Recuerdo

I'm sitting at my parents' home, eyes glazed over, a pile of notes and textbooks at my side.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I am thankful.

I just remembered, sitting here studying the foramina of the canine skull, that this blog is still online and hasn't been updated in over a year.  I thought maybe I should check in, just to make sure things still work (I already had to reconfigure the broken background image).

Not that I have anything to say.  I'm no longer in the habit of journaling, and I've forgotten how to write creatively.  It's been a year since I've been required to write a paper for school, and I'm out of practice.

Which, I guess, is what I wanted to say.

I graduated with a BA ("Bad Ass") in Biology in December, applied to veterinary school, interviewed for veterinary school, and was accepted to veterinary school.  I started in August, moving away from the area I'd lived in my whole life and setting out on my own for the first time.  The transition to independence was, surprisingly, easier than I'd expected.

So now I'm living in an apartment all alone.  I go to class more hours than seems healthy for my sanity most days, I learn, I study, I try to remember to eat and sleep when I get a chance.  It's not exactly a fun or easy lifestyle, but I can't imagine being anywhere else.

And....that's it.  Due to concerns of privacy and professionalism, I can't share much of what goes on in the day-to-day classroom and laboratory regimen, but it's certainly given me plenty of fodder for thought.  I've been challenged.  I like to think I'm growing from the experience.

I guess most importantly to note, we vet students have cultivated a community of camaraderie and mutual support.  It's a little surprising, given the competitive nature of the profession, but while not everyone gets along perfectly, we all try to help each other out.  Four years is a long time, and I'm not sure that any of us could make it through without our new friends here for moral support.

So, full circle--despite some of the current difficulties in my life, I have a lot to be thankful for.