After a harrowing 11 months, I am almost done with my first year of school. Well, I was technically done being a first year at the end of May; classes continue on until the end of June, so I am officially a VM-2!
This experience was nothing like I thought it would be. NOTHING! This has been the hardest, craziest, most ridiculous year of my life. Classes and my personal life always seemed to be constant challenges. When one thing would go right, another would implode, while two others slowly started to disintegrate. One of the best quotes I have heard so far goes something like this:
"You can't remember if you came to vet school because you love animals and want to help people or because you hate yourself."I never imagined the extent to which I would be sucked into school. At one point I literally forgot what "outside" meant. My friends, family, and home in South Carolina merely became thoughts and ideas instead of entities with an actual existence. It was at that point that I decided whatever was meant to happen was going to happen, and I could not let myself be brought down to that level again. My friends and family are amazingly supportive, and every time I hit a rough patch I get a flood of encouraging cards and letters from my home church.
Don't get me wrong, though; I have enjoyed myself. I am grateful everyday for the opportunity to be where I am and get to do the things that I have done. My second week working with cattle allowed me the opportunity to help deliver twin calves. I have had my hand inside a live cow's stomach, feeling the contractions of the rumen.
Even when I'm not physically making this face, I'm generally making it in my head.
I was nailed in the head with alpaca spit and stepped on by a giant of a horse. I even dissected a pony, a freaking PONY! I'm sure some of the things that I have done are considered mediocre, awkward, or even awful to others, but to me they are awesome. Each experience is another chance for me to learn and grow.
Where I am going:
I have two days of final exams approaching, then I will be officially done with a year of veterinary school. At that point I will be moving from Columbia to Kansas City to work in a veterinary hospital for the summer. Once again, I will be experiencing a new city and new occurrences. I am looking forward to the unknown and hope to keep my head up during the challenges. Hopefully, the fall will bring a much better school year full of new and exciting adventures.
I'll end with a paraphrased quote by one of my fellow vet students:
"The first year is like trying to drink from a fire hydrant; the second year is like being hit by a train."Well, at least there's a light at the end of a tunnel, even if it is just another oncoming collision.
