Three and a Half Big, Full, Months

Despite (or perhaps causing) the way the semester flew by, I have never conquered so many experiences in so little time. New events seem to come one after another!

I got my first car back in October, which has been really nice, but it is also the first time I have driven such a light vehicle. Winter has already thrown a fair amount of precipitation here, and I have had to learn what I can and can not do in the snow. For example, if we get a couple inches and the snow plows go by, my car will get stuck in the pile of snow they leave at the end of the driveway! Also, if there’s a couple inches of snow on the road at rush hour in the morning, the typical 10 minute drive to college takes 45 minutes.

December 8 found me riding on a tour bus for the first time with the rest of the Augustana Choir, and we sang in Rapid City and then came back in the same day. Fortunately, my first class was at 11 am because we arrived home at 4:30 in the morning!

I have now lived through finals, though it definitely was a lot different for me than some of my fellow students. Not only did only 3 of my 5 classes have a cumulative exam, but since I was good at keeping up on my assignments for the rest of the year I didn’t have to worry too much about my final score. So, I actually had a  pretty relaxing finals week. However, I am slightly concerned that I might be missing out on the Full College Experience, since I never pulled an all-nighter and lived on coffee the next day. In fact, the latest I ever stayed up doing homework was midnight. I hear other students talking about being up to 2 or 3 am.

I shadowed a nurse at the hospital for the first time yesterday morning. It was a very interesting experience, and helped me get a much better idea of what my job will actually look like when I graduate. I got a good look at how many facets there are to the job, which involves both medical knowledge and interaction with many different sorts of people.

Now the year is nearly over, and I am sure that the next semester will bring a whole new set of exciting experiences! I am slightly torn between enjoying my break, and excitement for the next year to begin.