October/November Monthly Recap 2016

 
  Whoa, it has definitely been a hot minute since I've blogged. And for that, I greatly apologize! If you happened to read September's recap, you are well aware that I was working through getting myself into the groove of medical school and testing out what would work best for me. I was super optimistic that October would be the month that I would finally get my life together...let's just say I was overly optimistic, but I do appreciate that I have that trait.

October

    I started out the month hopeful that as I had a couple exams under my belt, it would be easier to navigate medical school, but when October came around, my to do list felt a mile high and time felt non-existent. We had a couple weeks with back-to-back exams, but the worst part was knowing that as soon as the month ended, we would be thrown into the first "hell week" in medical school. I am not going to lie, October was probably the roughest month that I've had in my medical school experience thus far. I had so much going on and I knew that it would be a while before I would have some breathing room. In those weeks, I had also had to miss out on time with my friends and that hit pretty hard. Sitting at your desk studying biochemistry for hours on a Saturday while you are missing out on your best friend's housewarming party, isn't exactly the most motivating, but it was surely a necessary evil. Thankfully, the month ended with a couple fun outings in preparation for the trying ten days that would initiate the month of November. 

Party at a classmate's apartment

Celebrating a friend's Halloween-themed birthday outing with my roomie!

November 

     November started with the busiest ten days of my life. We had four exams in the span of ten days and unlike the finals that we had in undergrad, these were more intense. Two of our exams covered all of the anatomy we had learned since the beginning of medical school (we had a lab portion and a multiple choice component) and our physiology exam was worth 40% of our overall grade. With all that on our plate, you better believe it was a very high stress time for everyone. It was not fun, but I pushed through knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel would be celebrating my birthday the week after. Those ten days pushed me in ways that I didn't know possible, but I can proudly say that I came out and performed well on all of my exams. The rest of the month was simply glorious. After hell week, we only had two courses left (Physiology and Biochemistry), so the amount of work we had to do substantially decreased. I got to celebrate my 24th birthday, spend time with friends, and just have some time to myself. The end of the month was mainly spent celebrating the holidays and getting myself out of my relaxed schedule in preparation for the final two weeks of my first semester. 

At our class's charity auction night

Birthday pic with the besties

My med school squad

 Looking Forward

     The next two weeks we will be wrapping up the semester. It's crazy to think that I will be able to say that I've successfully made it through my first semester of medical school and will be 1/8 a doctor. We get three weeks of vacation and you better believe I will be trying to enjoy those weeks as much as I possibly can before starting next semester. I am hoping to also spend my time off getting myself a bit more put together, so I can have a strong semester as well as creating more content for the blog! I feel like I have a lot of topics I can explore, so hopefully I get around to that. 

     I apologize that this isn't longer. I wanted to get something up for the blog, but I should be studying for the exams that I'll be taking next week...So, unfortunately I had to keep it short. I hope you guys have been having a wonderful past couple of months and I will hopefully be talking to you soon!

~Genesis<3

September Recap 2016

     Oh my goodness, it has been a longgg time since I've come on here. I greatly apologize, but as you can most likely imagine, my first month of medical school has certainly kept me busy. By this point, I am about a month-and-a-half in, three exams down, and by no means an expert on the matter, but I'm getting the hang of it. Really, these past couple of weeks have been a learn by trial-and-error situation, and the past two didn't leave me much breathing room, but thankfully this week I had a bit more time to catch my breath. So, what have I been up to? 

