We all measure our successes differently

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My future for the next year or so

Onwards and forwards my friends! Onwards and forwards.

Clearly I am not a neat and tidy student once my brain gets ticking during these late night study sessions. It's pretty cold tonight so I moved into the bedroom where it's warmer and Gumjo decided to keep me company.

It's 12.40am now - officially Gummy's birthday.

Happy birthday to my favourite little guy. Thank you for keeping my feet warm on cold winter days, always being the first to greet me when I come home and being an eternal source of motivation to get through this degree. I hope this coming year brings you more wet noses, lots of things to sniff and HEAPS of belly rubs.

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Easter in Esperance

So far 2016 has been a crazy year full of go-go-GOs!

Two days after I found out about getting into Vet school I jetted back to Perth from Bangkok and started Summer school a week after. This is a unit usually run in Semester 2 over a span of 4 months and I had to complete it (and pass it) in a span of 3 weeks. Despite the workload, it was a great opportunity to meet the other students who successfully transferred. There's a wonderful bunch of girls and a couple of guys (vet is predominantly female) and whilst it was stressful, we were all in the same boat - the ideal situation to develop a good support network for each other.

Marks for the unit just came out and I somehow managed to score a distinction. Unbelievable considering I walked out of the final exam feeling like I was walking the edge of a pass or a fail. A reminder that I need a little more faith in myself.

A week after the final exam for the summer unit, Semester 1 started and that has been a real experience in itself. 

There is an epic amount of content to learn, memorise, condense, understand and regurgitate. In addition to that, we need to complete roughly 10 weeks of placement (7 wks for farm placement, 1wk for clinic and 10 days for flexi community work) and compile a portfolio for everything. 

I was constantly told that Vet school would be hard, but I cannot believe I am only sitting at the end of Week 6. It has only been six weeks and I now know majority of the muscles in the forelimb and hindlimb; can explain the differences between skeletal, smooth, cardiac muscle; capable of explaining the physiology of the cardiovascular system and the difference between animals heart and their functions; know all these details about enzymes; and have worked my way through dissecting a greyhound (dear Mojo Jojo has been a great resource in muscle education <3). 

There were two assessments last week, and whilst studying for them was stressful, I'm looking forward to the results to see how well my study method has pulled me through.

....As always, Ent has been an epic pillar of support.

With all the studying I've been doing our quality time together has dropped drastically so we organised a trip to go to Esperance during the study break in Easter.

It was so worthwhile!

Esperance was a great environment for me to study in without distraction, and Ent did all the fishing his heart desired.

Due to the long weekend, most places were booked out, so Ent and I booked a powered campsite for the first 3 days. The tent was a site for study and the swag was warm and comfortable enough to sleep in during the night (even though it bucketed down on the second day)! 

The caravan park was LOADED with people over the long weekend, but our campsite was far away enough from the other campers/caravaners that we weren't bothered by the bustle. Ent priortised my studying and did some clever things like set up all the power ports and purchased a lock for the tent so all my electronics were safe overnight. After 3 days though, we moved into a lovely little chalet which came equipped with it's own bathroom and kitchen (small, but with everything we needed). It was adorable and very cosy. 

Our routine involved looking for a cool fishing spot for Ent, where I'd then nest down to study, followed by a nap back at camp and then dinner preparation. They were simple, but given the space we were in, it was perfect for the both of us. I was super productive that week, and during that time we also managed to do some really cool things!

We got to see Waverock which has been on my bucketlist for a while; climbed to the top of Frenchman's Peak in Cape Le Grand (it was a real hike!), and with a little bit of urging, I climbed the biggest rock on the top to look out over the entire national park and copped a whopper of a view. Afterwards the climb we headed to Lucky Bay and took our sweet time building up the courage to dive our heads underwater.

Lucky Bay, Thistle Cove and Hellfire Bay (above) are 3 beaches in Cape Le Grand everyone needs to see at some point

Lucky Bay is the epitome of Australian beaches - clear blue waters and glaringly white sand. In addition, the sand is so fine that it literally squeaks underfoot, which was a source of much amusement! This has completely set my standard for beaches now! Due to the Southern waters, the ocean is 5 degrees colder than Perth beaches and sits below 20 degrees. It was very cool when we walked in, but after a few minutes painfully standing and swimming around, the water started to feel delightfully fresh and it was wonderful floating in those crystal blue waters.

Our little getaway wasn't 100% relaxing, but it was a great chance to spend more time together. Hopefully as I develop better time management, we might be able to organise another road trip!

It's only April 11 of 2016 and so much has been done. 

I can't imagine what else is yet to come.

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