I Survived....Barely

That was a tough Thanksgiving away from home...I ain't gonna lie.  I think part of the problem was that I lived closer to all of my family last year than I had been in the previous 13.  I thought by doing that, it would 'tide me over' for 5 years.  Ok, not really, but I thought it would help, not hurt for situations like holidays.  Wrong-O. It's amazing that at the ripe old age of 39, I can still be so wrong about so many things. So, yes, I was not happy yesterday. But, yesterday is over and I woke up in a fairly good mood.  I had a good morning of lectures ahead and a dissection to end the day. Plus, it IS Friday!!

And now for the massive surprise....it has SNOWED!!!  What?!?  I don't even follow the weather here for several reasons.  1. They do the whole UK together and I don't know where they are talking about anyways, 2. They are usually wrong and 3. The weather changes every 10 minutes, so it doesn't matter.

Now, I love, love, love snow. To look at.  Not a fan of trudging around in it and certainly cannot stand it when it turns slushy and gets everything wet and dirty (oh wait, I'm already used to that).  However, when it is floating down like tufts of cotton, then I love it. It's just so......romantic.  And magical.

So, imagine my surprise when I tossed my boys in the back garden to find this:

Wow!  How pretty.  I think we are supposed to get more tomorrow, so more pictures may follow.  Speaking of tomorrow, I am very excited.  A classmate is having a bunch of us first year US students over to celebrate Thanksgiving. She is cooking two turkeys and I am thrilled.  I am very much looking forward to some great eats, giving thanks for all that is a blessing, great eats, socializing a bit, great eats and maybe watching some more snow fall.

I have just hit the wall and am calling it a night.

Over-N-Out

Is This How It's Supposed to Be?

Sorry, but I can't help feeling sorry for myself right now.  It was bound to happen around the holidays.  Even though if feels nowhere remotely like Thanksgiving Eve, I'm sad.  I mean, I really do not even realize tomorrow is Turkey Day.  There are no circulars in the paper for sales on turkeys, cranberries or pumpkin pies.  There is no talk in the office of plans to travel/stay home/cook/bake pies/clean homes/put up guests.  There are no plans to drive for hours to the relative's house hosting all of us this year. Nope, there is none of that.  And, it makes me sad.

I guess it's best that there is no big fanfare and celebration here.  It would just make it worse.  I do not have a four day weekend to really think about all that I'm missing.  No, instead I'll be in lecture all morning, followed by a neurotransmission tutorial and then headed to the farm for some good ole' cattle handling again.  It's just as well that it will be my busiest day of the week.  And, I suppose it's just as well that I won't be gorging on turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, sweet potato pie, cornbread and all of the sinful desserts.  A few bottles of wine will be drank, buckets of ice cold beer will be consumed and cards will be played into the wee hours of the morning. And, I'll miss it all.  

Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends. I wish I were there to see you all and join in the merriment. Just know that I love you and am thinkin of ya!

Gobble Gobble and Cheers!

My Overpriced Paper Shredder

It was bound to happen.  It's my fault. It's been raining and overcast for three days and therefore, I have not been able to tire their little behinds out.  They had a little too much penned-up energy and the party began probably within 5 minutes of my departure. I have my couch backed up to my desk so that the little BBs (Bingo Boyz) can get on my desk anytime their little hearts desire.  I now have a permanent bed on the desk at the insistence of Mugsy. So yes, I have ok'd it for them to spend some time on my desk.

Therefore, it's not a surprise that when I left my flat yesterday and for a fleeting moment wondered if I should leave the small package of tissues on my desk, that I knew I'd get burned. When I returned, I felt like I had walked into a confetti storm.  All I could do was laugh and I knew EXACTLY who was to blame.  It may have been a short party of two, but there was one who had the idea and then convinced his brother to join (and that is still questionable).  He's been a shredder since day 1.  I used to find all kind of paper products underneath my bed.  I couldn't really tell what they were because he shreds to the specifications only a massive commercial shredder could....pin size.

I took a picture of both boys next to part of the damage.  Note: neither one looks too remorseful, do they?

