What Gives?

Today I officially moved into the co-ops today.  It has been quite a fantastic experience so far.  It is exactly what I want to the point it cannot be more perfect.  Genuinely, everyone is just so nice.  And, I have met more people that are more in common with me than ever before— with improv, goals of running a half marathon, and backpacking in Yosemite.  It is amazing that so many people can live in a single place with such diverse backgrounds and interests, but living together under the general belief of living cooperatively, and cheaply.  I even met someone who I’ll be coworkers with.  Which is kind of crazy!  I had a good time at the BBQ and bonfire afterwards eating smores.  It will be a definite fun next couple of days, and then off to work!

My semester in a nutshell: epic.  I can tell from my lack of keeping up with this blog/lack of pictures I remember to take and upload onto facebook.  Mainly, this fairly ambivalent attitude I have towards pictures is that you take them when you know there will be an event.  Or, you somehow have the magical ability to remember shit that you don’t normally immediately carry on yourself on a day-to-day basis.  I felt like I’ve been so constantly busy I barely had time to sit down and watch a show.  It was also pretty heavily draining to have 8 oclock classes every—single—day.  It was impossible to ever get a good night’s sleep.  Partly because it’s almost sinful for a college student to go to bed before 11pm, and also partly because having a bunk bed makes it impossible to sleep if the other person has a different sleeping schedule from you/ needs to use the bathroom, etc.  

So, with my lower division classes almost finished, the only other pre-req med school requirements I have left are Physics 8B, English (one semester), Biochem, and Bio1B.  Luckily, the only lab classes are Bio1B and Physics.  Which means no more exhausting four hour labs that are so intensely planned and scheduled you are rushing to finish all the time.  I think that’s what I hate most about lab. It is the rushed feeling of doing something that should normally be done leisurely.  I doubt that most researchers constantly feel like they are about to have an anxiety attack. 

The things I feel like specifically worth mentioning are as follows:

-dissecting a rat

-running 9 miles

-playing IM soccer

-seeing Seth Meyers

-getting into Kip’s

I can now look forward to summer in a new place, a new job, and a new experience altogether.  I am living in the co ops for the summer and fall and working as a summer camp counselor teaching science camps to little kids.  Both things I’m both excited, and nervous for, but looking forward to all the same. 

I look back on the semester with extremely fond memories.  There is nothing I regret.

On 10mg of pred.  Let’s go! Adrenal glands—begin synthesizing cortisol now! I just anthropomorphized my adrenal glands. This is how excited I am 

I haven’t exactly posted in awhile so I wanted to let there be some reflection on to this semester.  This has been by far the most challenging academically but by far the most emotionally and physically enriching.  By “challenging” academically I might not be competitive enough for medical school depending on how finals go.  This has been a sort of cross-roads for me and my future, and so, I have a sort of liberation from the constraints of performance for a grade, and more of an emphasis on learning as much as I can because I want to, not because I “have” to.  Berkeley’s competitiveness has also just been getting to me lately.  I have heard in two different conversations the usage of the “Asian pass/fail” as an A/ anything lower failing.  And, with another girl’s plight with her GPA not being good enough for a UC medical school GPA, she’ll have to go to a Caribbean medical school in order for her family to “take her seriously.”  I cannot imagine why or how going to medical school is the end-all-be-all of existence.  There are so many flaws within American health care system— why not public policy/advocacy/law?  Why not be an advocate for change?  Or do research potentially finding a cure rather than doctors being forced to prescribe palliative medication that will never entirely “fix” the problem?  I know I’d be happy to make a difference in the livelihood and well-being on a personal basis.  But that can be included in a variety of job descriptions.  So

Lately, I have been wondering if I’d be truly happy with my job, and lately, I’ve been needing extra motivation to get through the semester. Luckily, finals are almost here.  And, the bio lab practical! Wooo! (sarcasm)

For the first time in over a year and a half I am residing—comfortably— at 12mg of prednisone and will be continually dropping as much as I can below 10mg hopefully.  This is so major to me I am so excited!  I am able to play soccer, run 6 miles (though out of shape), volunteer, act, go to school without being in pain—it’s a beautiful feeling, and beautiful life.