Two Great Nights.....

I had the best night ever last night.  I got to see an old high school friend and her mom here in Edinburgh!  We both played soccer our entire lives in VA and graduated the same year from West Springfield.  She has been living in London the past 2.5 years with her husband and two daughters.  Her husband is a federal agent for Homeland Security and got a post over here. Her kids were kind of at the end of their rope after a long day of traveling and sightseeing, so her husband stayed home with them while she and mom met me out.  I was bummed I didn't get to meet her husband and kids, but I was told it was for the best!

We met at the Filling Station (where I had been the night before) because it was convenient and I knew where to go.  We had an absolutely fabulous time catching up.  She gave me some sage advice about coping with an international move.  She was told (by her old employer who is a global kind of guy) that she'd be crazy to try and continue working once she got here and that it'd take 6-12 months to adjust to the culture shock. She said she was surprised, but her old boss was 100% right and she was thankful she listened. This made me feel soooo much better about things because I was a bit homesick and sad last week for no apparent reason.  I thought I should have been 'over it' by now, but this is just not the case.  I was reassured that it simply takes time and was given lots and lots of suggestions on how to best cope.

It seems like I'm completely going to switch subjects here, but it's so relevant. Today, we had a TWO HOUR presentation (that i thought would be a waste, but wasn't at all) on vet students' mental health and well-being.  Did you know, veterinarians have one of the highest suicide rates across the board?  Yes, it's frighteningly true.  Our lecturer is a veterinarian and did her PhD in this area of study.  There are many reasons for this fact, but basically vet and med students come from kind of the same mold - competitive, type A personalities.  No, dear brother, I am not just a carefree, wind-in-my-hair, Harley-Davidson-driving free spirit...I'm pretty sure you know this after last year :).

As vets, we will have the ability to legally cease the life of animals that are considered family to people.  And they will look to us for comfort and to be strong for them.  There will be a ton of loss, grief, long hours, compromised family lives and an enormous amount of responsibility thrust on our shoulders.  Our 'type' is to hold it all in and not admit weakness, or a mental ill-health.  The studies are numerous and the numbers staggering.

The take home message from my visit last night and my lecture today were very similar.

1.  Stay in close contact with your friends and family (I'll catch up on phone calls soon, I promise!)
2. Get involved in activities outside of the vet school bubble.
3. Exercise....or do something to clear your head.
4. Be wary of alcohol and/or drug dependency.
5. Know that being a veterinarian should not define you...continue with other interests and be well-rounded.  You WILL have bad days/months/years as a vet and must be able to associate yourself with something other than just being a vet.
6.  Get plenty of rest and get away for a weekend, if needed. 
7.  Be very careful of being too competitive with classmates - you will all become a vet and need each other's support to get there.  We are here and are now teammates.
8. Recognize when you are having difficulties and get help, if needed.

I have a classmate who lost TWO close friends this week from college in unrelated events.  She is from the US and is devastated.  It is crucial that we can be her 'family' for her now. We will all need to rely on one another to get through all that will be thrown our way over the next five years.  I think for us international students, it is all finally sinking in that we are indeed living in a foreign country and this is not vacation any more.

So, I am happy and relieved.  I had a long day today and actually took the night off from studying.  I went to the first bible study group on the Book of Isaiah led by Fr. Tim. It just so happened the postgraduate society at he church (STAGGS) was also meeting tonite in the common rooom. I joined them afterwards in the middle of quiz night.  Most of them are PhD students, so the questions I found a bit difficult (even the 'nature' ones).  But, there was a very inexpensive cash bar, so all was not lost. Not bad when you can have bible study in the basement, go up one flight and hang out in a lounge having a few cocktails, eats and laughs.  Another good night. 

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather and will go to bed NOW in order to get a good night's sleep. Looks to be a really good week.  We are getting into unchartered territory now with our lectures. Today was embryology and in about 2 weeks we start Anatomy!!!! Thank goodness.  I believe we will do an entire dissection of the dog over a few months.  YAY!

Ok, good night and Over-N-Out