My floor is white (don't ask), so it's doesn't look as bad as it was.  I didn't take a picture of the rest on the black carpet.  Nice contrast.  Who do you think is guilty?  Harley (on left), the perfect gentleman? Or Mugsy, the class clown?

Well, it only took a few minutes of me sitting down at my desk for the guilty one to bring me his work......

Yep, there was no doubt this was the guilty party.  Like a kid who just ate a box of doughnuts and has powdered sugar around their mouth:

Part of the problem is that the weather was terrible for 3 days (imagine that) and they were bored.  The sun came out today, but it's supposed to snow this week....yipes.

Ok, time to go to bed.  It's late, but for the first time we do not have a 9am lecture so I worked late and will sleep an extra hour tomorrow.

Over-N-Out

Cattle Wranglin'

Another cow practical left me sore again.  The first of two Cattle Handling practicals (adults, not babies) was not only a challenge, but a lot of laughs.  The goal of this first practical was to learn how to control a cow while it was in a crush so that you can examine it or give it treatment.  A crush is a popular device used for cows and is effective in keeping them in place with a fair amount of built-in restraint, but still allows for some movement, so we were taught how to handle them in the crush.  A crush looks like this:

They are relatively secure from side-to-side, but can move their head and neck up/down and side to side.  So, you have to get your back up against the crush so you are facing forward and you loop an arm over their nose and under their chin. The idea is to bring their head to the side and get them to 'relax'.  We then had to stick our a thumb in the corner of their mouth, which got them opening it, and then you could slide your opposite hand in their mouth at the end of their jaw (to stay away from the dangerous molars).  You can use this hand to cover their tongue and then grab it and pull it out one side of their mouth. The idea is to be able to get a good look inside for examination.  If all goes well, it's brilliant.  After a few students have tried this technique, however, the cows get smart and start to either put their nose to the ground or once you get a hold of them, it's like a roller coaster ride and you better be flexible and hang on.

We also learned how to insert a gag, which is a device that slides in between their molars on one side of their mouth. It has a loop you put over your wrist just in case the gag goes into the depths of the cow's throat that you cannot reach, then you can simply pull it out!  The cows were not too crazy happy about being gagged, but I was successful in getting the monster-head one gagged and a real sweetheart of one as well. 

We were also shown injection sites, how to install a kick guard, how to use a pulley system to lift a leg and some other handling tips.  It was an amazingly relevant practical, very well taught and lots of hands on.  I was sore by the time I left the farm and felt like I had gone 10 rounds with a heavyweight the next day!  It was a great sore. 

I know I've said it before, but I am a huge proponent of these practicals.  They keep my eye on the prize and keeps me wanting to study hard and learn more and more. There just does not seem to be enough time in the day for all that I want to read! 

It's now Saturday and I've had such a productive day. Last night and ALL of today, I worked on my anatomy workbook.  It is a record of all of our dissections and is quite time consuming. However, it is also a different way to study and reinforcing that I am actually learning so much. 

I'm now catching up on some TV...Ramsey's Best Restaurant is one of my favorites right now.  I'm missing my Food Network fix from the US, but they do have Gordon Ramsey (Hell's Kitchen) here and he has a couple of shows.  I also am becoming attached to Jamie.......Jamie.....oh, I forget his last name, but he's from the UK and very popular in the US as well. I just finished wathcing a whole series of him trying to save the most unhealthy city in the US...it's in WV.

That's all for now. Till next time...Over-N-Out.

The Verdict is in....kind of

Enquiring minds want to know about the outcome of my wrist.  Wellllll, as it seems to go with scaphoid bones, it's kind of inconclusive at the moment.

Following is a recount of my first experience dealing with socialized medicine.  I took a cab to the hospital with a 'minor injuries' department within their Emergency Room because I was told it may be quicker than going to the hospital nearest me which was all emergencies. I go to the reception and mind  you, I have never been sent a hospitalization card from NHS (National Health Service), a confirmation that I'm registered...nothing.  My GP had confirmed I was registered, but it still felt weird to check into a hospital without a card and identification of some sort. Nope, just date of birth, name and address given verbally and boom...I was in.  The funny part about being in the minor injuries check-in, was there was a sign that basically said all emergencies that came in could be triaged ahead of me....hhhhmmmm.  I thought the reason for having a minor injury department was....oh, never mind.

