The tunnel at the end of the light...

I've decided that's the perfect metaphor for what you feel like 2 weeks before you start your SECOND year of med school. Rather than seeing the light at the end of the tunnel I feel like I'm standing in the light (both figuratively and literally at this point since it's summer!) and am headed for a big, black, dark tunnel (which incidentally doesn't have a visible light at the end at this point)!! Not trying to be pessimistic, just realistic! The thing about 2nd year is that you know what you're getting into, which makes it both way better and way worse! Luckily distance does make some of it fade (like everything), but even 13 (or was it 14) weeks of summer definitely hasn't made me totally forget the incredibly busy insanity (or rather monotony) that awaits me. It seems to be fairly unanimous that this coming 3rd semester is the worst. Combines the time consuming class/lab schedule of 1st semester with the overwhelmingly heavy courseload of 2nd semester... basically lots and lots and lots of difficult material with very little time to learn it... there's that tunnel I was talking about. And, further supporting the tunnel metaphor, at the end of 2nd year you go straight into studying for step one of the boards (see left sidebar for explanation), which in turn goes directly into clinical rotations. Granted, i can't complain too much about leaving behind a summer 'break' with a flexible schedule and considerable free time for a year of school and then essentially a full-time+ job at the age of 26 (well i'll be 27 by then). Gotta join the grown-up world sometime!! Back to the present... this fall the classes should be interesting, though. We are truly into the really medicine, medicine part: learning about diseases and treatments and medications and such. By the end of 2nd year we should know the textbook version of everything. Sadly that doesn't generally translate to real life, but hey, it's a start. I just hope my brain remembers how to hold onto HUGE amounts of material and take weekly tests! I think it sorta shut down in revolt after spring semester!! I'm sure it'll come screaming back quickly enough!!!

To make sure i don't sound too pessimistic, I am getting excited to go back. Turns out us med school types don't do well with a lot of unscheduled free time. A classmate friend and I were discussing that it'd be really nice if there was a happy medium between being underwhelmed as we are now and being overwhelmed as we will be soon! ("I know you can be overwhelmed & you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"...anyone recognize the movie quote?? ;). I'd LOVE med school if you could just be whelmed, but i guess if it were easy everyone would do it.

One more quick paragraph, then i have to get back to the research project. Next week I am helping with new M1 orientation, which should be fun. I'm spending these last few weeks with a few more free reading books and doing some knitting and working out while i still have time. Also playing with my new iPhone!! I must say it is even cooler than I ever realized! Incidentally for all you Verizon folks, i am no longer one of you. I prob should be sad about that, but the iphone sure helps ease that pain!! ;) Brendan's still doing well, on his ICU rotation. Has had his first few nights of call, so he's settling into life as a true resident working 12-14hr days with 32hr shifts when he's on call every 6th night. It's getting a little easier as he gets used to it, but he has been pretty emphatic about how glad he is he's going to be a radiologist!! (And from his mood when he has to do this sort of thing, that makes 2 of us)!! Hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer. I'm hoping to be in the Des Moines area the weekend of the 22nd, so lemme know if any of you want to get together!
Love to all,
Andrea