Wisdom

I just finished a neuro lecture. She began lecture with this quote:

"It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most."

- J.C. Penney

...and then ended with this:

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."

- Socrates

[How uplifting...]

and for your viewing pleasure...

The basement...looks cozy doesn't it?

And a random shot of my friends, Amanda and Bre, during a short break in lecture. Bre is insanely healthy and eats brussell sprouts and veggies non-stop. She's even got me taking a multi-vitamin and fish oil everyday.



My home, away from home, away from home...

I still consider my home to be on Wedgewood Drive, but it gets a little fuzzy sometimes because I live in an apartment which I call home and feel like the basement computer lab of Fee Hall (picture soon to come!) has become more of my home simply because of the amount of time I am currently spending here. It's not a pretty place, but I sure do get a lot done. Especially when NOBODY else is around. Someone walked by and poked their head in a couple of days and we had this dialogue...

Fellow med student: I think there are probably 10 people in this whole building right now, and of all the places to study you picked here??

Me: Well, it's kinda grown on me I guess.

Fellow med student: (super confused look...long silence...)

Me: (feeling the need to explain myself further...) I kind of like here, ya know?

Fellow med student: Hmmm... do you like people??

But, it's currently 10:37 and I'm on a role. The buzz of the fuse box, fluorescent lighting, lack of social stimulation, hundreds and hundreds of brain scan images, and my trusty neuro course pack, I dare say, are serving me quite well, thank you very much.

Update Overdue

Holy moley. Where does the time go?! I don't even know where to start. But I'll start here...

...1. I got an iPhone yesterday (thanks to Bre for her moral support!). I GOT AN iPHONE! Honestly, I would've been happy with a phone that worked, so naturally, one that works and does incredible things is a HUGE bonus. I did a lot of iPhone vs Droid investigating (can you really go wrong?). So far I'm very happy with my choice. I hope it leads to more pictures on here!

Notice the purple case with the purple nail polish :)

2. Katie, Al, and I went on a road trip to DC to visit Anna (and Will) a couple weekends ago!! It was so much fun. So great to be reunited, to shop, and to talk about the wedding in August! And it was cherry blossom time which was also sorta fun.

Katie whipped out her uke while we waited for Anna to get home!

At the Surpreme Court Building

So many people...So many cherry blossoms!

3. I've been using my OMM table a lot! I even took it to DC! It fits perfectly in my trunk.

4. Ben came to visit on Saturday. We had a picnic on our back cement slab (I hesitate to say patio). We may have used towels and couch cushions for seating and eaten overcooked fish and couscous, but it was so much fun. Thank goodness for warmer weather!

5. I successfully completed my Concealed Pistol License course! And got to shoot a few more rounds at the Demmer Center. And, while I was in Pinckney the other weekend I got to see the AR-15 that Aunt Michelle and Uncle Dennis got me as a commissioning gift...so awesome! But, I have a lot to learn before I can have a successful, coherent conversation with Uncle Dennis about it.



Not the actual one, but just to give you an idea.



6. Speaking of Aunt Michelle and Uncle Dennis, they just welcomed a new baby boy, Declan, to our family! Hooray for a baby!! Hooray for them! I can't wait to visit! He was born on Nana and Papa's Wedding Anniversary. So, Hooray for April 12!

7. And last, but certainly least, I'm so so so excited to be finished with microbiology this semester (I'm trying really hard to put a positive spin on it). Ugh. Only a few more weeks with these terrible notes...It's making me think bad things about school.

Regaining my femininity

So, yesterday was one of those days. One of those days where I didn't do things that typically fall into the category of being a girl:

1. Successfully completed the male genital and rectal exams on two willing, well paid volunteers. Then proceded to discuss some of the mechanical issues associated with being a guy.

2. Attended my certified pistol lisence (CPL) class and browsed the lastest and greatest hand guns currently recommended for personal protection.

Funny thing is, I enjoyed both experiences a lot. Before I read too much into what that means, I'm going to go paint my fingernails and tell you that I learned a lot and for that I'm very thankful.

Pressed for money?

I'm suffering from a lack of motivation for this thing called blogging right now. But, I'm forcing myself to do it. So it's gonna be short, sweet, and to the point. I really just feel like I need to document this certain event. And I'm sure most of you reading this will be glad I did--keep it short and sweet that is.

Last Wednesday I did my first female sensitive exam, which means pap smear and breast exam, on two live, breathing, willing ladies who so kindly allowed us to practice on them. Tomorrow is the male sensitive exam. I'm slightly more nervous for this one, for reasons I'd like to assume are obvious, but I'm sure that the desensitization process that began last summer to what were once "sensitive" body parts will make tomorrow's exam as simple as taking a blood pressure. I can hardly wait.

It's times like these that I am reminded I am no longer in undergrad and am actually somewhere on my way to seeing patients that don't present themselves in vignettes.

Oh, and I hear they are well paid...So locate your local medical school for a job near you!

Haiti and my Heart

A couple of days ago, I was asked to write a couple of paragraphs on "what Haiti did for me." The request couldn't have been more accurate. While our team was on a mission to the bless the clinic and the Haitian community, each one of us would undoubtedly say that the blessing we received was huge. Here's what I had to say:

Traveling to Haiti was an experience I've been anticipating for years. After hearing stories from doctors and nurses who have been faithful to God's calling by pursuing a medical career in other countries or cultures, I jumped at the opportunity to head to Haiti. I was exhilarated in the week leading up to our departure. It was a curious sort of exhilaration; the feeling you have before you start down a ski run you've never ventured down before. I wasn't sure what was going to come of the experience, but I had a peace from the Lord that told me it would be worth every penny.

Mountains Beyond Mountains.

And 4 adorable little boys who constantly asked, "Give me one dolla!" or "Give me one soccer ball!"

 
After experiencing life in the mountains of Haiti, surrounded by God's creation and the love of the Haitian people, I use the same word to describe the current state of my heart--exhilarated. The exhilaration I felt before is now channelled into a focused hunger for serving God and others. It's a direct result of Christ's love that I felt as I was welcomed by an elderly Haitian couple while spending an afternoon visiting homes to gather information for future public health education. Or by the Haitian woman I met in the NY airport and her warm embrace as we were reunited again in the baggage claim in Haiti.  It ignited a desire to be on fire for God. Revelation 3:15-17 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." A lukewarm life is comfortable, providing a false sense of security. The raw experience that Haiti provided encouraged me to get uncomfortable. To be faithful to God. To be hot when the people and the world around me tell me a lukewarm life is just fine.