I brought a book to study and of course this meant I never had time to open it, which was good.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was handled.  So, I am first seen by a nurse.  Her name badge says 'physiotherapist'.  I'm fine with this at this point because I'm sure I'm going to give her my history and then tell her what happened and she's going to send me to x-ray.  And, hopefully, I will be seen by a doctor after that to discuss the results. After some poking and prodding, she agreed that I had the clinical signs of a scaphoid fracture and sent me back to the waiting room to wait for the x-ray tech.  X-ray tech came and got me shortly thereafter and seemed to position my wrist properly for getting good films of the scaphoid.  If the tech doesn't know what they are doing, you won't get a good enough look at the bone, because it can be overshadowed by others.

Here's where it gets a bit iffy for me.  The tech tells me I can go back to the waiting room.  I ask her if an orthopaedic surgeon is going to look at it, or a radiologist, or......??  She says they send it up (digitally) to the radiologist.  Ok fine.

I have barely sat down, when my nurse comes and gets me.  She has the xrays pulled up on her monitor and tells me everything looks good.  Now.....unless the radiologist was sitting at his computer the moment those xrays were sent to him and was available to view them immediately, they were not seen by a doctor.  This, I have a problem with.  The nurse continued to point out on the xray how the bone looked good and there did not appear to be a fracture. But, she said I do have the clinical signs, so we need to treat it as such.  She told me that since I had just injured it on Sunday (this was Wed), there could have been some re-absorption making it hard to see a fracture.  Her 'treatment' was for me to keep my splint on for another 10 days (she told me my splint was better than what she could offer me, so I should use my own) and to come back.  If I still had symptoms, it was likely there was a fracture since any soft tissue injury should be better by then.  So, I go back next Friday. As I was leaving, I asked if I could get a copy of my x-rays to take with me (to send to my surgeon in VA) and she said 'no, they are all on the computer these days and we can't just copy them'.  Ok, well that's strange because just last May, I had x-rays taken and they were put on a CD for me to take to my doctor.  But, I didn't argue and moved on.

I was not comfortable with the level of personnel I saw based on my past history and the fact that I need sound and proper medical care for this issue. I know that the worst case scenario is that it's fractured and I am in a splint, so nothing is different there.  I am just wondering if any of my other wrist bones were looked at?  I mean, I realize I know my body and made a convincing argument, but maybe they should have done just some regular pictures of my wrist to look at the whole thing?  I dunno, I guess I left not feeling confident in the care I received, as nice and professional as everyone was.  Heck, it was hard for my surgeon to see the fracture in May and he's been doing wrists and hands for like 30 some years.  Only when it had healed and he could compare the two, was he confident he had read the first x-ray correctly.

So, yesterday I called my ortho's office in VA and spoke with a staff member.  I asked her if he could look at the x-rays (if they will give me a copy) and she said absolutely.  She told me to get them on a CD, he will review and consult with me on the phone. I called the hospital today and asked someone how I could get my films.  She said all departments were closed and to call medical records back on Monday.  I feel pretty good about my odds of getting a copy now.

There you have it.  The whole story.  So, I'm still in the splint which is what I would have expected anyways and thankfully it's my left hand.  Also thankfully, I'm not still lifting weights or training in the fighting arts or I'd be extremely frustrated at this point.  See, there is some good that comes out of not working out :)

That's it for now.  I'll post about my cattle handling experience this weekend.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Over-N-Out

Grrrrrr......Not Again!

Yep, pretty sure I did it again.  It was all for a good cause, I really NEEDED the exercise.  I had a long break from soccer for various reasons, but mainly because it is a haul to get to where most practices are held and by the time I walk/run there, my feet are absolute toast.  My feet are hanging on by threads these days. So, I got an email that there was a practice on Sunday in the park right near my flat...Yay.  It had rained all morning, so it was nice and muddy. I played better than expected considering my absence and felt great. It was such good soup for my soul.