Medical School

     As I mentioned earlier, I've had a lot going on academically. Honestly, the hardest part of medical school is trying to create your own harmony (I'll probably do a blog post on this topic). There are many ways to approach medical school and for the beginning of the year, I was trying to figure out what worked best for me. It has taken a bit of time, but I think I'm slowly starting to get the hang of it (hopefully by October I'll be a bit more convinced). At the beginning of the school year, I decided to get involved in extracurriculars and of course, that added to the madness of being busy. I am currently on of the co-chairs of the community service committee for my school's Latin American Medical Student Association (LMSA). For this, I help organize monthly health fairs in Hispanic communities to allow people to have a place where they can check their glucose levels, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and get BMI counseling. It's a really great opportunity and as I am a co-chair of the committee, I get to sit on the board of the club and that makes me feel kind of bad-ass. I am also teaching a Medical Spanish class to some of my peers. The class is run by LMSA, but I teach one of the sections with two other instructors. So far, it has been really great and it feels cool to be able to help my classmates learn how to expand their practice into the Latin American community.  Apart from the academics and extracurriculars, I've been spending time trying to find my niche. I think I've slowly found my group of people and it's making the whole medical school experience more enjoyable. Academics have been a rollercoaster as we've had a couple back-to-back test weeks and those kept me in a frenzy to get prepared for an exam. The lovely part about medical school is that our classes are pass/fail, so the pressure of grades isn't really there. Of course, I always aim to do much better than just a pass, but it's nice to know that at worst all I need to do is pass. Overall, classes haven't been too awful, but where it gets hectic is trying to juggle all the subjects that are being thrown at us. I have happily done well on my first three medical school exams, and I am hopeful that I can keep that a continuing trend.

Social Life

     Whoo, I felt odd even typing that subject title (haha). This past month has been on the busier side, so I didn't partake in too many social activities.  I'd say the extent of my social outings this month were birthday celebrations with some of my favorite people. Meg's birthday was September 7th, so the weekend after we celebrated with Indian food and drinks at her place and then went out to a really fun dueling pianos bar for a bit. It wasn't a late night for me as I had to get up early the next day to attend our first health fair, but it was still super great to be able to see her and G and to get out of my normal routine for a bit. 

Never a dull moment with this birthday queen!

     The week after it was Eme's birthday, and as she's my sister, I really couldn't miss out on seeing her. She came up to the city with my parents and some of our extended family and we all went out for pizza. My mom had bought her some cupcakes at this really cute place downtown, so we finished off dinner with those. Her birthday was on the Friday before my second exam, so I was a bit flustered, but I was very happy that I took the time to see her and to be with my family. Sometimes, a little family time can remind you that despite everything going on in your life, you'll never have to go through it alone.

My nugget on her birthday!

     Then last night, I happened to get tickets to go to a Blackhawks game and as our schedule has been on the tamer side this week, Mallory and I were super excited to take a night off of studying to go and watch our favorite team. We didn't win, but just being in the stadium is an incredible experience, and I am now super pumped for hockey season to officially start!

Looking Forward

     It's crazy because I know that the next coming months will surely be just as busy and I'll have to add in other activities for school (I'll touch on that more next month), but I'm hoping that I'll keep getting better at having a handle on my schedule and it won't seem as difficult as this first month has been. Of course, I can't really promise that I'll blog more often, but I will definitely try! 

     I am glad I finally had the chance to update you guys on my life and I can't wait to be able to share more of my medical school experience. I hope you guys had a great month and I'll talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

August Recap 2016

     Hello! The month of August has been a busy one for me. Moving to the city, starting medical school, and getting into the groove of my new life has definitely put plenty on my plate. Sadly, the moments that I did have the opportunity to sneak away, I didn't happen to snap a pic (I promise I will try to be better about that next month!). So, I'll just update you on what's been going on thus far.

    The beginning of August marked the beginning of my med school career. It was crazy to be able to finally start and when classes started, they kept us pretty busy. I just had my first exam this Monday, so the week leading up to that was pretty hectic. The main challenge of Medical school thus far has been trying to figure out what works best for me, so that I can set up my routine. It's the beginning of week three, and I feel like I'm still trying to sort that out, but hopefully as we go on, I'll be able to figure it all out. 

     Eventful Moments

     Following orientation week and White Coat, I had the opportunity to catch up with my girls. One of the best parts of being back in the city is being closer to them, and although my time is more limited than it was before, it's so nice to know that I am able to see them when I have the chance. My first Saturday in the city we went out and explored Lakeview a bit and of course that had to include delicious drinks and yummy food. 

