Fall Term 2012, Week 10: All Downhill from Here

Well, I finally made it! This extremely stressful term is over. I'm just taking a quick break before the Physics final at 6, and then I will be truly done. I'm leaving for home in the early afternoon tomorrow, so hopefully, I will pull into Minneapolis just a few hours after dinner. I am so looking forward to being with my family and my dog, working a little, and shadowing more! Even though my application has been submitted, I think it is still important to continue my shadowing, so I can accumulate more hours in case I don't get in this time around. That and I don't want to forget what the world of veterinary medicine is like. I begin to miss it at times. I miss the clinic cats and getting to watch cool surgeries and meeting dozens of friendly people and pets when I go to the clinic. I don't get nearly enough animal contact while I am away at school. As you can see from the past 10 weeks, I really don't have time!

That said, this week was both busy and fantastic, a great way to end the term. I found out that I got an A on my third Physics test, an A- on my second Immunology test, and an A on my second Biochemistry test. I even improved a couple of percentage points from the first exam, which really surprised me. I can't believe that I am done with Physics, probably for the rest of my life. It wasn't always easy, but overall, it wasn't too bad.

Both the Immunology presentation and the Biochemistry poster session went well. I was surprised in both cases because I was honestly a bit nervous. You can see our finished poster below. Our professor liked the smiling dinosaur. I got my grade for it after the Biochemistry final (which was surprisingly manageable, as was the Immunology final)--a solid A. Once again, I've been worrying for naught.

Glucansucrase is the "dinosaur of periodontal disease" because it is a very old enzyme that can cause cavities when bacteria use it to make biofilms on the surface of teeth using sugar from our diets.

My Cadaver final also went pretty well. My partner and I struggled a bit in a few spots, but our instructor said that we did fairly well all around.

Our fundraiser on the Quad was overall a success. More people showed up than I had expected, probably because we kept pestering the campus community with emails. But it was all worth it. I think we made like $24, which is awesome. It's for the zoo, so I'm pretty happy with it. We got a cool piece of artwork out of it, too. Check it out!

 Thursday was perhaps the best day of the week because I was done with my homework in time to attend a meditation session with Sarah. It was really relaxing, and we got some hot chocolate afterwards.

Friday was pretty good, too, but that was when I had to start studying for finals. I ended up staying up till close to 3 AM, but everything before that was really fun. I went to Hannah's choir concert then went to Whitey's with Hannah's parents (who are like my second parents and who I hadn't seen in forever!), Sarah, and Devon. I had a delicious pumpkin malt. I really love fall!

After a couple of weeks of having our table at the College Center, we didn't collect as many donations for Make a Difference Day as I had hoped. But it was okay because I got a very nice donation from a family member, plus some students donated more money, so we were able to fill in what was missing at the dollar store on Friday. It was fun to pick things out and even more fun to put together the baskets, which ended up looking really good! However, the best part was when we got to deliver the baskets on Saturday. We didn't go to any specific women's shelter. Instead, Heather and I took all 10 baskets to the RNA home office in downtown Rock Island. I thought the building looked pretty impressive from the outside, with its grand stone facade and beautiful brass-framed double doors. Yet that was nothing compared to the interior. We entered in a beautiful lobby with plush couches, a chandelier, and richly decorated carpets. Wood paneling was literally everywhere. We met the CEO of RNA, which is an insurance company. She took us to the fourth floor to show us where we could drop off our baskets. The lunchroom was on this floor, and I was absolutely amazed at the view of the river, Centennial Bridge, and Davenport that was afforded by the wide windows. They really let in a lot of light, too, making for a very cheery atmosphere. If only it were not an insurance company, I would totally want to work there. The mission of RNA is to empower women to achieve financial success, bodily health, and the like, of which I am very in favor. Oh, well. It was nice just to be there for a little bit.