Well, it was very messy and slippery, so many of us fell and were muddy messes by the end.  We were playing 4 v 4 without a real goalkeeper.  Well, my goalie instincts kicked in a few times and I found myself deflecting balls.  One particular time I actually went down to block a shot and felt an sudden 'ouch' in my left wrist.  I thought, 'that probably wasn't good' and kept playing.  A few hours after I got home and the adrenalin was gone, I realized what I had most likely done.....re-fractured my wrist!  Yeah, I'm fairly certain of it.  If I were a horse and my wrists were my feet, I would surely be euthanized!  The bone I've now broken in both wrists is the same one - the scaphoid, or navicular bone.  Yep, even coincides with a bone in the horse's foot.  Go figure.

So, I found my splint with thumb spica in my closet and put it on. My ortho surgeon from VA actually told me to bring it here..thank goodness.  During lunch, I called my GP here to set up an appointment this week, figuring I'd have to go there and then to an orthopaedic.  Nope.  Just proceed straight to the ER.  Huh?  Seriously?  I have to go sit in an ER to get an xray?  Oh brother, this should be good.  I'm really stacked up with vet school this week, but have a half day Wednesday.  I may go either Tuesday after dinner, knowing I have an 'easy' day on Wed, or I may go Wed afternoon, which is more likely.  I detest this.  I will write all about my first experience with socialized medicine after the fact.  Wish me luck!

In other exciting news, we did our first dissection of the dog today!  Just part of the head. We do a lot of dissections on the dog cadaver.  Today, we took off the skin to reveal the muscles of facial expression. It was quite a delicate little dissection.  The muscles lie just under the skin, so you have to be ever so careful not to cut too deep and to not peel the muscles off with the skin.  Plus, we had a greyhound and they have thin skin anyway.  Tomorrow, we continue with the head and investigate the course and distribution of the superficial nerves of the head.  We will also look at superficial lymph nodes, major superficial blood vessels and some glands.  We have to keep record of all of our work, so we take lots of pictures.  We have to eventually assemble a workbook with either drawings and/or pictures from our labs all labelled.  It will be a lot of work, but a great source for revision and to assist us once we get into surgeries.

Basically, I'm living the dream and loving it!

Time to wrap it up for tonight and prepare my goods for tomorrow.

GO SKINS!!!!  Monday night football tonight and it will be recorded and waiting for me tomorrow!

Over-N-Out

Friday again!

This was a short week and so it should not be as much of a surprise that another Friday is here, but it is.

I just took the Bingo's out and it's rather warmer today, no wind (yet) and not raining!  Today is a longer than typical Friday (due to the shortened week), but it's a good schedule.  I have two anatomy lectures (joints and cartilage, I believe) followed by an histology practical, then a two hour break.  I will come home, take care of the pooches, grab a bite to eat and head back from 2-350pm to the dissection room for our second half of the skull practical.  It's a dry lab, not a dissection (those start next week), but still a good time.  Yesterday we looked at skulls of the dog, cat, horse, cow and pig.  We did a lot of labeling and coloring.  Today, should be a test of our knowledge....not graded.

So, off to get cleaned up and then start my Friday!

Hope everyone had a great one!

Over-N-Out

I LOVE VET SCHOOL

There, I said it.  It's like changing your Facebook status to 'in a relationship'.  Because yes, I am in a full blown relationship with vet school.  And for the time being, the honeymoon phase is still present!  Every time I actually pause and think, 'wow, I am not only living in a beautiful international city, I am going to VET SCHOOL', it makes me smile.  Most students are not too crazy about the first couple of years in vet school because it's all lecture-based (in the US anyways) and there can be some material that seems like it is not vet-related.  I have to admit, cell biology is not my favorite pastime, but now that we are visiting some of the concepts in other courses, it's becoming much more relevant and interesting to me. 

We also get a lot of hands-on experience here with animals from day one and this helps tremendously.  And, as much as I sometimes want to complain about some practicals (labs) in the classroom, they are also a great addition to our lectures and do beat sitting in a lecture theatre.  You actually feel useful and being able to apply some knowledge is fun. 

