Well, after a two year hiatus, I'm back and blogging! Ok, back to my college ways.
I guess I'll just rationalise it by saying that I wasn't actually IN school for a year and a half and blogging just doesn't work as well when you're not procrastinating on something you should be doing.
A rather fast recap of what's going on with my life:
I'm living in Germany now. I successfully uprooted and replanted in September 2014, worked as an Au Pair for a hellish year in which my mother died, my dad got married, I went to Greece, and I was randomly accepted to medical school in Bonn (on a whim). It was a big year. And a hard year.
So now I'm back in full student mode, in a new country, studying something more intense than I've never studied before. I'm older now, 25, and it's not as easy as the first time around. Or maybe it's a language thing. Whatever it is, learning stuff about medicine is hard.
The university system in Germany is quite different from ours back in the States. All grades are based on one exam at the end of the semester (sometimes also at the beginning of the next). You can take a test for a class you never attended. You basically are your own....is what I'm figuring out. They use this "sink or swim" tactic, and if you don't teach yourself the material on your own time, you fail. Unique to medicine though, (thankfully) is that we don't get grades. Everything is purely pass/fail, which is helpful. I thought, yeah, 60%, easy smeazy. Nooooo. It's not. Try remembering every sulcus and tuberculum and ligament and what they do and how they can get hurt. A whole semester worth of only BONES and I can barely manage to get 60%. Next up on the challenge list is organic chemistry (which I stupidly never took in the US). That exam is on Friday and I'm pretty behind because it's just SO MUCH. And it's super tailored toward medicine so it's like an overview of the important things and then they dropped right into biochemistry with amino acids and DNA. It's just a lot. On the bright side, I learned so much by myself and it really gives me something to be proud of, where as in the US it's more like I feel like I had been "taught" so much and the sense of accomplishment wasn't as high I think.
So that's what's going on. What's coming up?
After the embryology and chemistry exams this week, I'm flying to Madrid to meet up with my dad on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to seeing him...and maybe working on my Spanish? I would love to learn Spanish! Marco and I started on Narcos last night on Netflix and it just made me want to be able to speak Spanish SO BAD.
Anyway, after that, at the beginning of March, I'm embarking on my next adventure to Vietnam. I'm heading over there with Marco, Maja and Nick. I'm pretty excited but a bit nervous about the budget. As a non-working full-time medical student living abroad the finance situation is a bit tight. I booked those tickets nervously and thought, yeah, until then I can find a job...but unfortunately learning all this stuff takes a bit more time up than I would've expected which doesn't leave a lot of time for employment. Ah, c'est la vie. You're only young once.
And then it all starts up again in April: this time with developmental neurobiology, physics lab, biochemistry, and histology. (And maybe more? Stay tuned to find out!)
Alright, I think it's time to get back to peptide bonding and kinetics. But this was therapeutic. Maybe I'll try to get back into the groove...
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Monday, February 15, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2011
2011: the lists
top ten experiences of 2011:
1. Watching the expansive sky/clouds every day in Kenya.
2. Seeing the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel and its vibrant life and cohabitation.
3. Safari! Listening to the Lion King soundtrack crossing the savannah was epic.
4. NFC Championship Game with the family. Soo much fun!!
5. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea/Snorkeling in the Red Sea/Swimming in the Indian Ocean
6. Dancing at Izzy's Wedding (Izzy and Jessica's wedding. Force of habit.)
7. Getting accepted to Study Abroad in Germany.
8. Walking in to a class and watching a Beyonce music video (every other moment of that class)
9. Hiking up Masada/in the Golan Heights//Hiking up the Ngong Hills (never huffed/puffed/sweated so much in my LIFE)
10. Sitting in the tree at the end of Picnic Point and watching the waves crash up on the shore. There's a whole bunch of new human-stuff there now so I'll never have that back.
best things about 2011:
1. the experiences.
2. my classes this fall. (especially black music and stats!)
3. actually applying to nursing school!
4. learning a lot about myself through travel.
5. living in my apartment. my home. :)
6. being legally allowed to order a drink.
7. my friends and family. being surrounded with people!
