June Recap 2016

     Hello All! I'd be lying if I didn't say that June was for sure a crazy one. As you may know, the bulk of my month has been made up of my SPP program ( Which I've kept you updated on!) and when I wasn't in class, the rest of my time was spent studying or doing normal human things. On occasion, I had the opportunity to break away from my everyday routine and do something somewhat fun, so instead of my normal week-to-week breakdown, this post will be more focused on this month's highlights. 

Highlights

     The first weekend in June, I had the chance to meet up with my Chicago squad. We hadn't had the opportunity to see each other in May, so it was really nice to catch up for a bit. We ventured out of our normal areas and checked out a little Tiki Bar in Logan Square called the Lost Lake. I was so glad that I stumbled upon this little place on Instagram because the drinks were amazing and the atmosphere was great. The place itself was small and intimate, but I think that made it all the more enjoyable. After a hectic first week, I was so glad to "get lost" for a bit with two of my best friends.

Our drinks were so pretty and obviously, so is G:)

My ride-or-dies

     The following weekend, my escape from studying was meeting up with my work friends in the suburbs. It had been quite some time since I had seen them, so it was nice to be able to see what everyone has been up to since I left. We celebrated Shay's birthday at Maggiano's and it was a great night filled with yummy food and lots of laughter. I feel that it was one of the first times that I felt what it might be like next year because although I was having a great time, at the back of my mind I was thinking about everything that I needed to study. Of course, my advice on that is to not do that to yourself, but we all have our moments. 

The Birthday Girl!

My work fam!

      The following weekend was Father's Day, but I also had exams to study for, so the most that I had the chance to do was go out to brunch with my parents. It was so nice to spend some time with them and we've really come to love this little place downtown. They make some amazing green chilaquiles, but the ricotta rhubarb pancakes I had were amazing as well!

     This past weekend was also spent studying hard for Anatomy and Physiology, but I snuck out to spend some time with Megan. We checked out Jeni's ice cream shoppe in Wicker Park, and it was AMAZING! They have some pretty creative ice cream flavors and they are all delicious. I happened to pick three different scoops: Atlantic Beach Pie ( a lemon version of key lime pie that had pieces of saltine crackers), Lemon and Blueberry, and Lavender. They were all amazing, but my favorite was the Atlantic Beach Pie. Wicker Park is one of my favorite areas of the city, so it was so amazing to have the chance to explore it a little more.

Meg all smiles because the ice cream was delicious

Best friends + Ice Cream = Pure Happiness

My delicious concoction

     I hope you enjoyed getting a little glimpse into what I've been doing for June. I've heard that M1 year offers way more breathing room that I've been given for this program, so hopefully my monthly recaps won't have to continue being in this format. Also, the good news is that next week I'm officially done with this program! So, I will also have a bit more freedom. I'll be combining the recap for the last two weeks into one post and that should be up next Friday! I'll be in exams Tuesday/Wednesday so I won't have time to write it until Thursday. 

      Hopefully, you guys had an amazing month! I can't wait to share what I get myself into for the month of July!

~Genesis<3

SPP Update: Week Four

     As I am writing this, I am in disbelief that the upcoming week will be the last week of the program! Regarding exams, we still have seven more to complete. The thought of having to take all of these exams in the span of a two weeks is a tad daunting, but knowing that after that I will be all done with this program makes it all worth it. 

Classes and Studying

     The set of exams that I had for this week were biochem and histology. Biochem was focused on cellular processes (Enzymes, DNA, DNA replication, etc.) this week and that wasn't too bad because they were topics that I've seen numerous times in my biological studies. Something that they always factor in is the clinical correlation, so that made the class a tad more interesting. Histology, on the other hand, had a lot of new and complex material. In general, you can tell cells apart (especially when you know what to look for), but certain tissues are very similar and that was the struggle of this week. We covered quite a few areas of the body, so that added to the madness.

     Studying wasn't horribly bad. I am pretty good at being disciplined, but having back to back exams is really draining. We finish our exam on Monday and the next day you've got to be on the grind to prep for the next set. Thankfully, the school year won't be like that. I'm just trying to remind myself that this will all be over soon. 

Outfits

     Thursday: I wore one of my favorite summer tops. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of a fan of the off the shoulder trend. I paired it with my patterned Old Navy pixie pants and some black sandals.

     Friday: I went for a black and coral look. The top has some pretty detailing on the back, but otherwise,  it was a pretty straightforward outfit.

     Monday: It has been very hot in Chicago, so I just went for some linen shorts and my flowy embroidered top. 

     Tuesday: I seriously have had this forever 21 top for years, and it makes a comeback every summer. I am a huge fan of the detailing at the neckline, and I like to pair it with some jeans for a cute yet laidback look.

     Wednesday: Today, I went for a classic red/navy color combo. I borrowed the silk scarf from Emily, and I think it dressed up my outfit from just being a basic striped tee. 

