Spring: A Time For Renewal

Well it certainly has been a while hasn't it?

Oh there is so much to update! For one, Spring is almost certainly upon us in the Pacific Northwest! The past few days there has been the typical Spring weather fluctuations - and I will not lie, I am very much enjoying it.


That being said, I have returned to running after a brief lapse to accommodate increasing physical fatigue secondary to demands from academia as evidenced by an ever-aching knee, sleep deprivation, and frequent dehydration from increased caffeine intake.

Spring always reminds me of renewal in the most basic sense - "the replacement or repair of something that is worn-down, run-out, or broken"- in that I can either scrap whatever failed or failing endeavors I was attending to or return to them with refreshed vigor.

I love that I have options... They provide hope.

My 21st Birthday

On the dawn of my 21st birthday, I spent some time reflecting on my life thus far.

The eve of my birthday was spent at my aunt's house, eating nachos and watching re-runs of the Olympics. I browsed the internet and ate more than my fill and finally caved in for the evening. I thought I would read instead of watching an episode of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix (DON'T JUDGE ME), thinking that watching Netflix would keep me up. What a mistake I made! The chapter I read kept me up for hours, leading me to my internal reflection.

The thing is, I have felt so much regret about my childhood and adolescence for as long as I can remember. For a long time now I have strived to live virtuously in the present and work towards a better future. Only recently have I truly accepted I cannot change the past and as I lay thinking about my life so far, I cried out, thanking God for the way my life is now. Despite the troubles I have had, I have moved past them to become the woman I am. That is not to say I am perfect, but I feel more comfortable in my skin than I have ever felt.

I promise, this all sounds more dramatic than I intended it to be. The emotions I experienced that night were fleeting, as all emotions are, but gave way to a sort of enlightenment. I am not, nor will I ever be back in my past. That in itself is a blessing. I suppose this all sounds a bit fantastic and ridiculous, but I have waited a week to express in writing the thoughts and feelings I endured that night to ensure that the experience was not entirely delusional.

Of course, once I awoke the next morning it was all about the joy of being with family and finally being "of age." Although 21 years old is commonly recognized as being of legal drinking age, it means a bit more for me. I consider it an inevitable right of passage in which I become a "proper" adult.

I noticed even before my birthday how attitudes have changed upon acknowledgment of one's age. Pardon my colloquialism, but since when has age been such a big deal? That being said, I will enjoy finally being able to drink legally. The only problem I can foresee in the near future is what drink to try next.

Nursing School - Semester Two

As I type this, I am lying on my bed contemplating whether I want to start writing this or whether I want to sleep instead. The thing is, if I went to sleep right now, it would be the earliest I have been to sleep since returning to school. This is not to say that we have been deluged with homework (though we have) but we have been given copious amounts of reading to accomplish and study from.

Not to mention, this weekend will be the second weekend in a row I have left campus for other plans. This means that I have had to complete three extra days worth of studying to prepare for a lack of studying part of tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday. The point being that I have been pretty busy lately. 

If I am not asleep, in the library, or in class one can assume I am most certainly dead. 

That being said, I am enjoying my mental health and pharmacology courses immensely. I also happen to be taking a course on medical anthropology which is fascinating and a course on Spanish healthcare terminology which is very useful. My chronic conditions course is alright so far and I have no complaints about labs. 

As much as I complain about not having a social life because of all the studying I have been doing, I am really having a good time. I love taking the streetcar to the library and reading before bed again. I am looking forward to more family time this weekend, this time to celebrate my cousins' confirmation and my birthday. Following along with my sea side metaphor, the waves of joy and gratitude have increased in frequency as of late and I welcome them with bated breath. 

Caught in a Wave

Well, as you may have noticed, I have not been blogging recently. Heck, I have not been blogging consistently since last year! What can I say? I have returned to nursing school in Portland and am busy making preparations for opportunities I can add to my resumé.