8. harry potter world! hell yes
9. the incredible weather
10. CNA classes with Sasha/becoming a CNA/being a CNA
songs that defined 2011 for me:
1. Someone Like You-Adele
2. Ambling Alp-Yeasayer
3. Run the World (Girls)-Beyonce (and I Was Here)
4. Runaway-Kanye West
5. You're Going to Make Me Lonesome When You Go-Bob Dylan
6. Lucifer-Jay-Z
7. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay-Otis Redding
8. Unpretty-TLC
9. My Mirror Speaks-Death Cab for Cutie
10. Ex Factor-Lauryn Hill
11. How Many Lovers-Jhameel
the worst:
1. sarah moving away (and jason, too!)
2. feeling so awful the weekend of izzy's wedding. being surrounded by my regrets.
3. miami during thanksgiving.
4. dating that asshole...and lord is he ever an asshole!
5. that stomach flu I came down with...in Madison, but also when I was in Kenya after the exotic meat when I was missing home so much.
6. my dad's brush with cancer.
7. quitting a job. that was rough and embarrassing. tied with microbiology, the worst class ever.
8. my 21st birthday (after 2am before 2 it almost made the list for the most amazing things). and more specifically the hangover that only ended two days later.
9. my mom's deterioration...i know it's a little harsh to put it on here...and she does have great days, but still).
10. the awkwardness post-Israel when my two friends came with me on my 'spiritual' adventure. i wish things would've gone differently.
goals for next year:
1. Make Germany Count. Speak German whenever possible, be comfortable. See Europe.
2. be kinder. in thoughts, in actions.
3. improve on the romance. don't date losers. get over old flames. don't let the thoughts fester.
4. get into Nursing School (although I don't have much control over that now)
5. Find a TV show that parallels my interest in Mad Men. (Also, find a way to watch Mad Men in Germany without spending too much money)
6. Learn Spanish!
7. lose weight (as always). be overall healthier. stop smoking cigarettes completely. don't drive everywhere.
8. dress better. I should really, really cut out the sweatpants.
foods of the year:
1. nonfat lattes with sugar free vanilla syrup/med cafe tea
2. caribou coffee with rushi
3. bread pudding
4. bananas
5. homemade bakery from the minds and kitchen of connie and me (I?)
6. the "rabbit diet" of my dad and me
7. hazelnut chocolate bars
8. pumpkin pie! (That's an always food)
9. moscoto
10. pineapple curry from curry in a box
the love/hate relationship we have with the apartment:
1. it's freezing. the oven heats it though. in the summer it was unbearably hot.
2. it's dirty and cramped and cold
3. connie made a song about it
4. rushi's never there
5. the ridiculous skipping of class on all three of our parts
6. group outings/procrastination
7. late night chats in the kitchdiningroom
8. the power going out when the space heaters run
9. the S&M couple (wildebeast?) who live(s) next door
10. parking. good and bad. get exercise even though i drive?
top things i wore this year:
1. my yoga pants (depressing that I lost them in Israel)
2. my gap skinny jeans (warm!)
3. as usual, my Wisconsin State Bird shirt
4. braided bracelet and anklet from kids in Kenya
5. that trio of solid faded v-neck t-shirts from the gap
6. my blue polka dotted tank top
7. my brown moccasins
8. my turquoise coat
9. my green capris
top places i frequented this year:
1. the apartment
2. the house (toward the end)
3. airports
4. woodman's
5. the SAC (German Cubby, usually)
6. My mom's apartment
7. espresso royale
8. microbial sciences building
frequently visited websites:
1. gmail
2. facebook
3. twitter
4. wisc.edu
5. blogger
6. beolingus
7. sporcle
8. amazon
9. nytimes
my materialistikah christmakkah list:
1. digital slr camera
2. ipod
3. ipad
4. amazon gift card
5. contact lenses/glasses
6. this bag: http://tinyurl.com/7tjovq8
7. sperry's/nicer boots
8. Camp/4
9. frequent flier miles
read this year:
1. ender's game
2. a heartbreaking work of staggering genius
3. a good man in africa
4. harry potter 3-7 (finally)
5. many rolling stone magazines
6. nytimes.com/twitter feed
7. somebody scream!/our america
8. the help
9. anatomy/physiology/microbio textbooks
10. a whole bunch of 19th century german literature
1. Watching the expansive sky/clouds every day in Kenya.
2. Seeing the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel and its vibrant life and cohabitation.
3. Safari! Listening to the Lion King soundtrack crossing the savannah was epic.
4. NFC Championship Game with the family. Soo much fun!!
5. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea/Snorkeling in the Red Sea/Swimming in the Indian Ocean
6. Dancing at Izzy's Wedding (Izzy and Jessica's wedding. Force of habit.)
7. Getting accepted to Study Abroad in Germany.
8. Walking in to a class and watching a Beyonce music video (every other moment of that class)
9. Hiking up Masada/in the Golan Heights//Hiking up the Ngong Hills (never huffed/puffed/sweated so much in my LIFE)
10. Sitting in the tree at the end of Picnic Point and watching the waves crash up on the shore. There's a whole bunch of new human-stuff there now so I'll never have that back.
best things about 2011:
1. the experiences.
