It can't be November Already

This past week was certainly a crazy one. Three projects and two exams, is not a good way to get sleep. But the week is over, and this next one is looking much calmer. I just have to write a paper and study for one exam. I can't believe I will be home for thanksgiving in about two weeks. The last two and half months have flown by! I've been gone from Oregon for about three months now, and and at school for almost as long. I really wish I could hit the 'pause' button sometimes. Junior year is going to quickly.

I had my first official English Country Dance Club event this last week. It went very well. There were about 25 people there, which turned out to be a very good number. We even managed to talk a few boys that were playing Foosball in the lounge to dance with us. They are now members of the FB group :) At this rate I will convert the entire school to ECD before I graduate ;)

It has been a little strange being more involved on campus this year. Between pre-health club and ECD I have met a lot of students that I really wouldn't have had much contact with other wise. I'm still getting used to walking around campus and have people address me by name that I really don't know, only to realize afterward that I had probably emailed them about a pre-health event or introduced myself at the club fair in October. I suppose this is a good thing, since I'm tossing around the idea of running for a student government position next year. But still for someone that values privacy it can be a little disconcerting at times, not to mention the fact that I can never seem to remember these people's names.

It is finally starting to get a little colder here. I miss Oregon weather. Its nice to have a chill in the air at night, but there is something so comforting about dark clouds and rainy days. Finally, I can wear sweatshirts to class; I just wish I was wearing a rain jacket as well. There are perks to living in Southern California though. Its November and I can still read outside in a hammock on the weekends.

I am still attending the same church here and I'm starting to feel more at home there. If I can't be at my real home church then there is really no place I would rather be than the Naz. church here. My pastor has been going through the book of Ecclesiastes this fall. I think I had read the book before, but it has been quite a learning curve. I think it is amazing how God lines up what you are going through in life with what you are hearing in church. He has been teaching me a thing or two about balancing my hopes for the future with my life right now.

Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: I learned how to salsa dance on Saturday night. That was very fun, and I finally got to practice my swing dancing.

Amendment 2: Research is going well. I haven't had anymore issues with nearly blowing expensive equipment up.

Amendment 3: I don't remember if I put this on a previous blog, but here's a riddle. If you are told to choose one of three doors. One of which has a prize behind it and the other two don't have anything. You choose door number three. Then someone opens door number one and its empty. You are given the option to change your answer. Do you change it? If so why?

Random People

Ever had one of those days when you are missing someone and you just want to be with them? Well, I'm having one today, so I thought I would write a blog about some of those people that I really miss a lot. This is just a random selection of the people back home. It isn't really even based off of who I'm closest to, just who comes to mind right now for some wacky reasons.

My sister. So this should be obvious. My sister is like my other half. The half I fight with, hug, and get mad at for no reason. She is also the one that comes into my room late at night to talk and doesn't leave until early in the morning. She is also the main reason I have friends at college, since I would never have been anything close to social if she didn't make me. Thanks Sis! I would not be where I am today without you.

Becca and Rachel. Yes, I'm going to combine them, just because I almost always hang out with both at the same time. Becca is so funny. I love how quirky she is. Your mad drawing skills amaze me. Rachel is also funny, and I love how she teases her sisters without them even noticing.

My Dad. I miss just sitting in the living room with him not talking, just sitting. Maybe we will talk about important stuff, but just hanging out with one of heroes is a blast. I love being able to ask my dad any question about politics or history and him having an opinion whether he knows about the subject or not! Your lectures are famous dad! Maddy and I have learned never to get you started after 11pm because we would never get to bed.

Dewey (my pastor). Dewey is probably the funniest pastor I have ever met. His sermons are without a doubt the best ever. I have never met someone that can speak for three weeks on one word! Germaphobe though he is, I never get tired of his high-fives.

Mariah. I miss just sitting on the couch and laughing with her. Yes, she can be inflammatory at times, but someone that speaks her mind isn't that easy to come by, so I guess I'll keep her around.

So that is random smattering of people that I'm missing. There are lots more. People like mom, Christie, Nana, my dog, Britt, Katie, Charlie. But this will have to do for now.


Cheers!

Laura

Hit the Ground and Run

This semester really is flying by. I am now half way done, which means I'm a quarter of the way done with the year. I still miss being home a lot, but school really is home now. It is still strange to be happy in a place that is 900 miles from my family, but I suppose that is life. A series of adjustments.

Classes are going well. I'm still very busy with everything. Finally this week I finished a project I had been working on for the pre-health club, which I am an officer in. We went to a conference a few weeks back, and as the treasurer I had some bookkeeping things to do afterward. But I'm finally done with that minor headache.

It seems like I have been learning a lot lately about being a good leader. This summer with co-leading youth group, and now with the pre-health club and my ECD club. I can see that my leadership skills need some honing and practice. Being in charge is tough, and sometimes down right painful. I do enjoy it though. Having the ability to actually change a situation you don't like or agree with is a very satisfying position to be in. I'm learning to balance my show of confidence, (something important for a leader, and easy for me) with knowing when to ask for help and advice isn't always easy, but I think I'm getting better at it.

