Back Again

It's been a while since my last blog post, which isn't surprising because I always disappear for a while around finals, and then with break it's always crazy. But I can't believe I'm starting my second semester of my second year of veterinary school... it feels like time has been flying by. It definitely feels like it's going by faster than my undergrad, which felt faster than high school. Each successive 4 year block of school feels shorter than the last.

This semester is going to be interesting. I'm already lost in my diagnostic imaging class. I'm not too surprised about this, and I was expecting it. It will help make this semester interesting though. I think I'm going to enjoy my clinical neurology elective and virology class, although I know that will be extremely time consuming for me. If you're wondering which classes I get to take this semester, I have Epidemiology, Food Safety and Public Health, Virology, Pharmacology (again), Anesthesiology, Diagnostic Imaging, Hemolymphatic/Oncology System, Clinical Neurology, Lab Animal Medicine, and Zoonotic Diseases. That's a lot. I'm just hoping I can learn some lizard anatomy and physiology in my lab animal course.

I've also been continuing to work hard on my fundraising efforts. My next fundraiser, a Wildlife Wine Taster, is coming up this Thursday! I've had some early ticket sales, and I'm hoping a lot of people come out to help support us. We've had a lot of support from local businesses in the Stillwater area, and they have really helped me with their contributions. We'll have chocolates from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, baguettes from Panera, and cupcakes from Cake Crazy LLC to go along with our wine tasting. We've also had donations from The Links at Stillwater, The Funnies Comedy Club, Tan and Tone, The Uniform Stop, Summit Co, Downtown Marketplace, Rhinestone Cowgirl, Murphy's Department Store, Reese Chiropractic, DuLaney's Retail Liquer Store, Brown's Bottle Shop, Stillwater Wine and Spirits Warehouse, and JR Liqueur for both raffle baskets and a wine pool. I was so surprised by the outpouring of support from the Stillwater community for our fundraiser, and I am hoping that all of these donations will really help the wine tasting be a success.

I have also paid the deposit for the Africa program, so I will officially be going this summer! I am so excited to learn about wildlife medicine, and I am hoping I can get the chance to work with the elephants and make a difference in the conservation effort. I've been reading a book called "The Elephant Whisperer", and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in conservation in general or elephants in particular. I am also considering continuing my bake sales, since they were so successful, and donating the profits to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. As soon as I can figure out if I am actually allowed to do this on campus I'll be starting that back up.

I can already tell it's going to be a busy busy year, but it always is in vet school! At this point, I don't think I would know what to do with my extra time if I didn't have any extra projects going on!