2. my classes this fall. (especially black music and stats!)
3. actually applying to nursing school!
4. learning a lot about myself through travel.
5. living in my apartment. my home. :)
6. being legally allowed to order a drink.
7. my friends and family. being surrounded with people!
8. harry potter world! hell yes
9. the incredible weather
10. CNA classes with Sasha/becoming a CNA/being a CNA
songs that defined 2011 for me:
1. Someone Like You-Adele
2. Ambling Alp-Yeasayer
3. Run the World (Girls)-Beyonce (and I Was Here)
4. Runaway-Kanye West
5. You're Going to Make Me Lonesome When You Go-Bob Dylan
6. Lucifer-Jay-Z
7. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay-Otis Redding
8. Unpretty-TLC
9. My Mirror Speaks-Death Cab for Cutie
10. Ex Factor-Lauryn Hill
11. How Many Lovers-Jhameel
the worst:
1. sarah moving away (and jason, too!)
2. feeling so awful the weekend of izzy's wedding. being surrounded by my regrets.
3. miami during thanksgiving.
4. dating that asshole...and lord is he ever an asshole!
5. that stomach flu I came down with...in Madison, but also when I was in Kenya after the exotic meat when I was missing home so much.
6. my dad's brush with cancer.
7. quitting a job. that was rough and embarrassing. tied with microbiology, the worst class ever.
8. my 21st birthday (after 2am before 2 it almost made the list for the most amazing things). and more specifically the hangover that only ended two days later.
9. my mom's deterioration...i know it's a little harsh to put it on here...and she does have great days, but still).
10. the awkwardness post-Israel when my two friends came with me on my 'spiritual' adventure. i wish things would've gone differently.
goals for next year:
1. Make Germany Count. Speak German whenever possible, be comfortable. See Europe.
2. be kinder. in thoughts, in actions.
3. improve on the romance. don't date losers. get over old flames. don't let the thoughts fester.
4. get into Nursing School (although I don't have much control over that now)
5. Find a TV show that parallels my interest in Mad Men. (Also, find a way to watch Mad Men in Germany without spending too much money)
6. Learn Spanish!
7. lose weight (as always). be overall healthier. stop smoking cigarettes completely. don't drive everywhere.
8. dress better. I should really, really cut out the sweatpants.
foods of the year:
1. nonfat lattes with sugar free vanilla syrup/med cafe tea
2. caribou coffee with rushi
3. bread pudding
4. bananas
5. homemade bakery from the minds and kitchen of connie and me (I?)
6. the "rabbit diet" of my dad and me
7. hazelnut chocolate bars
8. pumpkin pie! (That's an always food)
9. moscoto
10. pineapple curry from curry in a box
the love/hate relationship we have with the apartment:
1. it's freezing. the oven heats it though. in the summer it was unbearably hot.
2. it's dirty and cramped and cold
3. connie made a song about it
4. rushi's never there
5. the ridiculous skipping of class on all three of our parts
6. group outings/procrastination
7. late night chats in the kitchdiningroom
8. the power going out when the space heaters run
9. the S&M couple (wildebeast?) who live(s) next door
10. parking. good and bad. get exercise even though i drive?
top things i wore this year:
1. my yoga pants (depressing that I lost them in Israel)
2. my gap skinny jeans (warm!)
