the flipside, I also know of all the possible parasites I probably am and could be infected with.

Just so you know, don't go swimming in Lake Victoria because apparently there' a really good chance of a little schistosome drilling through your skin and going to live in your liver.

This class really makes you wonder if you should eat that food or swim in that lake or river. You also realize that there's really no way of avoiding parasites. Why am I starting to itch?

Expectations

Have you ever felt that people expect more from you?

People have always underestimated me and I loved it. Nothing was expected of me so it was easy to exceed other's expectations.

Ever since I was accepted to vet school, people in admissions keep reminding me that I was the first to be accepted this year. Most of the doctors and technicians in the teaching hospital know me and I get comments about how I have seen so many surgeries that I should be able to do some with no problem. Seeing things and doing things are completely different though!

I have no doubt that vet school is going to be interesting. Hopefully, a good interesting.

My Escape

Everyone has to have something to get away from the business of work and school. My outlet has always been sports. Playing sports has always allowed me to forget all the responsibilities and problems in my life and just have fun.

Below is a video of me ski jumping. I must say that this is my favorite winter pastime. It combines skiing with a tidbit of danger. I do not suggest anybody especially novice skiers to try this. Enjoy.

First Week of Final Semester

I just finished my first week of my final semester for my fisheries and wildlife degree. It didn't even feel like I was in school. I had so much free time that I went to the teaching hospital a few times to watch some small animal surgeries. Not having classes on Fridays is going to be the highlight of this semester. However, my job starts next week and I know classes will start getting hectic soon. I expect Parasitology to be very hard as I have to learn all these characteristics about a ton of different parasites that all look the same.
Well, it's always good to have a good start though.