Other than that, I've just been preparing for finals and next term. Like I said, home awaits me very soon, and I cannot wait! I badly need the mental break from school, and actually getting away from the school environment is really the best way for me to recharge. I'll blog if I have any cool vet adventures, so check back at the end of next week for an update!

Fall Term 2012, Week 9--Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Blog Post

I think this is the first week in awhile when I have actually managed to blog one time two weeks in a row. I like this.

Anyway, there's not too much to report. Everything's basically the same as always. I'm feeling a little worried about the tests that I took in Biochemistry, Immunology, and Physics these past two weeks. I've felt really off my game, and I'm afraid that it will come through in my test performance. I think I'm experiencing a little bit of mental overload, but I don't even know why. If I can't take 10 weeks of a subject now, how am I going to take 15 weeks of many subjects in veterinary school? Maybe it's just this unique set of classes this term. This is what I will tell myself. There's no reason why this term should have been as hard as has.

On a lighter note, Circle K started its Baskets of Hope item collection this week for Make a Difference Day. I worked the table two days, and both days were pretty slow. We got absolutely nothing the first three days. We did get some promises from some students and faculty that they would make a contribution, though, so that will be nice. I got a couple of dollars from a friend to go toward our dollar-store shopping trip this Friday. And on Friday afternoon of this past week, a woman stopped by and donated two blankets, some candles, and an assortment of personal care items. Another student dropped off some note cards. So we are slowly making progress toward being able to make up a fairly good number of baskets to deliver! It will be very rewarding to see the looks on the faces of the women at the shelter when we bring them these items in a week!

On Monday, when I went to check my mail, I was surprised to find a package slip in my mailbox. I had ordered some textbooks on the Friday before, so I knew it couldn't be them. Perplexed, I headed to Sorensen Hall to the Bulk Mail office to retrieve my package. I was so excited when I saw that it was from home! I rushed back to my room to open it. Inside was a cute note from Mom plus some end of the term food supplies to help get me through the next 11 days: instant oatmeal, pitas, popcorn, tea, crackers, granola bars, hot chocolate mix, almonds, and pasta! Mom knows me so well. I feel so loved and privileged to still be receiving care packages from my family as a senior. I figured freshman year I would get them because it was my first time really far away from home for an extended period of time, but now, I am so well adjusted to college life that I almost cannot remember what it felt like to be that awkward freshman girl.

Friday was actually a pretty great day too because one of my Winter Term books arrived (the lab atlas for Microbiology or "Micro," as I shall refer to it), and I got to see one of my guy friends that I don't see often. He gave me a big hug, and we chatted for a bit before I had to run to class. That night, Sarah and I went to a showing of The Dark Knight Rises that OSA was playing in Pepsico. They had chairs set up on the courts, plus free popcorn with yummy toppings like candy corn, M&Ms, and peanuts (plus free pop and water). It was a great night! I enjoyed the movie; I thought it was better than The Dark Knight. It was just so chock-full of A-list actors, and the plot was really good.

This morning, I went to a professor's house with a couple of other girls (who happened to be sisters) from Circle K to spread mulch on a path through his wooded property. I actually enjoyed it because, as you might expect, I love doing things that produce tangible results (this is part of the reason why being a vet is so appealing to me). The path looked so much better when we were done! The professors grandsons like playing the woods around the path, so we were doing something pretty important. They actually came for a visit while we were there, and they seemed pretty happy with the improvement. The boys (twins) built a makeshift version of Eeyore's house from Winnie the Pooh, and their mom told us that they call the woods "Heffalump Hollow," which I thought was pretty cute. What was even better was that they brought with them a beautiful Husky named Carusa, who was very sweet. This is why I love Circle K. We even got to see some deer bounding through the woods, which was very cool. As a side note, there was an owl sleeping in one of the trees in our backyard this morning. It was awesome! (I like owls, if you can't tell.) Anyway, we did that for about two hours, and then the professor wrote us a check for Circle K for our time. So, it was like fundraising and volunteering at the same time!