I have the first ECD club meeting on November 3rd. I'm very excited and a little nervous. I have no idea how many people will show up. We might have 20 people who have never danced before show up. That is a scary thought, trying to teach 20 new people how to dance at once. I will need to put some planning into the first event, and some thought into what dances I want to teach. I know I will do Marie's Wedding because I already have a request for it, and it is really simple, but oh so fun.

Next week a very exciting event is happening on my campus. Humans vs. Zombies. Its a game that involves an original zombie turning the other players (humans) into zombies and then they can turn others into zombies. I think something like 80 people are playing. I am not one of them, however most of friends are and I am planning being on hand with a camera for all the events. As is I don't have enough blackmail pictures on them already. Did I mention that I got a new camera for my birthday? Well I did. I should take a picture of it with my old camera and post it on FB it is really very cute and little with a measly 10 mega pixels.


Cheers!

Laura


Amendment 1: Fugacity is my word of the week. It is similar to pressure but is used for a real gas. It is defined as the limit as P goes to 0 then f equals P.

Amendment 2: I will be home in about four weeks. I can't wait to see you all!

Amendment 3: For my PE class this week I had to write down all the things I was doing this semester and then come up with a plan so I wouldn't get to stressed about it. I wasn't all that stressed until I wrote down exactly what I am doing this semester. Now that I KNOW I don't have time for everything, it suddenly seems so much worse than when I was just doing it.

How do I take my foot off the accelerator?

I just finished week seven of my first semester of junior year! I'm almost half way through the semester, and all I want right now is for things to slow down. I spend about 30 hours in class a week, and then another forty-fifty hours on homework a week. Somewhere I have to fit in sleep and meals, plus social time. Sometimes it seems that my life is one giant blur; one day fades into the next. All I want to do is yell "Stop". I love my life right now. I have wonderful friends. College is a wonderful place to be. I'm surrounded by the greatest profs. in the world. I would love to be able to take ever single class offered here. Well, maybe not all, but most. But life is flying by me.

I know its not going to get any better. Life only becomes more complicated and busy the older you become. This summer I take the MCAT and apply to medical schools. Hopefully, in less than two years I will be a medical student somewhere. Life goes on. I love the quote from the Lord of the Rings. "If you step onto the road, if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." Isn't life amazing? God has blessed me with so much, and I wish I had to enjoy every minute, but I guess I will just have to find my minutes between my classes, between study times, maybe on occasion over a meal (when I have time to eat :P), and in chapel.


Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: The sign on Sarah and I's door reads "Welcome to dragon country; mind the balrogs"

Amendment 2: Starting to get ready for the first official ECD club meeting a two weeks!

Amendment 3: For someone that doesn't know a thing about cars I really do like car analogies. My current favorite: if life is a highway it is sometimes necessary to pull over and check the map.

Six Weeks of Craziness

Six weeks of school! Six weeks! I can't believe it has already been six weeks! Ok, now I have that out of my system how about a nice long update.

School has been going well. I'm so busy that I'm starting to feel like I have no life but other than that I'm loving it. My classes are hard, especially p-chem, but very interesting. I had three exams this week and that was a little intense, but I survived (just barely) and now I have a four day weekend.

These last six weeks have been the most exhausting of my life. I feel like I have been going non-stop ever since arriving at school. I'm taking five classes, plus research, and running one club and helping run another. I'm also on the worship team at my church once a month. Life is crazy, but I love it.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go up to UC Davis for a pre-medical conference. Though the weekend was very tiring, I had a wonderful time. The other officers and I put a lot of work into all the details and I was so glad that things went off mostly without any problems. I learned so much about the medical school admission process and I feel much more confident about applying this spring. I also feel encouraged that I can and will get into medical school. It is a competitive world, but I know I can do it. It was great to hear that grades and test scores aren't everything, and that I am doing a lot of things that will help me get in.

Even all the work was fun (at times). I'm the treasurer of the club, and I enjoy all of the money stuff. Wow, I can't believe I wrote that! I sound like an accountant. Most of the details worked out fine in the end. There were a few minor heart attack moments in the week leading up to the trip, and a few on the trip as well. But other than getting no sleep and being sick (not a good combination) it was a wonderful time.

This weekend I don't have much planned. Getting some sleep, a lot of sleep. Doing some homework, and going on a day hike on Monday. Monday also happens to be my birthday. I think my mom is sadder that I won't be home than I am. Twenty just doesn't feel like a big deal. I'm excited to go hiking and spend the day with my best Westmont friends.

Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: No, I am still not dating/courting anyone. So you can stop wondering.

Amendment 2: My favorite quote from my p-chem textbook. "Because researchers do not have access to an infinitely large water bath... " It sounds like they just ran out of funds to buy one.