3. as usual, my Wisconsin State Bird shirt
4. braided bracelet and anklet from kids in Kenya
5. that trio of solid faded v-neck t-shirts from the gap
6. my blue polka dotted tank top
7. my brown moccasins
8. my turquoise coat
9. my green capris
top places i frequented this year:
1. the apartment
2. the house (toward the end)
3. airports
4. woodman's
5. the SAC (German Cubby, usually)
6. My mom's apartment
7. espresso royale
8. microbial sciences building
frequently visited websites:
1. gmail
2. facebook
3. twitter
4. wisc.edu
5. blogger
6. beolingus
7. sporcle
8. amazon
9. nytimes
my materialistikah christmakkah list:
1. digital slr camera
2. ipod
3. ipad
4. amazon gift card
5. contact lenses/glasses
6. this bag: http://tinyurl.com/7tjovq8
7. sperry's/nicer boots
8. Camp/4
9. frequent flier miles
read this year:
1. ender's game
2. a heartbreaking work of staggering genius
3. a good man in africa
4. harry potter 3-7 (finally)
5. many rolling stone magazines
6. nytimes.com/twitter feed
7. somebody scream!/our america
8. the help
9. anatomy/physiology/microbio textbooks
10. a whole bunch of 19th century german literature
Monday, June 27, 2011
a very detailed post about pretty much nothing and being single
Watching Parks and Recreation and cleaning/organizing my apartment in the time I spend at home in between jobs has been great. And getting money, finally, has also been nice. I laugh and disturb Connie whilst she is consumed by her physics homework (sorry) because of the hilarity of it all. I mean, the show, not the cleaning (can it really get better than mid-season 2?!?!).
It feels nice to accomplish things. I wrote a to-do list on my way home from Florida...it was a short-term/long-term type list with goals spanning mere minutes to weeks. I have to save up enough money to buy an external hard drive, but other than that here's what I've done. (I'm not bragging, no, I'm just typing this as a digital record of what the last week of June 2011 was like for me)
-go through recipes, cook (with apron)
-get another milk crate
-develop Kenya pictures
-clean/organize room/apartment (the apartment looks awesome, might I add)
-do laundry
-watch Parks & Rec
-apply to a boatload of CNA jobs
-replace plasticized oven burner
-install shelving
See what I did there? I put watching a show as something on a to-do list. My life...is nice.
I just tried to post this but it deleted half the post which was probably for the best. I'll let the tags set as a nice reminder about how much I lauded being single and appreciate my blessing wrapped in a curse of being the only single one of my friends. Well, I mean, almost. Also I appreciated Jay-Z and the pay at Woodman's. I noted the quagmire I'm facing with Germany and New York. I reported negatively on my really bad dreams which seem to have more staying power than the good ones.
Oy vey I need to sleep
It feels nice to accomplish things. I wrote a to-do list on my way home from Florida...it was a short-term/long-term type list with goals spanning mere minutes to weeks. I have to save up enough money to buy an external hard drive, but other than that here's what I've done. (I'm not bragging, no, I'm just typing this as a digital record of what the last week of June 2011 was like for me)
-go through recipes, cook (with apron)
-get another milk crate
-develop Kenya pictures
-clean/organize room/apartment (the apartment looks awesome, might I add)
-do laundry
-watch Parks & Rec
-apply to a boatload of CNA jobs
-replace plasticized oven burner
-install shelving
See what I did there? I put watching a show as something on a to-do list. My life...is nice.
I just tried to post this but it deleted half the post which was probably for the best. I'll let the tags set as a nice reminder about how much I lauded being single and appreciate my blessing wrapped in a curse of being the only single one of my friends. Well, I mean, almost. Also I appreciated Jay-Z and the pay at Woodman's. I noted the quagmire I'm facing with Germany and New York. I reported negatively on my really bad dreams which seem to have more staying power than the good ones.
Oy vey I need to sleep
Sunday, November 14, 2010
this is the bad mood that never ends
I don't know why I've been in such a horrible mood lately. Today, I couldn't even work up the motivation to do homework.
I hate being one of those people who takes pity on herself and thinks that everything in her life is horrible. I'm not one of those people, or at least, I am trying my hardest not to be one of those people. My life, at it's core, is great. I have lots going for me.
But there is just this sadness that's beginning to creep in around the edges again lately. It's a real sadness and I can't shake it and it's been making my life pretty miserable. I wish I could just look on the bright side of everything and never complain, but I'm just not that good of a person.
I'm scared. I'm so scared primarily because my goals for my life are so different from everyone that I know...and the really frightening part is that a major part of my life plan/goal is that it hinges on one other person. That is NOT a good position to be in. I mean, I need one other person to build a loving family. When people set out in a career path, they only need to depend on themselves. But, I mean, I can achieve in school and I can get great grades and excel in school but never achieve what I want to with my life. That's a really scary thought, especially when I have such a scroogy attitude about life lately.