They are too adorable:)

     The following week was our first week of class and that was a little hectic. We still had quite a few orientation sessions, so the days seemed to drag on. Thankfully, Sunday dinner at Meg's recharged me for the following week. G and I brought our roommates and we had our own little potluck dinner. It was a great way to break away from studying for a bit and to also have everyone meet. My roommate Mallory and I also went out for a bit on Saturday. The part of the city that we live in is called Little Italy and they were having their Festa Italiana festival. We just walked around for a bit with one our friends from school and tried out some of the local Italian food. I stuck with the Italian theme and had gnocchi and cannoli, so you better believe I left pretty happy and full.

     This past week/weekend had been dedicated to school. I did attend some extracurricular meetings, but as the weekend approached, the studying got intense. Mallory and I pretty much lived in our school's study rooms for the weekend, but Sunday I broke away for a bit to have dinner with my family. I felt it was a nice way to remove some of the stress and get myself in a good mindset to take the exam.

     As I posted about the beginning of the month already, this post looks a bit sad. The majority of August I honestly just spent getting myself acclimated to being a medical student and those moments aren't necessarily the most exciting, but I will try to include as much as I can.

     As we move forward, I will be trying to update you guys as much as I can, but unfortunately, I do get busy and I don't always get the opportunity to blog. I will be trying my best, though! 

I hope you had a fabulous month and I will be talking to you soon!

~Genesis<3

     

Starting M1 Year

      Hello! As you can already imagine, this past week has been a crazy one for me. The earlier part of last week, I spent moving into my new apartment and then was directly thrown into orientation less than 24 hours after. Orientation events ran Monday through Friday and by the weekend I was super glad to catch a break. It's been a great start to my M1 year (it's crazy to think that I am able to say that), so I'll share a little about what went on.

Orientation

     Our orientation week was broken down into four days:Tues-Fri (I had another orientation Monday as well, but that was for something separate) with our last day being the day of our white coat ceremony. 

Day one:

      We just came in to do housekeeping tasks (pick up our white coats, pick up our Step book, fill out forms, get fit tested for respirators, take our white coat pics, etc.). It was a pretty quick day, so we only spent about two hours max on campus. It was the first day that we got to start meeting some of our classmates and also some of the upperclassmen that were helping out, so that was pretty cool. 

Day two:

     We had orientation 9-4 most of it consisted of different presentations about our school (resources, statistics about our class, etc.) but we also received our team based learning groups (TBL). In medical school, we are divided into smaller groups (in our case it's groups of six) in order to promote team learning. In TBL, we'll be doing activities together but one of the main purposes of TBL is to provide us our lab groups. After orientation, the M2's organized a beach day for us to come and hang out with our classmates, so my roommate and I went to that. Then later that night, we all met up at a rooftop bar to do some more mingling. 

Day three:

     We had another 9-4 orientation and this one was more so focused on wellness and the resources that the school has to ensure our wellbeing. They do have a lot of great resources and it's pretty cool that they are trying to emphasize from the beginning that they acknowledge that this is difficult and that they don't want you to ever feel like you have to go about it alone. After the presentations, there was an activities fair for us to go and see what student groups we have on campus so that we could get involved in some extracurriculars. Apparently, everyone signs up for a bunch but realistically can only do a couple due to our demanding schedules. Later, we had a big sib-little sib dinner. We were assigned an M2 student to be our big sib, so this was the time that we got to meet them and ask questions about medical school and what their M1 experience was like. I had met with one of the M2s that I knew from SPP previously to get the low-down on medical school, but it was still a great opportunity to meet my peers and to also get to know other M2s. Afterwards, we had a group outing to an arcade bar in Chicago to get to know one another. By this time, we'd gotten a sense of who was who and what the class dynamic would be like. So far, it seems cliques aren't only limited to high school, but we shall see how things go as the year progresses. Hopefully, some of that changes. 

White Coat Day

     Our white coat ceremony wasn't until the afternoon, so I took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. I was exhausted from the past couple days which consisted of late nights and early mornings, so you can imagine it was taxing. The white coat ceremony was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It felt so amazing to finally be able to take the first step and feel like I was starting my career. I got really emotional and there were several points where I was trying to hold back tears. I don't know, but for me, it was just such an incredible moment because after all the hard work that I had to do, I had finally felt like I had made it. There was a point in the ceremony where they had us turn around and thank our family for supporting us and for me, that was where it was hardest to hold back the tears.  If you guys are hoping to pursue medicine, you'll see when you get to your white coat ceremony how it feels like you've officially made it and how incredible it feels. Later that night, the M2s planned out a trolley tour for us. We went around Chicago touring the different landmarks while enjoying drinks on the trolley. It was a pretty great time and the last stop of the night was a club, so we spent the rest of our night dancing away. I was definitely out pretty late (haha).