I promise I will share all... eventually. I just wanted to express my sentiments about returning to nursing school. It is similar to being caught in a wave while body surfing. Feeling like I am tumbling about, enjoying being completely encompassed by water, but also annoyed about the salty sting the water causes - all the while struggling to keep my eyes open to not lose sight of the surface. I may be caught in another wave once I surface, but fortunately, this is where my allegory ends. I have no chance of drowning nor will I panic and retreat to the shore, giving up on an exciting venture.

Anyway, I just thought I would inform everyone that I am looking forward to several parts of my future including providing more consistent blogposts, making more YouTube videos, traveling... and celebrating my birthday this Saturday of course! In the meantime, I am currently very active on Twitter and Instagram (my information is in the Contact page).

Bright Future, Big Plans

The last few days have been a flurry of completing applications for summer internships and externships and updating my resume. Instead of being frustrated about how little I have accomplished, I have become more and more excited for the future. For instance, I am applying to several internships in different locations around the U.S. I would still like to be able to travel during the summer and I thought, "what a great way to do so than by applying to internships in places I would like to travel?" I do not know if any of them will work out, but I am at least applying.

I suppose the point of completing all the applications is partly to keep myself busy and partly to remind myself that there is a whole world out there and I do not have to do the same things over and over again. I can simultaneously do something beneficial to my career and do something I really want to do - travel!

Lofting

It finally hit me. I have only two and a half more weeks of my first semester of nursing school. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!

I have four papers to complete and one project to present before I have to execute my final performance evaluation in high fidelity simulation and take the HESI (Health Education System Inc.) exam - all before Finals Week. 

That being said, I apologize for any late blogposts or poorly written/edited blogposts. I am doing some major self-care this weekend and I hope to have the energy to blog about it all, but I am also going to be very, very, very busy. Evidence A: my bed right now.

#nursingschoolproblems

Updates: Nursing school, Portland, Challenges, and etc.

I am writing this from my cozy room in the Linfield Good Samaritan School of Nursing campus in Portland, Oregon. In brief, this last month has been a whirlwind of classes, exploration, food, and friends - and I'm loving it! Classes are going well, I have enjoyed exploring Portland and the surrounding area, food is expensive and SO GOOD, and friends are my favorite. My favorite class at the moment is actually lab/clinical because of the hands-on nature and the clinical advisors are very informative and fun. I have ventured out every week to explore Portland, including the Saturday market and part of the Pearl District. As there is no cafeteria on this campus, I have had fun grocery shopping and cooking for myself - though with NW 23rd nearby, my friends and I decided that Friday night dinners would have to be a thing.

Moving on: I failed to complete the August photo-a-day challenge, however, I will be attempting the challenge again in October with a better understanding of what to expect. I am so very close to completing the AFI Films challenge, but with little access to a movie library I am a little set back. I have renewed motivation to complete the challenges now that I have gotten settled with nursing school, although I have to say I am renewed in my motivation to become a nurse as well. I feel as if I have studied harder the last few weeks than I can remember.

I suppose my point is, I am a full-time nursing student but I will continue contributing to this blog as much as possible. :)

Challenge Update: AFI's 100 Greatest American Films of All Time

As of yesterday I have watched 66 of the 100 films! There are still a few on Netflix I have yet to watch and I have placed holds on several films at the public library, though so the last third of the list will flow smoothly. Instead of bouncing back and forth between movie genres as I initially did, I've now got a solid list of Westerns, Dramas, and Post-War films with just a few outliers.

The list is as follows:

• A Clockwork Orange
• A Place in the Sun
• All About Eve
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Amadeus
• American Graffiti
• Chinatown
• Citizen Kane
• Dances With Wolves
• Dr. Strangelove
• From Here to Eternity
• High Noon
• MASH
• Mutiny on the Bounty
• Network
• North By Northwest
• On the Waterfront
• Patton
• Platoon
• Raging Bull
• Rebel Without A Cause
• Shane
• Sunset Blvd.
• The Apartment
• The Best Years of Our Lives
• The Birth of a Nation
• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• The Deer Hunter
• The Grapes of Wrath
• The Third Man
• The Wild Bunch
• Unforgiven
• Wuthering Heights
• Yankee Doodle Dandy