     I believe I addressed it last week, but it's been fun thinking about different ways to wear the same items. I am curious to see what I'll be able to come up with for the last couple weeks! I am sorry that these are short! I'm trying to give you guys the gist of what's going on, but trying not to overextend myself at the moment. I hope you guys are doing well and thank you for taking the time to stop by and see what I've been up to:) I'll talk to you guys soon!

~Genesis<3

SPP Update: Week Three

     Wow, so I can't believe we are already at the half-way mark for this program. I am hoping that the last couple weeks fly by so that I can enjoy a bit of my summer before starting my M1 year. This past week felt rather hectic for me. I had a lot of unexpected responsibilities thrown into the mix, and I was feeling the stress. The weekend was packed with things I needed to do and studying was a very large portion of that. I just trudged through and after testing on Monday, I was super exhausted. So, I'm sure you noticed that I didn't post on Tuesday and that had a lot to do with just being crazy busy this past weekend. I'm thinking that I might go ahead and stick to a once weekly schedule just because it will be less stressful for me, and I won't feel obligated to post something just to ensure that I have a post. If I do have anything additional to post, I'll try to post Tuesday. If not, you can for sure expect something from me on Thursdays. Anyway, other that being really busy, this week has been very revelatory that I am doing exactly what I should be, so that's what we'll discuss next.

Classes and Studying

     As I began to tell you last week, the latter half of the week was very anatomy oriented and I LOVED it. I had my teach back on Thursday and it was the first time that I really got a chance to interact with the cadaver. It was like a flashback to high school biology because I jumped right into it. I can't exactly tell you how crazy it feels to be able to just be all up in someone's body learning all the things that allow us to function the way that we do, but it was an incredible feeling. I think in that moment, it helped to clear any of the hesitation that I had working with cadavers and anatomy lab has become one of my favorite places. Anatomy is by no means easy, but I think that is the most hands-on experience that we'll have as med students for a bit. So, it is important to enjoy it. They often say that the cadavers we work with are our "first patients" and I can see that. Obviously, I am not practicing my bedside manner, but I am learning many of the things that will allow me to become an excellent physician one day and that is super cool. 

     Studying has been alright. I was kinda stressed because I felt like I didn't have enough time to study the way that I wanted, but it worked out well. So, I shouldn't have been as hard on myself. It was definitely a different feel because we had just come off of studying for one set of tests and had to jump back into it, so I think that made a huge difference. My motivation has been pretty good, and I have been a pretty hardcore morning person the past couple of weeks. I'm usually up by 6:00 to get some studying in before class starts at 9:00. It's not exactly my favorite, but I'll do what I have to do.    

     This week, I'll be preparing for my second histology and biochemistry exam, so that will comprise my studying for the week. 

Outfits

     Thursday: I wore my olive linen jacket over a black striped high-low tank, black leggings with a zipper detailing at the ankle, and my black sandals.

     Friday: I wanted to go for a girlier vibe, so I paired a white lace dress ( I got this one at H&M forever ago) with a chambray shirt and my nude sandals. 

      

     Monday: I was so tired, so not a lot of consideration went into outfit planning. I just went for a casual look. I wore my favorite pair of Gap ripped jeans with this light blue top ( I love the back detailing on this top!) and my camel sandals.

     Tuesday: I finally brought out my shirt dress! This was super cute, but sadly it wrinkles like crazy, so I was kind of annoyed by that. Regardless, I was feeling really classy. I paired it with my nude sandals and threw on a navy cardigan when it got a bit chilly in class.

     Wednesday: It was super hot outside, so I opted to go for some white linen shorts and a navy striped tank from the loft. I also brought along a chambray shirt and I threw that on when it got a bit chilly in class.

     Something that I've noticed as I've been doing these posts is that a lot of the pieces in my wardrobe mix and match really well. I haven't done an official capsule wardrobe, but I feel that for many of these outfits I have been incorporating that. 

     Like I said earlier, the remainder of the week I shall be studying hard for biochem and histo. Nothing too crazy over here. If you read my post last Tuesday, you'll know that I had been apartment hunting. Well, my roomie and I found a place! We still have to finish the paperwork and what not, but I can't wait to show it to you and talk about decorating it:) I hope you guys have a fantastic week! I'll talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

SPP Update: Week Two

     Where I left off last week, I was beginning to prep for my first two exams. Studying pretty much took up the majority of my weekend, and I forgot what that had felt like (Remember, I've been out of school for a year, so it's been a hot minute). I can't really say that I've missed the pre-exam stress, but I think overall, it wasn't too bad. Monday, we went to class and took our exams. I left my first exam (biochem) feeling pretty confident, and my second exam (histology) feeling okay, but nowhere near as confident as my first exam. Thankfully, I am happy to report that I did well on both of them and I am pretty proud of myself. It definitely felt very validating and makes me even more excited for next year. I know the volume of material that they'll expect me to know will be greater, but I think taking this course will allow me to have a solid foundation to build on. The remainder of this week has been post-test recovery as well as prep for the next set of exams on Monday. If you read my last post, you know that I've thrown apartment hunting into the mix, so I haven't gotten as much done as I would have liked. I think I should be okay but we shall see about that after next week. The end of this week will be the half-way mark for the program and it's crazy to think that three weeks later, I'll be finished and getting ready to start medical school.

