Down by the river

Yesterday, my anatomy class had a much-needed day off. We get these "study days" every other week or so- and we really do use them to study! I remember in undergrad at Liberty we used to get "reading days" and nobody ever really did much studying, but in grad school it's nice to have a day to catch up on all the material we've been learning. So, like I was saying, I did study yesterday. I went to lab for a few hours in the morning, then reviewed the arteries and nerves in the lower extremity after lunch. By late afternoon though, I was done with anything involving the words fibular, malleolar, or popliteal (bonus points if you have any idea what those terms refer to). So my roommates and I and a couple other girls from our class decided to go to Bell's Island and have a picnic for dinner by the river. It was great to just get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Sometimes I get into such a study mode that I forget that the world is still there and that there are rivers and pathways and trees and little kids playing, and people who are just having a relaxing summer and have no idea that you're working your butt off because you have some vague idea that you're going to make the world a better place somehow. It's nice to realize that everything's still going on as normal, even though I've entered a completely different alternate reality known as grad school. It's a little humbling too. No one cares that you're about to go through 3 incredibly challenging years of life. To me, it seems like two separate worlds. If you haven't ever been in a professional school, you can't relate. Maybe I'm being overdramatic here, but PT school is truly different from anything else I've attempted.

I'm getting used to the intense study schedule- sort of. However, I've come to the conclusion that for my own sanity, I need to get involved in something other than the current workload. I'm going to try out a church this Sunday and I hope that I can get involved in a Bible study. I also found some classes that are offered at the VCU gym, so I'm hoping to try some of those out in the coming weeks. Here's to success in grad school, while not forgetting to enjoy the Land of the Normal!