Tomorrow is finally the re-scheduled Cardboard Regatta from Homecoming. I hope our boat doesn't sink into the Slough, but in all likelihood, it will! Most clubs don't make it too far before the thing capsizes. That thing has to hold a full-grown man and woman! Sarah is riding in the boat for Scandinavian Club, so I'm sort of looking forward to seeing her fall in. (Oops...sorry, bestie!)

I can't believe that we are heading into the last week of classes for this term! I know I say this a lot, but it just always astounds me how quickly the term flies by. Before too long, I will need to start looking for a place to work during the six months between graduation and vet school (hopefully) and scoping out grad schools to apply to as back-up in case I don't get in to vet school. I would have my Biology degree, so I could get a legitimate science-based job in the interim, which is kind of cool.

After this week, I will finally be done with my Biochemistry poster, Immunology presentation, and Cadaver final (we are taking it a week early, which is good because otherwise I would be here until at least Thursday of Finals Week, which is always a real bummer).

Since I didn't do much this week that lent itself well to photos, I will share a picture from the night we watched Armageddon for BBB.

Most of us were doing homework instead of really watching the movie. Hence, the books. What? We're busy Biology students!

Well, that about sums it up! The next time I post, I will have only a few short days until I am home again! I'm ready for a break! I want to get some more hours at the thrift store because I need the money, and I'm also looking forward to shadowing more with Dr. J. Ciao, i miei amici!

Fall Term 2012, Weeks 6, 7, and 8--Uh, Where Am I?

Is this the right place? Is this my blog? I almost forgot what it looked like. I think I still remember how to do this...

Hello again, finally! I got quite the homework break this weekend. I just have some small reading assignments and general preparation for a presentation on immunodeficiencies in Immunology, so I actually have time to update you on my life for the past three weeks.

More or less, I have heard back from all of the vet schools to which I applied. They have--as far as I know--received all of my materials and are processing them now. So, for the present time, all I can do is wait for my interview invitations to come in, which will probably arrive in December or possibly early January. I'm happy with that.

Our campus-wide Symposium Day during Week 6 was fairly successful. The speaker could have been a little more dynamic. Lots of students had their phones out, ignoring him. I felt sorry for him. Later in the afternoon, I got to go off campus to pull weeds at the Quad City Botanical Center, so that was pretty cool. Unfortunately, they shoved three groups of students onto the same bus, so we had to sit basically three to a seat with some people resting in the aisles. Not the best planning. However, I got a sweet black t-shirt out of the deal, so I was mostly satisfied with the day.

I found out that week that I got an A- on my first Biochemistry test, so I'm pretty happy about that. I also found out recently that I got a 98% on my second Physics exam, so I am even happier about that. Thirdly, I got a 96% on my first Immunology exam (after extra credit). So, all in all, even though I am still quite overwhelmed with everything, I don't have too much to worry about academically.

I have been pretty busy planning the Circle K fundraiser for the fall, which is a paint-balloon and dart fundraiser where students get to throw darts at balloons filled with paint that are attached to a blank canvas. Obviously, the balloons explode when you hit them, creating a really cool look. It's modeled after that scene in The Princess Diaries. We will hopefully be holding it in a couple of weeks. We were supposed to do it today (Saturday, October 13th), but the Homecoming Festival got moved indoors, so we couldn't.

On the weekend after Week 6, Sarah and I went to Bishop Hill with the Scandinavian Department and some of the international students. That was pretty fun. We stopped first in Andover, Illinois to view the renowned Jenny Lind Chapel, which has a very rich history. It was finished in 1854 by order of Lars Esbjorn, one of the founders of the Augustana Synod that would eventually morph into the ELCA. He was also the first president of Augustana College, which started in Chicago in 1860 before moving to Paxton in 1863 and then finally Rock Island in 1875. Anyway, the church was not used as such until 1870 because it was needed as a cholera hospital for the intervening 16 years. As such, the church lacks a steeple because the lumber was needed for coffins. It is quite a charming little place despite its morbid past. It's very quaint, with that old-building smell of wood and brick. The basement is home to many interesting Swedish artifacts (like traditional clothing and even a stamp for making hard tack, that infamously bland cracker-bread) as well as numerous portraits of the Swedish Nightingale herself.