Taking pics with my support system<3

First Day Of Medical School

     Our first day of class was Monday and you better believe it felt weird to be sitting in the same auditorium that I had classes in for SPP, but now as an M1. They scheduled a pretty full day for us. We had our intro to medical school session for most of the morning then after lunch, we had our first two lectures. Having an 8-4 school day is always a bit rough (my life during SPP), but it did feel pretty cool to finally get started. Thankfully, our class days include a couple half-days during the week, so it shouldn't be too bad.

     I have my first exam coming up in a couple of weeks, so they are certainly not wasting any time. I will try to keep you guys as updated as I can, but if I do get busy (like last Thursday) know that I will try to get back A.S.A.P. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and I will talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

Advice For M1 Year From An M3

      I know that navigating through your journey to medical school can be daunting and I am so thankful that I never really had to go through it alone as I had my friend Alissa to ask for help. Alissa and I actually met in undergrad and went through a few premed classes together. We were in the same year, but as she graduated a year early and I took a gap year after college, we ended up with a two-year gap between our medical careers. Alissa just started her M3 year right after taking Step 1 this summer (Whoo hoo, Alissa!). Naturally, as someone who is about to start their M1 year, I wanted to know if there were any tips and as she's made it through the struggle, and she had some great advice to offer.

Advice for First Year Medical Students: Guest Post by Alissa Z.

1. Enjoy your time off!

     Your time off will slowly start to dwindle away the farther you progress in medical school, so enjoy it while it lasts! During first year, it feels like you have no time, but you really do! Use some of your time to have fun. (P.S. I was told this advice my first year too, and I didn't follow it because I felt like I was sooo busy. But it really is true, so try to have some fun!)

2. Choose efficient ways to study

     Going along with #1, don't choose a study technique that is very time-consuming (aka notecards). You might have enough time to continue studying with it first year, but as soon as second year rolls around, you will not. It is better to try different, more efficient study techniques your first year when you can afford to take the extra time to study. Pay attention to what you like about each study technique so that you can optimize your studying. As a bonus, if you find a more effective study technique first year, you will have more time to have fun!

3. Learn physiology very well

It will be your foundation going forward.

4. It is okay if you don't like your anatomy class.

     Personally, the cadavers really bothered me, but I have loved observing and assisting in surgeries on living people. Being disturbed by a decomposed and dissected dead body does not mean you can't be a good doctor-it means you are human! (Although if they don't bother you, that's fine too. Everyone is different.)

5.  Your medical school experience changes as you go along

     Everything in medical school gets more interesting as the years go by because you begin to learn more clinically relevant information and get to practice more medicine. Keep that in mind as you are studying biochemistry first year because it gets better! It also gets must harder and more time-consuming, but because you will like what you are learning, the time you spend studying will be more enjoyable.

6. Don't throw people under the bus!

     I'm sure everyone has heard of gunners (people that study constantly and actively try to put people down in order to get ahead. I will let you in on a little secret- it doesn't help them get ahead! When you put people down, your classmates won't want to help you, and that can have a big impact on your performance in medical school. Collaboration helps everyone, and medicine is a field that relies on it because that is how doctors take the best care of their patients. Your professors, residents, and attendings will also notice if you are putting people down, and really, no one likes that.

7. Know Your Place

     Don't be entitled because as medical students we literally don't know anything. There will always be many more people who know more than you. Just keep that in mind and don't be arrogant (or a gunner- really, don't do it). 

8. Graciously accept Advice---See #7. 

     You can always learn from someone who knows more than you. Even if you're not planning on going into a certain specialty, you can learn something important from that clerkship (that advice is more applicable to third year, but keep it in mind!)

9. Don't Start Studying for Step 1 Your First Year

     

     You won't learn the majority of the information on Step 1 until your second year, so you won't be able to study effectively for it anyway.