Today we started our anatomy and histology lectures and we will be beginning the dissections for anatomy next week!  This gets my juices flowing and as much as I know I will be crying in my corn flakes about how many terms and names and structures I will have to memorize, I still can't wait.  I loved human anatomy and physiology, so I'm hoping it carries on this many years after the fact.  Bring it on!

Also, it was a very sunny day today and this makes me :)  Not a drop of rain today....unbelievable. 

So, for now, I love vet school and am soaking it all up......just hoping there is still enough room up there in my aging sponge.

Back to enzyme revision and upon completion, I will reward myself with a look at my anatomy and histology books.

Over-N-Out

Long weekend and Costco's

I'm at the tail end of my 4 day weekend.  Boo. I will be sad to see it go, but I'm ready to get back to work.  I did get a good bit of studying done, but certainly could have done more.  It never seems like I do enough.  I did relax quite a bit, get caught up on my sleep and US tv shows, put a deep clean on the flat, did my laundry, socialized a little bit and best of all......went to Costco's and Ikea!!  Thanks to one friend for the use of her membership card and to another for the transport!  All of you that know me well, will appreciate this: 

There is nothing other than pure love in this picture.  Mind you, that most of these items cannot be found in a normal store here. Ziploc bags, you ask?  Why they are everywhere.  True, bags with locks are everywhere, but not ziploc.  No offense to my UK readers, but the 'ziploc' bags here are terrible.  Terrible.  They break after about the 4th zip.  I have found that most plastic items here are for starters, hard to find, two, very expensive and three, of terrible quality.  I get the whole recycle thing, but when you have doggie poop bags that rip like tissue paper when you are trying to separate them on the perforation, it's quite frustrating.  You have been a good doggie owner by using one huge poop bag on a tootsie roll sized log and managed to touch it with your hand, as your bag is split straight down the seam.  And, paid a fortune for the whole roll of them. 

Back to Costco's.....I was in heaven and am still grinning from ear to ear.  The mixed nuts and almonds were a bonus.  I didn't see them until the very end.  I couldn't find my big jug of trail mix, but it's probably best.  The large jug of Pace salsa was another surprise.  The UK form of salsa is very different than this, comes in a mini-me bottle and is expensive to boot.  This also holds true for peanut butter.  I can get by on the pastier taste, but the jars are about one quarter the size of this one and I can top one off in 3 days easily.  Pretzels...oh my word...I screamed like a little girl when I spotted these.  Even though they are not my favorite Snyder's....they will do!  The only pretzels I've found here are in a bag that is so small it wouldn't suit my niece or nephew for a snack. 

I also got the usual - paper towels, TP, coke zero, beer, half a sliced ham, a huge block of cheese and plenty of pork, chicken and lamb chops.  I used my new freezer ziploc baggies to separate and freeze.  So, my little bag-stingy corner store, don't worry, I won't dare ask for a free plastic bag again (since I didn't have my re-usable one with me and had just spent 12 pounds on items that I couldn't carry) and have you roll your eyes, throw it at me and make the 5 people behind me wait while my inexperienced hands bag all of my goodies that I just bought in your store.  Was that eggs on the bottom, or should they be on top of the bread? 

After the Costco run, we shuffled over to Ikea.  I finally was able to buy a bookshelf.  The dresser of drawers from the guest room was not a good substitute.  I think I'm done with all of my house purchases, other than new bedding and a bathmat for my bathroom. 

I was invited to a dinner get together on Saturday night to another vet student's house a 'wee bit' out of town. She and I got accepted at the same time (but she's in the 4yr program) and so I was in contact with her the entire year of my deferral.  She was a great source of information and invaluable in my flat search prior to arriving.  She had some of her classmates over, a few from the 4 yr program that just started and then two of us first years in the 5yr program. It was Mexican night...yum, yum.  Her husband and 3 dogs are also here and it was a really fun night.  You knwo it's good when the host gives you his own bottle of Bailey's to take home.  I dunno how that happened, but I didn't complain! 

