Spring Semester

Well this semester has been pretty uneventful so far. A lot of things are due all at once so things are going to speed up soon. It is difficult having 1-2 tests every week, but I guess it keeps me up on my readings. I am loving classes now, because it is more application material versus memorization. I just got my Fieldwork I assignment at Riverside Hospital and I will start that in a couple of weeks. I have also applied for a job at a brain injury camp this summer so keep you fingers crossed for me. I think it would be a great experience.

Wow I have really neglected my blog.

Well, Fall semester wasn't so bad. It was a lot of material, but I made it through with minimal damage. Ha! Kinesiology was probably the most difficult of the classes, but theory was the most time consuming. It got a little crazy towards the end of the semester, because everything seemed to come due at the same time. Between exams, papers, projects, and presentations, it was not a walk in the park. Now, let's add on top of that the fact that I got mumps, my daughter got pneumonia, and my roommate had surgery all right there too. I am very careful to never ask the question, "What else can go wrong?" especially during that time even though it seemed like nothing else could have gone wrong at that point. I survived, my daughter survived, my roommate survived, and I passed the semester, so there you go.

Spring semester is not looking to be any easier; however, it is a lot of application so at least it will be more fun. It is not just stuff being drilled into your head. Neuroanatomy may prove to be my most difficult class, but I love learning about the brain. I will hopefully be better at keeping this up to date this semester.

Fall Semester

I made it through Summer Anatomy with a B. After all, a B is the new A, right? Anyway, it was probably the toughest thing I have ever had to do. If I had to give tips to upcoming OT students who were afraid of this class they would be:

1) Think of it as a model, not a person.
2)Use a mask from the beginning to prevent headaches and odor.
3)Put hand lotion in your locker, because you will start to hate the smell of the soap in the lab
4)Use mints or hard candy to keep you mouth moist (Don't lick your lips, trust me!)
5)Use afternoon time to review structures to that point so that you don't get behind.
6)Lastly, don't worry you will get used to it.

Well, we only had two days of classes this week, so I haven't been introduced to all of my classes yet. Most of them so far seem pretty manageable and sound very interesting. I can't wait to dive into them. There has only been one so far that seems like it is going to really challenge my organizational skills. If I can stay organized, I think I will do fine. I will blog again later in the Fall as classes continue.

First Anatomy Exam

Well, I made it through the first anatomy practical and written exam with only a little ding to my self esteem. I am a student that is used to getting A's all of the time. This is a tough class and the way the questions were worded really confused me. I had a much harder time with the written than I did the practical. I only missed an A on the practical by 2 points so I am OK with that, but we will not discuss my written exam grade. It was a tough one for me. The only thing I can do is study, study, study, and try to do better next time. If I can pull a B out of this class, I will be happy. An A would just be a bonus.

Summer OT Marathon

Wow, I have really neglected my blog. Since classes started, everything has been nonstop. I had my Nature of OT class from June 4 - June 11. It was a lot of material in a very short period of time. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it, but I made it through and I did really well. When that class was done, we started Gross Anatomy. It is really gross at times, but it is also very interesting. We have our first practical coming up on Wednesday, and I am very nervous. This class is just so intense. I hope that things slow down a little bit in the Fall. I guess only time will tell.

Hopefully, it will not take me as long to post my next entry.

Is it...Could it be...Financial Aid??

I think they finally awarded financial aid for the summer. That is if I am looking at it correctly. I no longer have to be worried about having enough money for the semester now. Yay!! Anyway, things have calmed down a lot for me this week. Last week felt like a whirlwind of emotion that kept knocking me off my feet. June 2nd is slowly approaching, but it is less than a month away and still no Welcome packet. Go figure. Well hopefully I will know what to do when the first day of classes arrives. If not, maybe Nivea, Erin, and I can figure it out together.

Life

Wow! We finally got our tuition bill, but still no financial aid information. Financial aid would be helpful for buying books too, but I already ordered mine so that I could get them cheaper on half.com. It is frustrating to not know how much aid I am going to be getting. Some of us have bills to pay! Anyway, I am still waiting patiently for classes to start.

On another note...I am very thankful that I was not injured in yesterday's tornado. Thank you to everybody that called or wrote to check on me. I would like to say that what I witnessed yesterday was truly amazing. I watched an F4 tornado pass right over me yet destroy the shopping center right next to where I was. I volunteered at the hospital afterwards and listened to people's stories. Some people were in their cars and got spun around and slammed on the ground. Some people were in their houses and threw their loved ones on the floor and covered them with their own bodies to protect them as their house was leveled around them. Some people were in the shopping center that was destroyed and had to be transferred to a bigger trauma center. Everyone was scared, but the way everybody pulled together was truly uplifting.

I know this is my OT journey and this isn't about OT, but this is about my life journey. This entire situation has taught me something. We may think we are in charge of our lives then something like this happens and it shows us who is truly in charge.