Midterms are done! And misc. other things

I was a bit surprised by the response to my last blog, though perhaps I shouldn't have been.  When I sat down to write it, as with most things I write- I had a general idea of where I was going but I let my trail of consciousness flow where it might.  Apparently, I felt I needed to air my feelings du jour and the end result was not a typical (nor perhaps expected) post by me where I typically sing the praises of vet school and how much I enjoy it.  After posting I received messages and calls and chatted with people about my post ultimately realizing that I am so fortunate.  I am fortunate for the friends I have who remind that I am here for a reason, who remind me that they have faith in me and that they have my back.  It's a powerful thing, to realize how many people care enough to check in, and I owe the beginning of this post to them as a thank you!  I try to have a sunny outlook on life and most days I succeed at this.  Most days I realize I can enjoy the simple things- catching an extra 10 minutes sleep, a laugh with friends, nightly walks along the beach and trails.  Some days I do get bogged down and the post was a reflection of that.  I also need to stop and remember that my fortune is not limited to my friends and family but also having the ability to do something that feels custom cut for me, something that many people wish they could do.  I owe it to myself and those who don't have this opportunity not to waste this journey.  Life isn't a straight line path to the finish- I know I have taken my share of curves and switchbacks to reach this point- so to expect that each day progress without a single bump in the road is unrealistic and it would make me stagnant as a person.  Cliche though it might be, I truly believe that how we handle the challenges in our life define us, and if you never face challenges you haven't really had the chance to grow as a person.  Sometimes I need a reminder from my self or my family and friends that I am doing just fine carving my way through the world, and luckily it seems the Rolling Stones were correct: "you can't always get what you want, but if you try real hard you just might find, you get what you need."  

So, what else has been going on?  Since I last posted, midterms have (FINALLY) come to an end!  We wrote our last midterm on Tuesday this past week in Food Animal and all the grades have come in.  I have no complaints, my grades were as I expected them to be, and as usual I use them as a benchmark for how much work I need to put in for my final exams.  The semester has gone by in an odd admixing of paces- both snails sliding slow, and cheetah fast!  In the scheme of the semester I feel like it was just the other day I was unpacking my cottage, my mom and Tizzie were saying their goodbyes, and classes were just beginning.  In the day to day with the midterms spanning time from September til now, it feels like it has taken forever to reach this point.  Our final exams will begin on the day after Thanksgiving (American), and last through December 12th.  Normally our final exam schedule is an every other day schedule with the occasional extra day between tests thrown in.  This semester however, we have a couple of exams that are tightly packed back to back.  I would say that means I won't be very chatty to my friends back home, but truthfully the closer we get to Christmas and Christmas break I find the more excited I get and I spend my study breaks making plans to do things with friends.  It gives me light at the end of the tunnel.  Some of my exams will not be worth that much, because we have had 2 or 3 midterms and it splits up the points a bit better.  One of my exams is worth 100 percent of my grade- but thankfully that's pass/fail instead of a grade, and one of my other exams- also worth 100 percent of my grade- is a written take home which I have a copy of now and will probably start working on this weekend.  

Outside of school, I have had a little more time to breath.  Halloween was a lot of fun!  Last year on Halloween I had planned to dress up and go to the parties with friends, but Cherry ended up having a very lengthy day at school, and came home still sedated from her procedures so I stayed home and hung out with her.  The first year I was on the island I pulled together a last minute costume, and went to the class party which was a lot of fun.  This year, after working hard on midterms, my friends and I planned a night out!  We got ready and hung out, then went to the class party for a very short period of time (long enough for a class picture), and then went down to the halloween party our school puts on at a bar.  I went as a flapper- carefully planned since the beginning of October.  I ordered the dress, and got all kinds of accessories- and I was really happy with how it came together!  Going out for Halloween was a lot of fun, we danced, we hung out and socialized with a lot of people.  It was nice to be doing something not related to studying for a change!  

Today was another exciting day for me as I got to go learn about falconry.  I admit that while I love animals (with the notable exception of ladybugs and most insects) there are definitely animals I know very little about.  I have always enjoyed wildlife, though I know the least about wild animals in general.  The opportunity came up to go see a falconry demonstration, and learn about what it takes to train and handle these birds.  I had close to no idea what falconry was or what it involved and in also knew very little about the birds themselves.  After some nudging by a friend, I decided to sign up to go and I was glad I did!  This morning I woke up to flurries, a temperature of 32 degrees, and a strong wind.  Unfortunately, the strong wind prevented us from getting a demonstration of the flight of one of these birds- but I learned so much!  For starters, I learned about the different kinds of birds of prey that could be used for falconry, I learned about their eating habits and hunting preferences, what it takes to train them, and miscellaneous other facts.  We got to see the birds that this falconry master has, and he brought two out to show us some differences between them (one was a Harris Hawk, and the other was a Gyr Falcon.)  When I was young- elementary school aged- I recall taking a trip to VINS to see their raptors, but I was too young to actually retain what I learned on that field trip.  Today, I learned so many things that I will carry with me!  We were invited back at a date to be determined to see them take flight and hunt and if I am free I definitely want to take them up on the offer.  For me, the most interesting aspects were the behavioral things.  These birds are still wild in nature despite being bred in captivity so trying to forge a bond with a falconer- necessary so they return after the hunt- and still maintain their natural instincts is a fascinating study.  It's based on food, but it's a tenuous bond that relies on the falconer understanding his hunting partner.  To date this is maybe one of the neatest things I have gotten to experience while in vet school.  

With finals coming up it's doubtful I will make another post until Christmas break and maybe not until after depending on how busy the break is.  This weekend is a rare 4 day weekend in which I don't have to study for some exam, or do some project that cuts into my free time.  Last night I went to a large craft fair in town- full of talent that makes me wish I could actually do something crafty.  The craftiest thing I can manage is my handwriting, but I doubt many would consider it "artsy".  Currently, Ryker is spitting his slobbery ball in my chair while mind numbing television is running in the background.  I am looking forward to taking some lengthy walks, relaxing and reading some non-school books, and having a Netflix binge complete with cheesy Christmas movies.  Since vet school has started I am not sure we have had a four day weekend unencumbered by tests or assignments- so I am going to make the most of this glorious free time, do very little school work, and try to reset my mind to get ready for finals crunch!