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!