   That's about it! Basically, medical school is all about being able to adjust to different situations. Every time you start to feel comfortable, things will start to change and get more difficult. In third year, you will constantly have to adjust to different clerkships, residents, and attendings. It's hard, but it's good practice for life because life is change. With that in mind, I think #2 is the most important piece of advice because to excel in medical school, you need to be able to adapt. While you are adapting, try to stay true to who you are and take time for yourself so you can stay as sane as possible. 

Good luck!

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         I wish anyone that is starting medical school this week ( or around this week) lots of luck! We've made it! Have a fantastic week and I shall talk to you soon! 

~ Genesis<3

What Do I Want To Specialize In?

     Ever since starting this blog, I've had this post in the back of my mind and as I start my medical school journey next week, I felt it was the perfect time to write it.  Something that was a common theme during SPP when meeting future and current medical students was inquiring about their specialty of interest. At this point, it's not always a hundred percent certain that we'll actually choose to go into that specialty at the end of our four years, but typically we have a specialty in mind when going into medical school. So, before I am influenced by what I will see in school, I want to write about what specialty I have in mind before it all begins, so that I can come back and compare it with my choice at the end of my fourth year.

What Would I Choose?

     For as long as I can remember wanting to be a doctor, I always had one specialty on my mind and that was Pediatrics. I've always had quite a bit of admiration for pediatricians because I feel that they play a very influential role in how we first experience healthcare and to this day, I can still remember the different pediatricians that I had over the years. As a pediatrician, you also have a different type of relationship with your patients as you get to see them grow up. I bet it's really incredible to be able to start seeing a patient when they are just a little baby and then potentially see them until they become adults. Also, there is something quite unique in the pediatric environment. Of course, it holds all the common elements that a regular healthcare place would have, but the nature of the patients make for a whole different experience. When I think of this, an Arizona Robbins from Grey's Anatomy quote comes to mind: "These are the tiny humans. These are children. They believe in magic. They play pretend. There is fairy dust in their IV bags. They hope and they cross their fingers and they make wishes. And that's what makes them more resilient than adults. They recover fast, survive worse, they believe. In Peds., we have miracles and magic. In Peds., anything is possible...".

I absolutely love this quote and as someone that has spent quite a bit of time volunteering in a pediatric hospital, I can tell you that Peds. has a certain magic to it and that magic attracts me. 

What Would Hold Me Back?

     Up until this point, it is pretty safe to say that my mind is set on Peds., but I know there might be things that could dissuade my choice. I really do love kids, so I don't know if seeing really sick kids might be too much for me. I didn't have a problem while volunteering with them but of course, being their doctor is a different situation. Something that I frequently hear about Peds. is that the parents are worse than the kids. The major factor that could change my mind would be having to argue with parents all the time, but I still feel like I should be fine. I know that if I really do love it, nothing will change my mind, so that's also something to keep in mind as I am going through the next four years.

     Thankfully, I have plenty of time to make my final decision and also a ton of rotations to experience. Who knows, I might find that I love something way more than I love Peds. and that is just as awesome. I can't wait to see what I decide, though.

Have a fabulous week and I will be talking to you soon! 

~ Genesis<3

Decorating On A Budget

     As a student, I know the struggles of wanting to create a Pinterest-worthy space on a student's budget. Through my years of decorating spaces, I've picked up a couple tips to give a space my personal touch without breaking the bank and for this post, I'd like to share these tips with you.

     1. Pick A Color Palette

     From my early dorm days, I learned that a little color coordination can go a long way. This is something that you frequently see in home decor catalogs because sticking within a color palette gives a room cohesiveness and its pretty simple thing to do. Pick your base color ( I usually like to start with a neutral) and then pick a couple colors to go along with your base color. White is a great base color option for apartment or dorm living as your walls tend to be white and you usually can't paint. I like to bring in my accent colors in my accessories ( i.e. throw pillows, bedding or wall art), but painting your furniture is something that can add a nice pop of color to a room.

2. DIY

     One of my favorite things to do while decorating is to try and figure out how I can create room decoration for less. Pinterest has hundred of DIY projects, but most of my projects are just simple solutions. My most recent endeavor has been trying to create the base pieces for a gallery wall. 