Stained glass at the Lutheran church.

The organ at the Lutheran church.

More pretty stained glass.

The steeple of the  Lutheran church.

SARAH! She kind of didn't want me to take a picture, but that hat was just so cute on her!

The Jenny Lind Chapel

After touring the chapel, we walked across the street to the Augustana Lutheran Church. It had quite an impressive steeple and amazing stained-glass windows, which were installed in the 1880s.

When we finished our quick tour of the Augustana Lutheran Church, we got back in the vans and headed to retired faculty member Elma "Mooch" Gay's house for treats and a break. She has quite a lovely countryside home just on the border of some corn fields. Part of her land is even classified as a wildlife preserve by the State of Illinois.

After our little pick-me-up, we actually started on our true way to Bishop Hill, a small Swedish-American community founded by one Eric Jansson, who (like most immigrants) was seeking religious freedom when he came to the United States. However, there is some debate about whether he and his group were truly being persecuted. Anyway, he quickly became a very creepy character, the leader of a strange cult in which he professed that people could only come to God through him. So very, very wrong.

Now the town is an interesting mix of real and made-up Swedish heritage. Each year during the fall, Bishop Hill holds a harvest festival. There is a sort of nontraditional sausage stew they serve there as well as fresh kettle corn, music and dancing, arts and crafts, kids' games, and a petting zoo. We only had about an hour and a half to wander around while we were there, but Sarah and I managed to walk through some cute little shops as well as a Heritage Museum, where we viewed some furniture from traditional Swedish-American rooms and some artifacts donated to the museum from Augustana College's collection.

All in all, I'm glad I went because even though it took me away from homework, I realize that I learned a lot about another culture, which is just as important to my education as anything I do for one of my classes. Sarah and I want to go back again with Devon, maybe around Christmastime.

The weekend after Week 7 was so incredible. The Andy Grammer concert was beyond amazing. Even the opening act was great. It was Chris Wallace, whose name sounded really familiar to me when I first heard it announced. Later, he told us that he used to be the frontman for the band The White Tie Affair, which made me so excited. I love that band so much! He is quite the spitfire and has a great voice. He even sang one of his White Tie Affair songs for us, which I really enjoyed. But Andy Grammer was even better than Chris Wallace. He is such a fun guy, and his voice is so fantastic. He said he enjoyed playing for us because we were so insane and happy to have him there. He had just finished opening for Train, and as the first of three opening acts, not many people were around to hear him. But we were all there to cheer for and listen to him. It was probably the best concert I've been to because I went with my friend Lauren, it was free, and the music was so good. I mean, Fall Out Boy back when I was 16 was also great, but I paid a lot of money for a ticket, and the atmosphere wasn't as nice as it was to be at my own school with my own peers that I see on a daily basis (versus complete strangers).

The pre-show stage set.

On that Sunday, I got to help run an informational booth for the animal shelter with Heather. We took a shelter dog named Trixie with us to encourage people to donate to the animal shelter (and to maybe get them to adopt Trixie or another dog or cat). Trixie was such a good girl for us, and she is a real sweetheart. She is a five-year-old Lab mix who was originally adopted from the animal shelter as a puppy after her mom had her and her siblings in the shelter. Her family had to bring her back when they moved; they just couldn't take her with them. So I hope that Trixie can find a home that can keep her this time soon.

The sweet Trixie.