Another issue with this family building goal of mine is that I tend to just wait and hope and wish for him to come along. And that's not a way to be. That quickly turns to desperation and leads to a fragile heart. And I have a really bad habit of getting my heart broken because I want it to work out so badly, always. It's an issue.
I hate being one of those people who takes pity on herself and thinks that everything in her life is horrible. I'm not one of those people, or at least, I am trying my hardest not to be one of those people. My life, at it's core, is great. I have lots going for me.
But there is just this sadness that's beginning to creep in around the edges again lately. It's a real sadness and I can't shake it and it's been making my life pretty miserable. I wish I could just look on the bright side of everything and never complain, but I'm just not that good of a person.
I'm scared. I'm so scared primarily because my goals for my life are so different from everyone that I know...and the really frightening part is that a major part of my life plan/goal is that it hinges on one other person. That is NOT a good position to be in. I mean, I need one other person to build a loving family. When people set out in a career path, they only need to depend on themselves. But, I mean, I can achieve in school and I can get great grades and excel in school but never achieve what I want to with my life. That's a really scary thought, especially when I have such a scroogy attitude about life lately.
Another issue with this family building goal of mine is that I tend to just wait and hope and wish for him to come along. And that's not a way to be. That quickly turns to desperation and leads to a fragile heart. And I have a really bad habit of getting my heart broken because I want it to work out so badly, always. It's an issue.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A weekend
So I have an unprecedented two days off from working anywhere (wtf, right?!) but it's been surprisingly unrelaxing. It's been just as hectic and painful as actually being at work.
Izzy came in to Madison this weekend, Baruch and I drove to Milwaukee to go get him, which was tiring. It's really nice to see him and I'm so happy he's liking Madison!! Yesterday I just worked from eight to five at Woodman's, which sucked, but afterword we all went down to the the Terrace and had some Strongbow. It was delicious, and there was crazy Latin dancing. It was truly enjoyable! Supposedly there was some weird drama going on with Dhanze and Izzy...they hate each other. Hahaha. Not surprising. Today was highly uneventful, we hung around Baruch's new apartment until about one, then we came home and just vegged. There was some "mackie wac" casserole action and viewing of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I just dropped off the mo bros for some alone time, which I feel like I desperately need. Aarushi and Jason are supposed to come over soon to watch Secret Life, I'm happy to finally be seeing Aarushi, I've been the antithesis of social since I have to work all the time.
So that was a recap on my life. I feel overwhelmed, school is starting soon...I'm beginning to worry about what I want to be. I was so sure that I wanted to be a diplomat. But now I feel like it's not good enough and maybe people are right that science is the only route to success. I feel dumb. I wish I was more mentally stimulated on a regular basis. I've started working out of my German workbook, and ultimately I feel like it's productive.
Enough about my boring life.
I'm happy, although I whine alot. I hate whining. And I do it alot. New goal has definately been set to a lower whine level.
I'm out.
Izzy came in to Madison this weekend, Baruch and I drove to Milwaukee to go get him, which was tiring. It's really nice to see him and I'm so happy he's liking Madison!! Yesterday I just worked from eight to five at Woodman's, which sucked, but afterword we all went down to the the Terrace and had some Strongbow. It was delicious, and there was crazy Latin dancing. It was truly enjoyable! Supposedly there was some weird drama going on with Dhanze and Izzy...they hate each other. Hahaha. Not surprising. Today was highly uneventful, we hung around Baruch's new apartment until about one, then we came home and just vegged. There was some "mackie wac" casserole action and viewing of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I just dropped off the mo bros for some alone time, which I feel like I desperately need. Aarushi and Jason are supposed to come over soon to watch Secret Life, I'm happy to finally be seeing Aarushi, I've been the antithesis of social since I have to work all the time.
So that was a recap on my life. I feel overwhelmed, school is starting soon...I'm beginning to worry about what I want to be. I was so sure that I wanted to be a diplomat. But now I feel like it's not good enough and maybe people are right that science is the only route to success. I feel dumb. I wish I was more mentally stimulated on a regular basis. I've started working out of my German workbook, and ultimately I feel like it's productive.
Enough about my boring life.
I'm happy, although I whine alot. I hate whining. And I do it alot. New goal has definately been set to a lower whine level.
I'm out.
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