Now, Where Were We?--Week 10 and Finals Week

Right now, I am sitting in my room having just finished my last final! Huzzah! Junior year has come to a successful close. I can't believe that I started out this year in LONDON. It seems like a dream. A really good dream, but a dream nonetheless. And now here I am. I traveled the world. I completed my senior research project. I shadowed a large animal veterinarian. Yeah, my life is awesome. Thank you for caring enough about me to read about it!

I've continued to do well in classes (A on my last Anatomy exam and an A on my final debate). I was very flattered to receive an e-mail from my speech instructor telling me that I should join Debate Team because I "prepared really well for [my] speeches" and am "an excellent speaker." Wow. I never would have thought I would receive that compliment. I think I'm a terrible speaker. The only reason I'm good at speeches is because I write them out and memorize them. I'm a decent speaker because I'm a fantastic writer. It just makes me giggle a little.

I really enjoyed my last week at the Aledo clinic. I made everyone brownies and wrote them a note thanking them for all of the time they committed to teaching me about large animal medicine. I am so glad that I spent those 63 hours at the clinic this term. Sure, there were times when I hated my alarm clock when it went off at 6 AM, me feeling like I was hit by a ton of bricks. But towards the end, I really got involved in the daily functioning of the clinic and came to look forward to that time as a nice break from classes and homework, a great way to start out my day. I liked the long drive through rolling hills past farms, radio up and singing along like my life depended on it.

On Tuesday of Week 10, Dr. W had me helping him restrain animals for blood draws and injections, putting a dog back in the kennel area before surgery, and counting out pills for a prescription. On Thursday, I got to help Mrs. F walk the dogs who are boarding at the clinic. It was an absolutely glorious morning, and since I hadn't been out to the farms in awhile, it was a great way to start out my day. I would not have traded where I was at that moment for the whole wide world.

Having had such a great experience this term, I'm looking forward to finishing up my shadowing this summer. The vet that I regularly shadow has agreed to let me shadow her again like I did last summer, which is awesome. There are also a few other veterinary clinics (two of them emergency clinics) that will let me come once or twice during the summer. All in all, I think I should be pretty set for hours. I know I will be a bit behind, but I'm aiming for above 400 hours by the time I submit the application. I've had numerous responses from vet schools who tell me that they worry if the hours are less than 400, so over 400 seems to be a good way to go. Because of these shadowing opportunities, I am thinking about blogging over the summer, too. I want to keep this blog centered on my academic and veterinary experiences, so that's mostly what I'll write about (i.e., less about the normal summer stuff or work). I don't know how frequent it will be because I'll hopefully be busy all the time with shadowing, working, and filling out the VMCAS (Veterinary Medical College Application Service) when it becomes available in June.

On Sunday the 13th, I was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success along with several of my friends. We had a nice dinner and ceremony in the College Center. I received a membership certificate, t-shirt, and pin (which I affixed to my shoulder bag along with my Mortar Board pin).

Then, of course, this week was all about los finales. I think my Physics final went well. I felt pretty prepared, and the test didn't seem too difficult. Anatomy seemed to go well, too. I was really worried about it because I feel like I have been slacking a bit in my studying and like I did not have as good a grasp on the most recent material as I had on earlier material. However, I really buckled down and concentrated on the troublesome stuff when I was reviewing, and I think it paid off. I felt pretty sure of myself when I was taking the test, so I am sure it will all be great. I am hopefully getting two or three percent extra credit for participating in the Anatomy research study, so that eases my mind quite a bit. My other "finals" were not really finals. I had to write an overall reflection paper for my large animal internship telling what I had learned and why I still wanted to be a veterinarian after all of it. And for Oral Advocacy, our final was a take-home essay final. I found it quite easy to complete, especially since the topics for the essays were pretty interesting. We could pick five essay prompts and write about one of four or five subjects. I was able to write about why I would make a good wildlife veterinarian, why I chose Biology as my major, and why The Lord of the Rings is awesome. So, I think I had about as much fun as someone can have with a final. I am anxious to see my grades for this term, but they will not be up until Wednesday. Ugh. So long to wait!

Today is a bittersweet day. I am glad to have finished this year strong. It wasn't always easy, especially when I had to come back and hit the ground running after London. But the support of my friends, family, God, and my readers (you may be friends and family, too) really helped me pull through when the going got rough. However, I am sad to be leaving my roommates. Devon and Sarah are amazing girls, some of the best roommates and now friends that a girl could ask for. I was disappointed when I heard that Hannah was not coming back for Winter or Spring Terms, but Devon and Sarah became very good friends, and we had so many fun times together. In fact, on Tuesday we rode our bikes to the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport, and just last night we had a really nice final "fancy" dinner at Olive Garden. I wish I could live with them next year, but that is one of the prices I must pay for having gone to London. My roommates next year will be just fine. We will all get along and be polite and pleasant to each other, but I cannot think that we will be as good of friends to me as Devon and Sarah have been. But it will be a great senior year, and I will be able to see Devon and Sarah often. We will still do things together. Hannah is also coming back, and she will even graduate on time! It's going to be so strange to be seniors in college. Time flies so fast. But I will be honored to walk at Commencement with all of my classmates. We've been through it all together, and I've met so many incredible people this year.

Tomorrow Mom will come to take me home. The summer awaits with all of its possibilities and opportunities: shadowing, hopefully working, watching my brother race, vacationing, gardening, and more. I miss my family, and I am eager to be with them again and to see friends from home, too. I'm also very ready to start applying to vet school. I've wanted this for so long, and filling out the application will put me just that much closer to my dream. It's give-it-all-you've-got time, and I intend to do just that.

Oh, and for your viewing pleasure, a few last images from the school year.

We have a little baby bunny friend in our backyard! What a cutie!!

The irises blooming on the other side of our fence.

Yup, that's us.

Fabio approves of the nice, sunny weather we've been having. More like, "I was wondering when that crazy girl was going to let me play outside."