     My base piece was a canvas that I painted one of my favorite quotes on and the rest were some inexpensive frames that I spray painted white. The images inside the frames were free printables that I found on Pinterest, but there are tons of printables that you can find on Etsy for a very low price. For the small gallery wall above, I'd say the most I spent on the entire project was maybe $20. If you're a student, another fun DIY project is a bulletin board. Just cover a cork board with some pretty fabric and ribbon and you're all set!

3. Thrift Away

     Almost all of the furniture that I had in my first apartment were pieces that I purchased from a second-hand furniture store and then repainted to fit my color palette. Let me tell you, everyone that walked into my place told me how much they loved how I had decorated. Getting creative with pieces that you can get for pretty cheap ( ex. I got an adorable little kitchen table for $30!) can really help you dress up a room without spending too much. So, until your budget allows you decorate your room like the page of a Pottery Barn Catalog (#goals), revamping resale furniture (or furniture you might already have!) is a good place to start. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders. Referring back to tip one, many of the pieces in my apartment were painted turquoise to bring in more colors from my color palette and also made the room a bit livelier. 

4. Decals

     Decals are an awesome way to add some pizzazz to boring white walls. Freshman year of college, I decorated the wall above my bed with butterfly decals and it really added some flair to my room. The best part was that they were relatively inexpensive and easy to remove once I moved out at the end of the year. Etsy has a huge assortment of decals listed, but you can also find them at Target or Michael's.

I bought these adorable ones from Etsy to go in my last apartment's bathroom.

5. Check Out Discount Stores

     When it came to getting things for my first apartment, Marshall's and Homegoods were the real M.V.P.s. These stores always have tons of home decor items for a really great price. On a recent trip to Homegoods, I came upon a beautiful navy Kate Spade comforter. Sadly, it was a Twin XL and not in my color palette, but it shows that you can find really great stuff. I find that the kitchen section in these stores is typically on point. This is where I got the bulk of my kitchenware and all of it kept well enough that they'll be going with me to my new place.

    I'll be keeping these things in mind as I get my new place together. I can't wait to show you guys what I come up with!

I hope you are having a great week! I'll talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

     

July Recap 2016

     I don't know how it was for you, but for me, the month of July was definitely the month of freedom. Apart from celebrating the Fourth of July holiday, July was the month that I was liberated from the chains of SPP and my was that amazing. I feel that this month felt a bit more laid back than many of the previous months. In true summer fashion, I feel that the month had a lazy feel to it, which is a lovely calm before the storm that is coming in August!

Highlights

     Fourth of July weekend is a bit of a tradition that I started with my Chicago squad last summer, so even though I was impossibly busy, I couldn't bring myself to break tradition. As I was in the midst of studying for finals, we kept our get together pretty low-key. We had drinks and dessert on Megan's rooftop, followed by watching the Navy Pier fireworks on Oak Street Beach. The desserts were delicious, the conversation delightful, and my heart was definitely full with friendship. I brought along my roommate Emily and our friend Derek for the festivities and it was a bittersweet moment since they'll be at a completely different campus next year. I was so blessed to have met them during the program and it was so difficult to say goodbye to them. Of course, we plan to keep in touch and visit one another, but knowing that we won't be able to have the same classmate dynamic is a bit heartbreaking. It was so cool to meet my first set of future doctor friends and I can't wait to make more during my M1 year, but Emily and Derek will always have a special place in my heart.

My SPP fam<3

Delicious fruit tart courtesy of Emily and Megan's picture worthy pie

One of my favorite views with two of my favorite people

     The following week, SPP concluded and the T.A.s threw us a party on our last day to celebrate! I didn't happen to snap any pics, but I did take a picture with my friend, Dante, so I'll include that below. Otherwise, the rest of the week I spent catching up on all the sleep that I had lost in the previous six weeks. We did happen to make a trip up to Michigan for a beach day, and that is where I snapped the lovely pic for one of my previous posts.

My favorite M2!

Look familiar?