So, I've been thinking and my next big purchase......a car.  Yep, I've caved in and I'm going to do it.  I'm tired of not having my full independence and think it will help on these cold, rainy, dreary days to get out and about.  I sure don't want to be walking in it, so a car will be nice.  I can pack up the Bingo Boyz and go on an adventure.  Not to mention, just the convenience....shopping is purely a pain doing the whole bus thing.  It also is a waste of precious time.  Plus, I really am going to need one to do my EMS over Easter and the summer break.  Not to mention, our campus moves out to Easter Bush next fall and walking to school will not be an option.  But, more on that later.  I don't want to have to think about moving and the possible parking nightmare at the new campus just quite yet.

So, now I must get ready.  I'm headed over to my lab partner's to work on some stuff. 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far.

Over-N-Out

Milking!

Today I finally got to see the milking parlour and try it out!  Unfortunately, we've come a long way from sitting on the stool hand milking.  I was really looking forward to this, but it is all 'mechanical' now.  Our farm, Langhill, has a 28:28 herringbone parlour.  It's exactly as you would expect, being called herringbone, with the stalls at an angle. 14 cows per side can enter and the angle allows good access to the udders by the farmer.  This is an example of what our parlour looks like:

The farmer would access the cows in the center aisle and be just at udder height. Directly above his head are the 'computers'. 

One person can handle the milkings, which occur at 5am and 3pm daily.  The milking is pretty high tech these days...the cows are identified by their electronic collars as they enter the parlour. The computers will flash up the number of the cow (which is also branded on their bum).  The farmer checks to make sure the numbers match because each cow is fed concentrate while they are milked and it's matched to their number.  They get different amounts based on their milk production (more milk requires more energy, which means more food), age, body condition, etc.  Also, some cows might be on antibiotics, which means their milk cannot go into the main tank and must be re-routed into a bucket to be discarded.  It is critical the farmer knows which cow is which, and therefore will confirm the first cow in.  He can manually punch in the correct number, if it's not right and all of the computers after will auto-correct.

The procedure is to dry wipe off the cows teats and then place the automatic cluster on each teat. This is sometimes easier said then done!  It's a vacuum system, so it's like a vacuum (hoover) and once you get it near the teat...it sticks to it.  I hoovered one's tail for a moment..oops.  Dairy cows are used to being handled, but you get some that stomp and move, so you do have to be aware of the potential to get kicked.  Plus, you are always on the lookout of the brown shower coming from above! 

Once the system detects the amount of flow decreasing to a point about 30 seconds from the cow being finished milking, a light will start blinking.  At this point, you should be ready for the cluster to automatically be released and hoisted back up to it's resting area.  If you are not paying attention, the cloister can peg you in the head, back...you name it.  They are fairly solid and look like this:

 

The four ends simply attach to the teats and the clear part will be close to sitting on the floor and you can visualise the milk passing through.  Pretty nifty.

Once the cluster automatically drops off, the last step is to take a hanging hose filled with iodine, and spray off the teats.  This cuts down on the likelihood of infection. 

We learned of the tests performed on the milk for it's quality (protein, butterfat, somatic cell count and bactoscan (for bacteria).  Based on the contract with the milk company you sell your milk to, you get premium prices for certain ranges of these and can get fined for others.  For instance, any antibiotics found in the milk result in fines. At Langhill, cows on anitbiotics have red bands on their legs and also have been entered into the computer, so when their electronic collar registers, a few red lights go off and the computer has to be manually overidden to ensure you have re-routed milk out of the main line. 

It was a dirty deal, but not as bad as I expected.  You will get feces on you at some point, more than likely...it splatters a good bit.  But, this is why you wear waterproofs and wellies.  A good hose-down afterwards, a cup of tea, and you are good to go.

AND, I saw Maggie Moo!!!  Unbelievably, I recognized her by her face markings and confirmed it with her branded number on her bum when she walked by.  She is a big girl.  One of the farmhands said she might not be around too much longer.  Her udder is quite stretched out and she has one wayward teat that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get the cluster on all four.  This, of course, affects her milk production. He said they will keep her as long as it makes sense.  Poor Maggie Moo. 

