Taking In and Letting Go

After several days of guest speakers scheduled, our instructors Jon, Mary, and Jake had something else in mind. Not only did we further go into obesity, but we went over the trials and triumphs of becoming a doctor. Since becoming a doctor is a huge decision, learning about the experience from medical students themselves gave me hope. After days on end of sadness, being a doctor isn't as troubling as it sounds. Even with the thought of accumulating debt and possibly not attending medical school after undergraduate school, I'm still hope. If anything, it only inspires me more to dive into medicine. And as they old saying goes, "If there's a will, there's a way." Even Jake admitted that he was a couple hundred thousand dollars in debt as a third year student. But he also mentioned that as doctors, you're bound to pay it back sooner or later. With job security like theirs, there's no worry of being out of a job. And for students who aren't able to head into the medical field right after medical school, there's still hope that they can return as a stronger applicant after a year or so. As cliche as it may sound, nothing's impossible unless you think it's impossible. And the same should go for everything that seems daunting. Sometimes I neglect to remember that the impossible can become possible. 

We had class outside for the latter half of our day. It was a great day to be outside. The weather almost reminded me of California weather, except for the menacing bugs lying around. In fact, the only downside of being on the other side of the country is the bugs that have been feasting on my legs. Since my skin's sensitive, I've already accumulated three bug bites on the same leg. My insect repellent hasn't been doing its job very well. I didn't let my itchy skin get in the way of enjoying the day however. Mary, our other instructor,  gave us a couple diagnostic sheets to self reflect on. With stress in most of our lives, and most of us neglecting some aspect of our lives, it was a way for us to put our lives into perspective. It  almost reminded me of my psychology class from last year. After, our class enjoyed a great game of bird on a perch with Vivian. Since we cross the street everyday to walk to class, she makes sure we head as a group to and from class. It was a great start to the beginning of our evening and weekend. 

Look who came to see us, Ms. Kronenberg!

We were later greeted by Ms. Kronenberg and Mr. Mannix. Amongst the chaos, I've still managed to miss our "Vandy dad", Mr. Mannix. And it was just as great to see Ms. Kronenberg fly all the way out from California! It was like the icing to the cake after having seen Mr. Ramsey in D.C. They even caught our performances from this week's Arete. Being in step this week with Keli'i was definitely fun. I had so much fun learning something new and exciting. Like my step teacher said, it's all about the energy. And if I do say so myself, energy was delivered by my group! In fact, all of this week's Arete groups did an amazing job of keeping everyone entertained.

With my roommate, Lindsey before heading off to the dance!

Since my first dance was my junior prom, I didn't know what to expect about the dance tonight. And since we were required to go, there's no way but to go. Surprisingly, our neon themed dance was amazing! Like one of last year's ILC ambassadors said having attended VSA, "VSA dances may be one of the best dances you'll ever experience." And amongst my skepticism, I had a blast! It may have started off slow, but it gradually picked. Everyone was seen doing their own thing, whether it be on or off the dance floor. Girls(and boys) just wanted to have fun for the night. And we danced the whole night away until 9:30 PM. By the time the dance ended, my voice was temporarily lost, and I was dehydrated. Today was a great day for self reflecting and realizing that  learning as well as having fun must be had while here at VSA. 

My lovely proctor group all dressed in neon!