Round 3

I'm 3 and 1/2 weeks into school...and I'm already on round three. It is still SEPTEMBER, and I've had three rounds of sickness already. Amidst 70-90 degree weather and blue skies I've been carrying cold medicine and having to take naps. Weird. Round 1 consisted of a virulent head cold complete with sinus pressure, fever, and headache. 3 days after recovery, round 2 popped up, bringing some hefty coughing and overactive mucous membranes. "Recovered" again for 4 days this time, and today I contracted a very sore throat and body aches. Perhaps it was really all just one big "sick" bug...but either way it sucks. Bleh. No doubt about it, I've been thankful on logrithmic scales of late for ramen noodle soup, chai tea, and puffs with lotion.

My household is not fairing much better...between the 6 of us we had several colds, a sinus infection, bronchitus, and the flu in the past week. Campus also has a minimal number of strep cases already. What is going on??

All in all I'm frustrated but not too sick to function. Good thing too, cause the work load has been picking up the pace rapidly. For the first time in my college experience I am forced to stay completely on top of ALL of the reading for two of my science classes. No skimming suffices, and no cliff notes are avaliable (that I know of). My highlighters are getting good use, and the notecard stacks are inches thick already.

On the brighter side, I am thrilled to be learning things that are directly applicable to my medical future. Elated. Overjoyed!! So much fun to be seeing (finally) how chemical rules and interactions create clinical situations. My biochem class is eating my lunch when it comes to grades and the pending research paper...but in subject matter I couldn't be more facinated. This is where the terror that is Organic chemistry finally makes a few connections to what actually goes on in cells, DNA, and protiens. I still say that I didn't need 2 semesters of Organic to get a basis for all this, but maybe time will prove me wrong. Microbiology (that's the study of bacteria for you laymen out there) is a bit easy at the moment outside of some memorization of basic strains and shapes, but I'm sure it will pick up here soon. Physics is requiring some nearly painful scrapes of memory back to junior year of high school (and some dreaming about those days when we could "circle up" to do homework together). A chilled out and not-terribly-socially-akward teacher should make getting understanding not too difficult. :)

Out of the science building I'm in a global studies class called "Reclaiming Rhetorica...Feminist Rhetoric through the ages". It's a lesson in patience every time I walk in the room...I find it so hard to communicate with the professor because we aren't even in the same ballpark of understanding. Her entire premise is of complete equality for all types of people everwhere...including but not limited to gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Not a bad premise I suppose from the point of view that God created all men and women in his image. But when we say that everyone is the same we are missing the point....and minimizing the beauty of individual, cultural, and gender diversity to an embarassing level. It's not that women shouldn't be given rights as human beings...it's that women were CREATED to be different...and we are robbing them of the ability to see the beauty in their differences. Good stuff for me to process...but I swear, if I hear that professor say the word "liberation" one more time I might have to start throwing my shoes or something. = )

I'm also taking voice lessons (my teacher is thrilled with all my illness as you can imagine...oh for the day when my voice will be normal again) and elbows deep into a new choir year...soo much fun to be back with all these fine musicians and anticipating a GREAT year which will end in a 12 day trip to China and Taiwan (which I have to learn to refer to as the same country before I go over there...) in May. Lots to learn and do before then, but a fun goal to look towards.

With "upperclassmen" thrust upon me like some "made in china" label, I am working through the new meanings of growing up. Lots of leadership in Intervarsity and an increased level of need for a more detail oriented personality. Also taking some leadership in choir and responsible for getting every girl some amount of fabric (preferably that covers her ankles) on her body before our first concert Saturday. This next month will also bring me to my first grad school interview/visit. I'm also being pushed towards chosing a senior research project and advisor for my honors thesis. Crazy times.

Loving the house, and enjoying having the family close enough to grab dinner with occasionally or have Casey over for a sleepover. Praise God for his insight in taking me out but leaving me close enough to help out and be helped occasionally.

Hoping that all of you are having a swimming semester...
Blessings~