It's been over a month since I last posted something at all, much less thought of something interesting (at least to me).
After a little bit of reflection, I've decided that Second Semester had it out for me. It tried to kill me, and almost succeeded. Eleven (ELEVEN!) tests in three weeks is a serious mettle tester. Well I've got mettle! What did it take? A metric f***ton of caffeine (that come to find stripped a nice bit of enamel from my front teeth, no more Coke for me), little sleep, and a boatload of cortisol, though I'm not sure if that was a reaction or a prod yet. Either way, for three weeks in April I went home at least three times a week wanting to barf and twitch. What sadistic fascist invented this game again? I want to find him and eviscerate him. Oh wait, maybe I'm slightly sadistic...
It was nice to get home. A surprising number of us walked out of the last of our six finals and literally into a taxi. It was pure bliss and relief to know that whatever our scores were, IT DIDN'T MATTER because we were getting on a plane that afternoon! And wait, HOLD THE PHONE, LIAT was only thirty minutes late leaving the island for Antigua. Jimmy and I overnited there (with some uncertainty as to where we would actually be staying until we landed, I can elaborate on that later if anyone desires), and after only getting about four (and that's rounding) hours of sleep, we got up at the UNGODLY hour of 4am to catch a cab at 4:30 for the airport. Why you ask? Well, of course, our flight to San Juan left at 6:45 and we figured we'd prefer to spend an extra hour in the airport and be assured of actually getting on the plane. Thankfully American was on time (ie. less than 15 minutes late) and we were in the air by 7, and on the ground in San Juan before ten. It was a great feeling to not have to rush!
On the way to the airport we drove past people who flagged us down. They were on their way to the airport (and on our flight it turns out). They consisted of an American University of Antigua student and her father. They run a similar program to ours, whereby they're on the island for sixteen months and then return to the states for the remainder of the mind-numbing road we call medical school. As we were driving we got to talking and she found out that we were from Ross, while she was from AUA. Ok, that was redundant, eh? Anyway, she goes on to tell us that she knows "all about Ross" because AUA gets a lot of transfers from Ross. She continued to say that she felt it ridiculous that Ross requires students who fail to repeat an entire semester, and that all the school was after was money. Now, to be fair, I have no doubt that a good chunk of the policy is monetarily influenced, however, I think it has a beneficial result. I have no doubt that repeating only makes the student stronger and the process is designed to arm repeating students with better study habits and strip them of the deleterious ones. So, having said all that, I have no problems with the policy. As she was prattling on about this I wondered to myself if she knew that the majority of students who transferred to AUA were those that were ineligible for repeating here...ie those who failed more than two courses OR failed their repeat semester. Comforting isn't it? After all that I just said "well, it's definitely an extra incentive to pass." And let it go at that. I have no allusions about why I'm here...it's because I didn't get in where I wanted to, and sometimes you just have to take your lumps and move forward. So here I am...
Once home I did as much as I could to do as fantastically little as possible. (A Canuck, not the lovely one, friend pointed out that we Southerners use contradictory descriptions like "enormously small", so I threw that one in there for kicks and giggles...) I went out with Redd and Amigo one night in Athens, and was immensely tickled that fifteen "mature" college-aged guys were screaming Justin Bieber's "Baby" at the top of their lungs at The Loft. *Sidenote: that is an immensely catchy and simultaneously unfathomably annoying song, and yes, it's in my iTunes*
I also went up to Pennsylvania with my mom and Grandmama to see my mom's Aunt. It was for the most part enjoyable. I got all the rest I needed because Mom and Grandmama went to bed early. We had separate rooms so I was able to unwind and just decertify myself as needed. It was much needed too (see above)! We went to Lancaster and Gettysburg, and I enjoyed both. The countryside and farmland are just so beautiful there. I enjoyed doing most of the driving too, aside from trying to figure out which way to go in Philly. Picture it: Philadelphia 2010. An out-of-towner is following signs to the airport. It says, Philly Airport - I-76 East. But wait! The road splits, and both splits are I-76 East...BONK! Oh goody! Well I'll just take my chances with this one. Turns out both got us there, but oh yes, my exit was the only exit on that highway for twenty miles that exited TO THE LEFT. Picture me dashing across four lanes of traffic in a Mercury Grand Marquis. It's kinda funny in hindsight. After that we had no difficulties. Oh yes, did I mention the Grand Marquis??? I reserved a Taurus sized car...and they give me that monstrosity! All in all though, it was a good break!
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