     The following Saturday was incredibly busy for me. I met up with Meg and Chandler for 9 A.M. brunch, then I went over to Elida's house so we could go to the beach for her friend's birthday, and then I finished my night by meeting my family to celebrate my cousin Rob's birthday. I left my house at 7:45 A.M. that morning and I didn't return until 2:00 A.M. the next morning. It was well worth it, though. I was so glad that I got a chance to meet up with Meg and Chan since the three of us hadn't gotten together in quite some time. We ventured out to Logan Square to have brunch at this place that I've been dying to try, and let me tell you, it was probably one of the best brunches that I've ever had. Meg and I split a plate of chicken and waffles and a plate of biscuits and gravy. Both were amazing. I had never had chicken and waffles before, and I was very happy with what I tried. We will definitely be going back there! Afterward, we had a little photoshoot courtesy of my "blog husband", Megan, who always makes sure to help me do things for the blog. We obviously dragged Chandler into it, because what photoshoot would be complete without bestie pics?

Our Delicious Brunch at Longman & Eagle

Me getting my sass on

Super lucky to call them my best friends<3

I was super happy she let me have my good side:)

Later that night with the fam

     The Tuesday after, Elida and I took a little road trip to Indiana Dunes State Park. I had been to the park before, but it had been quite a while since I had last been and I don't think I had ever fully hiked the dunes. The scenery was pretty, but the hot, humid weather that we'd been having in the midwest made the hike slightly less enjoyable. Nonetheless, we completed our almost 6-mile hike. The last portion of the hike was along the lakeshore and although it was beautiful, it was super hot. Sadly, we didn't bring anything to swim in, so we couldn't take a dip. We did get our feet wet, so that helped us a little bit, but also provided for a sandy ride back home. As always, I love exploring places with Elida, so it was a great trip.

One of my favorite pics

The beautiful lakeshore

The dunes...glad we didn't pick that trail

Nothing but miles of empty beach

I would've given anything to dive in

Glad we were getting away from the bugs...but were apparently about to risk sunburn

Misnomer. Paradise wouldn't have any bugs :p

This part made me feel like I was in Jurassic Park

Navigating through the forest

     Last weekend, I just spent time at home. I did drive up to visit G for a beach day, but I didn't happen to take any pics. We went to the beach for a while and then went back to her place and ordered some yummy Chinese food. It had been a while since we had a chance for some one-on-one time, so that was really nice. 

     The remainder of July I will be spending getting myself ready for my move to the city. I have a couple of DIY projects and packing that I have to do but otherwise, I'll just be spending time with my family. I want to get as much time with them now that I am at home as I will miss them a lot when I'm in the city.

Looking forward

     Next month holds so many life changes for me and I can't wait to begin this new chapter in my life! I'm sure you guys are tired of reading it, but it is so incredible that everything that I have worked for is right around the corner. This is everything that I've been dreaming of and it has finally been made a reality, so you can imagine my enthusiasm is through the roof. By this time next month, I will have had my first couple weeks as an M1, and that is absolutely crazy! I can't wait to tell you all about it:)

     Thank you for taking the time to take a little glimpse into my life. I hope you guys had an incredible month and I will be talking to you soon!

~Genesis<3

   

Apartment Planning

     

     As of Sunday, I have two weeks left before moving into my new apartment! So, you can imagine that I've been spending quite a bit of time thinking about how I'd like to decorate my new space. The only issue is that I don't quite remember how big my space will exactly be. When we went in for a tour, we saw quite a few places and the apartment that we chose was furnished when we toured it, so it makes it a tad difficult to visualize the space. Regardless, I love interior design, so I've been throwing around some ideas of what I'd like to do.

Bed Area

How dreamy is this bedroom?!?

     I've been a pretty big fan of the white bedroom trend and that's what has been on my mind for my new space. I love the simplicity of a white room. White tends to make a space feel so bright and open, but I also love that it serves as the perfect backdrop to add in other elements. I just bought this really pretty white comforter, so that'll be perfect for the look I am going for and will work really well with the coral sheets that I already have. I plan to keep the bed overall white but bring in coral and turquoise elements. 

Desk

     I LOVE desks. I know it probably has to do with my love of stationery, but this is where I've been planning/daydreaming a lot. 

