Thursday, September 29, 2011

Pikchas

Here's a bit of an update on how my first few weeks up here have been...In picture form!

The Old Room, right before I shoved all that junk into boxes and said bye-bye for the last time.
The New Room
My official EMT student uniform, pants, badge and all. I feel so cool.
I get so excited for every class!

The roommates at a corn maze that almost lost us for good.
Ward Opening Social











Roommate Dinner at Big Jud's

All six of us split this burger, an order of fries, and two orders of onion rings, all for about $4 each. College eating rarely tastes so good.

Well, that's my semester so far in picture format. I'm trying to see if I can make it all semester without seeing a doctor this time. I've failed two semester in a row on that front. Otherwise, I live and breathe for my EMT class. It's amazing, to say the least!


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Things I've Realized

You know you're in the paramedic program when:
1. given a case study in bio lab, instead of trying to figure out how the poison affects the patient's system on a molecular level, you create a plan for treating the patient when first on the scene.
2. you make a game out of trying to identify the make and model of stretchers used in tv and movies.

 That is all.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

On Being 19 and 10 Things I Learned

I think I like being nineteen. I've been an adult for more than a year now, and have worked out a lot of the kinks that come with getting thrust into responsibility. At the same time, I still have a year left to be a teenager. That means I still get to make stupid mistakes and blame it on teen-dom. At the same time, most people actually treat me like an adult now. It's not that creepy if I still want to hang out with some highschoolers. I still pay a ton in car insurance, but the rate went down just because I turned nineteen. It's like the company was congratulating me on successfully surviving childhood. Granted, I'm still holding out for the 25-year-old discount jackpot, but I have a few more years for that. I'll just enjoy being nineteen until the next summer, when I'll have to jump that strange hurtle: Twenty.

This blog was supposed to go up a day or two ago, so I'm a little late with this post, but:
Ten Things I Learned During My First Week of School:
1. Guilty pleasures are a lot more fun when the entire apartment is in on them. Example: Twilight. There, I said it. My roomies and I had a Twilight movie marathon this weekend.
2. After a long week of school it is entirely possible to sit in a living room for nine hours, watching four-and-a-half movies, eating junk food, and downing massive Horkley's sodas.
3. In the food chain of paramedicine, no one is lower than Ambulance Drivers (according to my department head).
4. Even two hours of law and ethics can be bearable if the overlying subject is interesting enough.
5. It is possible, but not advised, to live off of brownies.
6. It is possible for all SIX of my approved EMS instructors to be called out on the same morning, causing class to start an hour late.
7. At any given accident in Rexburg where an ambulance is called, one or more of my teachers is probably on said ambulance.
8. I have to practice saying "We're going to do everything we can," instead of "you're going to be okay" for everything. I don't like it, but I have to learn.
9. Everyone gets oxygen. (Unless you're hyperventilating)
10. My roommates are incredible. I really lucked out with the apartment jackpot this semester.

This semester has started off beautifully. I'm happy and healthy, and excited to learn something every day. I've also been called as RS 2nd counselor. I've never had an RS leadership calling. Heck, I spend every week I'm home in primary, teaching small children the basics. I can keep them entertained with coloring pages and bribe them with goldfish. While my roommates insist that I can still bribe with goldfish, it's very different, having a calling like this. I've met with my presidency once so far, and I love it.

As for the rest of life, I kind of feel like I can conquer...pretty much anything. I'm nineteen and fearless. So you know what, World? Bring It On.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

3 Med+1 Psych+1 El-Ed+1 Home Ec

= My New Family.
Not even kidding, the combination is hilarious.
I've lived in my new apartment for seven days now, and man am I in love! My roommates are all amazing, and we've spent more than half of our nights together up way too late talking about the most random things. Plus, we have one pre-nurse, one pre-medical assistant, and one pre-paramedic. We're always comparing notes, asking questions, or having weird conversations like:
"Check out this picture in my book!"
"Where are his clothes?!"
"He's wearing socks..."
"Is he pooping?"
"No, he's dead. It's a picture of Dependent Lividity!"

Basically, life is going amazingly.
I have a great apartment family, I live for my EMT and capstone classes, and spend more time with my nose in textbooks than I have in a while. I even got to watch my first mock accident today in EMT lab, when the paramedic students got to drive up in a school ambulance and everything! I'm so excited to get my license! My teacher explained it perfectly. Most people see an accident and feel helpless. People who go into EMS are the ones who hate that feeling enough to do something about it. And I'm definitely doing something about it.

Anyway, it's late, and I'm waking up early to study tomorrow (plus my roommate is asleep. I'll write more later!

Love always,
KT