Amendment 3: My second favorite quote from my p-chem book. "any well-behaved function can be expressed in analytical form" What is a well-behaved function? Or a better question how does a function misbehave?

Amendment 4: I feel like this entry was all over the place. But I'm so tired I don't even care.

Amendment 5: Maybe when I'm less tired tomorrow or Sunday I will write some more details.

One Month In

I just finished my fourth week of school. It is strange to think that I've been gone from home for nearly six weeks now. Everything has gone so fast. There are only about fourteen weeks in the semester so being four weeks in, is really the middle of the semester.

I'm starting to have my first round of midterms. I had one this week, I'll have one next week, and two the week after. I think one of things academically I'm getting better at is exams. Being homeschooled for so long you don't really know how to take tests well. Thankfully, I feel like I am now a good test taker, especially in my science classes. While practice doesn't always make perfect is certainly helps, and I've been having a lot of practice with science exams.

It is hard for me to believe that I'm in my junior year now. In less then two years I will be, Lord willing, entering medical school. I have had a number of people over the years tell me I will be a good doctor, a doctor they would go to. I hope so... Being a doctor is a huge responsibility, and I think it would be fool-hardy for me to say that I am ready for that kind of responsibility. And the thought that I might some day, either by accident, mistake, or by just missing something, kill someone is terrifying. But I suppose being scared is probably a good thing in this case.

Since I only have three semesters left after this one, I have been planning very carefully what I need to do to graduate. I love my school, but we do have so many GE requirements. I have already fulfilled over a third of them and I still have 8 classes left to take! I have this horrible suspicion that my final semester will be me and a bunch of freshman some basic classes. At least I will have plenty of time for research :) The funny thing about my school is that the science departments are so small a lot of classes are only offered one semester either fall or spring. So next semester I will only have one science class with a lab, but next fall I will have three. While that sounds like fun to me, my friends are calling it suicide. But I guess that's what I get for hanging out with a bunch of English majors.

Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: Interesting Fact: I now know how to mathematically prove that you should slow down before entering a curve and then accelerate through it.

Amendment 2: Things I hate about FaceBook 1: People who put "In a relationship with Jesus" as their relationship status. That means any guy/girl that wants to date them must get that person to break up with God. Like that's going to be easy :P

Amendment 3: Time is precious here at school, so if my proof reading time goes down, please forgive me.

Why Do I Even Bother?

I have a cold, I am under a huge amount of stress from various different activities, and I still have hours of homework ahead of my today. It is at these sorts of times that I become introspective and slightly outwardly emotional. So you have been forewarned.

I was chatting with a friend this last week and he made a comment that really made me think about my life planning skills. He said something to the meaning "In two years if you get accepted to OHSU then you will be home". This is what I have been planning for the last year or so. Not just because of the cost of medical school, but also because I want to be home. All this made me look back at my track record for predicting my future, especially in geography.

Four Years Ago: I was planning on studying biology at a local christian liberal arts school. I was going to go to medical school. I wasn't going to live at home, but 30 minutes from home wasn't all that bad.

Three Years Ago: I had a change of heart. I decided I wanted to go to a more conservative school. So my original choice of the school close to home was out. You should have seen the look on my mom's face! I once again started looking at a school in Michigan that I had always liked. It started to look more like a possibility.

Two Years Ago: I graduated from High school early, and decide to take classes at a different liberal arts college in my home town. I wasn't ready to leave yet, but I wanted to make the most of this year. I was looking at colleges in earnest. But mostly the one Michigan. I went and visited it, and loved it. I knew then that's where I wanted to be, and I thought I knew where God wanted me.

Year and Nine Months Ago: My mom dragged me to CA to look at one more school. I knew I was not going to like it. I had my school all picked out, I was just there to go to Disneyland, and prove to mom and dad once for all, I knew what I wanted. Oops! I didn't just like the school, I loved it. It was very different from the one in Michigan, but I loved it just the same. It felt right.

Year and Half Ago: I had to send in my check that night. Both schools needed a deposit by May 1st. It was the night of April 30th. I had to make a decision. So I did. I chose to come to Southern California, a place I really hate to a school I didn't even want to go and look at much less attend. Yeah, this was an "Ok God, I hope you know what you are doing" moment.

So all this to say "Why do I even bother making plans?" Obviously I have to do some sort of long term planning. But it comes down to this. I'm just crummy at it. I'm not good at seeing the forest through the trees. And I certainly can't predict where I'm going to be next year (well hopefully still here, but not spiritually) much less in two or three years.

Cheers!

Amendment 1: Perhaps I can blame my parents. They always say that the only subject they failed at teaching me was geography.

Amendment 2: Or I suppose I could just sum it up to "Welcome to the world of not being God".

Amendment 3: There are a few things in life that I'm still reasonably sure about. One is going to medical school. Another is God is God and I'm not. The third is I have the best group of people around me that I could ever ask for.