It was quite a fun practical. I had read up a bit on all of the background of the parlour, the testing and acceptable numbers beforehand, so when our instructor asked questions to our group, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to answer most of them.  It does help in the learning process to be prepared - take a look over the learning outcomes before any lecture, tutorial or practical and I think you will have more deep learning.

Another memorable day in the life of this vet student.  A big 4 day weekend coming up, so that is welcome!

Till next time.....

Over-N-Out   

Week 7!

It's true, I am starting week 7 already.  Craziness.  Over halfway through the first semester.  I have to say that I am absolutely loving vet school up to this point.  Yes, there is a lot of material and yes, it is overwhelming at times, but even this stuff is interesting and it is supposed to only get better each year.  I'm thoroughly enjoying being in an intensive learning environment again with not only intelligent classmates all around me, but at a phenomenal university.  I have been so impressed with most of our lecturers up to this point and can really tell that they are dedicated to teaching us to be the best veterinarians we can be.  The testing methods here are quite different and I'm sure I will completely wig out at some point down the road.  In the US, it is common to be tested quite regularly throughout the semester, or at the very least have a midterm and final exam.  Many of my counterparts in the US have anywhere from 1-4 exams a week!  While I'm sure this is mayhem at times, it allows you to know where you stand pretty much at all times.  Here, we have 3 major 'classes' that run the whole year.  The one class, the Animal Body I, is split into 2 major sections.  It actually covers many modules, that US universities would have as completely separate classes with their own exams throughout the year.  This is called a 'block system'. 

We, on the other hand, finish up the first section in February and only then do we have exams.  Three days of them!  We 'sit' exams here.  They call it that because there is so much writing.  It's basically one day of Short Answer essays, one day of Long essays and one day of Oral and Spots Examinations.  Spot exams are common in say, anatomy, where there might be 20 pins stuck in different structures and the examiner points to one and asks you to identify it.  Once you do, they can then follow up with questions about that bone, nerve, muscle, etc. We will then have the second section of Animal Body I that runs from February to the end of May and then exams again at the beginning of June.  so, needless to say, there is a LOT of information to be covered on exams and it is a bit daunting.  I think that has kept my stress level down for now, but it's likely to skyrocket in about January.  I keep having to remind myself that the mass majority of folks get through this program, so it is doable.

I had a relaxing weekend and studied/revised my notes for most of it.  I finally feel like the information is all coming together.  The lectures seem a bit disjointed at first, but that's only because you have to start somewhere.  Now, things are starting to build on one another and you can understand better why you had a lecture at a certain time.  So, yes, I am ecstatic to be here and slowly but surely getting into my groove with studies and the culture. 

This weekend's big event was turning back the clocks.  No more daylight savings time here.  This was so needed in the mornings, as it was still black out at 7am and now it is light and I can see what I'm doing when I take the dogs out.  The downside, of course, is that it's now 335pm, overcast and drizzling and cars already have their headlamps on!  It gets dark, dark by 430.  This is not good.  At all. 

Last night was a wonderful surprise.  I was out getting my laundry off the line (I took advantage of two absolutley stunningly sunny days) and my next door neighbor invited me over to their neighbor's back garden for a drink.  It was lovely.  They had a fire going outside and we all sat on the patio chatting away.  Two very lovely couples and one little stinker...Suki.  She's about 8 months (I think) and lives across the hall.  She is a cute little chubby-cheeked girl.  Totally adorable.  Her mom, Becky, is stay-at-home mom and dad, Pete, is a photographer.  Really sweet and welcoming couple.  I'm lucky to have them next door. 

I think that catches us up to today.  This week is pretty long (except the usual Wed) because the following week we do not have classes Mon and Tuesday.  Four day weekend!  Yay.  Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to doing the chick embryo practical.  We delicately cut our way into an egg with a live embryo and put a solution on it that ceases the chick's life.  We then prepare a slide to look at some embryologic structures we've been studying under the microscope.  It's like a mini-surgery.  It's the small things that get me excited these days.  Then, Thursday is our practical at the dairy farm on milking!  We get to finally see the milking parlour and experience a milking session.  I understand we will be getting our hands dirty. 

That's all for now.  Time to crack open the books again, before my espresso wears off.

Over-N-Out