 This week, I was able to register for my last set of classes at Augustana. I really, really cannot believe it. Time goes so fast. Nobody tells you to appreciate your first three years. Every day now is precious to me because once I leave, I'll never be able to do the things I can do all the time here (like workout at Pepsico for free; see movies for free; walk across campus to hang out with Sarah, Devon, or Hannah; and so much more). But I don't quite have to worry about that yet. I still have some time to soak it all in. Anyway, next term, I am taking Animal Communication (which I am so, so excited for), Human Physiology, and Microbiology! I am very happy that I get to take Micro because it is absolutely required for admittance to the DVM program at the University of Minnesota, which is my very tip-top choice for vet school. Obviously. I'm happy that I'll only have those three classes to worry about instead of three full classes and two one-credit classes (which can be sort of hard to keep track of because they're only once a week and so tend to fall by the wayside until the night before, when I remember I have to do something for them). Also, my maternal grandfather worked for many years as a microbiologist for the CDC, so I can talk to him about my Micro class. That will be quite fun, I think!

On Monday, I went to Longfellow Elementary to participate in our annual Reading Is Leading event, where students on Mortar Board read with students and encourage scholarship through that activity. However, there weren't a lot of kids there, so I was relegated to the arts and crafts room. It wasn't too bad because I got to hang out with some girls that I know pretty well, and we made leaf rubbings with the kids (all three of them boys). One of the boys I recognized as the kid who went onstage during the Mike Super magic show and tried to get Mike to guess his card.

Last night was the annual Sing and Homecoming Coronation. The Sing competition is where the Greek groups all get up and do musical numbers that have to do with Augustana, Greek life, and college life in general. They were all really funny, especially the Sigma Pi Delta sorority, which did a bunch of Aladdin songs. The men's musical fraternity Phi Mu Alpha did throwback theme songs, including the Pokemon theme, which was pretty great. However, the overall winner was the Rho Nu Delta fraternity, which did a Michael Jackson medley with some great dance moves.

Just today, I helped Heather run the Circle K table at the Homecoming Festival. It was pretty fun. We sold $25 worth of crafts to benefit the animal shelter, and we got to talk to a lot of alumni and even President Bahls! In addition, the Collegia Classica club was right next to us, so I bought a piece of baklava from them for $1. It was fantastic.

Later, I celebrated Hannah's birthday with her by crafting at one of her friend's houses. We practiced origami for most of the time while munching on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It was a very nice time, especially since I never see her anymore except in passing in the library sometimes.

So, that was pretty much the last three weeks for me. These next two weeks should be pretty interesting. For Circle K, we are starting to collect items like personal care items and school supplies in order to make Baskets of Hope to donate to a local women's shelter on Make a Difference Day (October 27th). It's a Royal Neighbors of America event in which we want to participate because RNA is like our sponsor, and we get $25 for our club if we made 10 baskets or more. We are running it for two weeks, so I really hope it's a success. I have my third Physics exam, too. On Saturday, Circle K gets to do some paid yard work, so I will for sure be participating in that. And on Sunday, Student United Way is hosting a Tying for Comfort service project where we get to make tie blankets for the American Red Cross. I need more service hours for Mortar Board, so I'm going to go. I hear there's free food, so that's always a good motivator.

All right. I guess that's a wrap. TTFN. But before that...autumn pictures!

I love that this picture captures basically the whole rainbow: the reddish purple of one tree, the orange of another, the yellow of a third, the green of surrounding trees, and the blue sky.

This is the tree across the street from us. I love how it's ruby-colored on the outer fringes and golden within.

More Apologies

Hey all. I want to apologize again for missing a week of blogging. Things have just been way too hectic. I feel like any time taken out of my work time will hurt me down the line, so I can't even justify blogging right now. Everything with me is fine. I'm still having fun while getting my work done, and I continue to have all those crazy college adventures you've all come to know and love in the year since I started blogging seriously. My hope is to do another double blog post on Sunday (October 7th), but we'll see how that goes. If anything really earth-shattering happens, you'll know, but right now, I'm a bit overwhelmed.Thanks for understanding! You guys are the best.