I love this desk space! I also thought it was cool how the gallery wall had my initials:)

     

     I know I want to go with a simple, white desk but I want to dress up the area above it with a gallery wall of sorts. I've been wanting to make a gallery wall for a while and I've seen hundreds of ideas on Pinterest, but I'm still trying to think of what elements I'd like to incorporate. I have a little canvas that I painted one of my favorite quotes on, and I'd love to include that among white frames.

This has been the main inspiration for what I'd like to do.

     Another must have for me is a comfy chair. Sitting for hours at a desk really takes a toll on your bottom if you don't have something comfortable to sit in. My mom has a chair almost identical to the one pictured above in our spare room, so I'm hoping it works well with the desk that I have picked out. It would be perfect to just sit back and study in, that and it just makes the room look a little bit more elegant than a regular desk chair would. 

Other Spaces

     I am sharing the rest of my apartment with my roommate, so I really haven't put a lot of thought into our communal spaces. We'll both be bringing stuff, so I'm sure it won't exactly all match, but it's a grad school apartment, so that's assumed. The bulk of my kitchenware is turquoise and some of the furniture I am bringing is gray, but I don't know what else my roomie will be bringing.

     I do get my own bathroom, but I don't exactly remember what color scheme they had in there. I'm honestly just waiting to move in, so I can plan out how I'm going to decorate everything else, and also to see what else I need for storage. I do have a closet in my room, but I know I have tons of clothes, so I have to find a way to make that all work for me.

Inspiration

    My main sources of inspiration come from Pinterest (as you've noticed from my screenshots), but another place that I like to check out is YouTube. You can find a ton of room/apartment tours, but I recently came upon a channel called Mr.Kate where an interior designer shows how she decorates different spaces and I've been pretty obsessed with her videos. To be honest, her style can at times be too eclectic for my taste, as I tend to like more of a classic look, but she incorporates a ton of DIYs into her designs, so it's really cool to watch the things she creates. 

     For now, that's as much as I have planned out. Once I move in, I'm sure my creative juices will be in full force, so I'll share what I come up with. I can't wait to check out my new canvas. 

I hope you guys had a fabulous weekend and I will talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

Being A Gunner In Medical School

    During SPP, while reviewing parts of the cadaver, our rising M2 stated, "If you really want to be a gunner" before continuing to add in details that we weren't going to be tested on, but would certainly need to know in the future. My roommate and I chuckled at his statement to which he responded, "Being a gunner isn't a bad thing. Wanting to know more doesn't make you a bad person." When he said that, It really got me thinking. 

     Typically when anyone talks about someone being a gunner, it has a negative connotation because a gunner is someone that tends to go above and beyond in their pursuit of knowledge, and this often includes bringing people down in the process. When you hear of gunners in medical school, these are the students that sabotage their classmates in order to get the highest grade. I am certainly not suggesting that you become this type of gunner, but I do think being the type of gunner that our T.A. was describing is something that you should do.

     When I think about being a medical student, I think about how much of an honor it is that I've been selected to pursue this career and how it is a privilege to learn all the things that I will be learning. While in cadaver lab this summer, something that frequently crossed my mind was how incredible everything I that I was seeing was and that many people would never be able to see it. Of course, I know looking inside a body cavity would be the last thing many people want to do, but just the sheer fact that I got to do it blew my mind. If I've been given this incredible opportunity, why wouldn't I want to make the most of it? 

     So, in your academic pursuits, gun away. Take advantage of every learning opportunity, push yourself to acquire as much knowledge as possible because not only will it make you a great student, but it will also make you a better doctor in the future. One thing, though, never do any of this at the expense of another. Something that was incredibly evident while in SPP is how important it is to have a positive connection with your peers. After all, we are all enduring the very same struggle. One of my favorite quotes is "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." I believe this also holds true in the sharing of knowledge. If you understand something well, it won't hurt you to help a classmate. If anything, you are just reinforcing the knowledge. Also, something that might happen when people see that you work hard is that they give you a hard time. Let them say what they want. You are doing what you need to do, to become the person you want to be and not everyone is going to understand that.

     Hopefully, I have inspired everyone to get out there and slay whatever it is that needs slaying. Have a wonderful weekend and I will talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3