Classes and Studying

     Classes have been pretty good. Obviously, some are better than others, and I think that has a lot to do with the instructors. The instructors overall are pretty great, but I'll have to admit that the anatomy department is winning at this school. Our past week was very biochem and histology oriented, but this current week has been very anatomy centered and I really enjoy that. One of the things that we do in anatomy is called teach backs and what we have to do for that is that we go into lab with our partners and we learn a region of the body in order to teach it back to the rest of our group. This week, it was my turn, so I had to go in and learn all the structures of the lungs and mediastinum and tomorrow I will teach it back to the rest of my group. 

     As far as studying goes, I've been doing pretty well. Prior to our exams, I was really trying to get it all in, and I did well. This post-test week hasn't been nearly as productive, but I still have the remainder of the week to get caught up, so I'm not too concerned. As I said last week, I'm pretty impressed with how good my focus is. I really hope this keeps up into the fall semester because I don't remember being this focused in undergrad. Maybe that gap year worked some magic. 

Outfits

     Thursday: The two items that I'm wearing I brought back from home over the first weekend. Over the first week, I realized that I had forgotten to pack some casual dresses for the warmer weather, so I grabbed a couple from home. This one is just one that I picked up at Target awhile ago. I paired it with some black sandals and a black cardigan.

     Friday: I wore my favorite color combo: coral and navy. I picked up these coral chinos at Gap the week before coming to SPP and I bought the Navy top at Target a while back. It has that lacy-overlay detailing (can't think of the real name for it), and its super pretty and versatile. I paired my outfit with some nude Sam Edelmann sandals.

     Monday: I went for a more casual look for exam day. I just wore a pair of my favorite jeans with a cute floral top and the same nude Sam Edelmann sandals.

     Tuesday: I wore an anchor printed button down (this is one of my favorite tops because I love nautical themed items) with a pair of navy chinos and my camel colored sandals.

     Wednesday: Today, I went for another of my favorite classic combos: a navy striped top and white pants. I'm pretty sure I've worn this combo a multitude of times, but I still love it. I paired it with my Sam Edelmann sandals (who were apparently the real M.V.P of the week).

     Otherwise, I was in comfy clothes or scrubs. Maybe, I'll try to get a scrub shot for you guys next week, but no promises haha. 

     I hope you guys have a fabulous rest of your week! I'm off to study anatomy, but I will talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

The Hunt Begins!

   
      With the beginning of my M1 year quickly approaching, something that has been at the front of my mind has been looking for apartments. I love interior design, so this is something that I really enjoy doing. Now, I don't think that I'll document the entire process, but I will try to give some updates here and there (maybe thrown in with my SPP updates?...not sure yet), so you can know what's been going on.

     When I first began thinking about what I would like my living situation to be next year, my first thought was to live on my own. I lived in a studio the last two years of undergrad, and I was incredibly happy and thought that I should try to go for that. But as I've been spending more time around campus, I've realized that I really love the neighborhood and I'd like to be able to live here. Unfortunately, this part of the city isn't really comprised of high rises, so a majority of what you find is 2-bedroom apartments. I gave it careful thought over the weekend and decided I'm taking my chances and going the roommate route. Ironically, I told my friends the opposite on Friday. But, come Sunday, I changed my mind.

     Living with my SPP roommate has been really great, so I figured that I might be lucky trying that for the school year. Back in April, when I came to visit the school for second look day, I met some girls that would be M1s and we exchanged numbers. I reached out to one of them over the weekend, and she is still in need of a roommate, so it works out for me. I've begun the process of looking for places and there are quite a few available, so it'll just be a matter of picking the one that works for us. Just for backup, I did check out a studio so far to have an option available in case I change my mind, but I think It'd be better to have a bigger space.

     I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous. I've never lived with anyone that I didn't know beforehand (except my current roomie), but I am thinking that since we will be both be a part of the same program it should go pretty well. If not, it would only be for a year. We are checking some places out this weekend, so hopefully, that goes well!

     Sorry, this post is rather short! My current schedule has my mind all over the place, but I love checking in. So, I figured I'd give you guys a little update:)

     I hope you guys are having a marvelous start to your week! I can't wait to show you guys what I've been up to on Thursday's post! Talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

SPP Update: Week One

     Where we last left off, I had just completed my first two days of this SPP program. The remainder of week one went pretty well and as we are now in the middle of week two. We have built upon the knowledge we learned the first two days and then included some new stuff (namely anatomy lab). So, let me recap how it's been.

Classes and Studying

     A novelty of the second half of week one was having my first anatomy lab. I know it is silly, but something that I've always wondered was how I was going to handle anatomy lab in med school, mainly because it involves working with cadavers. I have always been perfectly fine when I worked with other preserved species, but I imagined working with humans would be a whole other arena. Surprisingly, the first day went rather well. I was a bit nervous and it felt a bit odd, but overall it was okay. I've been trying to put myself in the proper mind space for it and trying to get past the fact that what is right in front of me used to be an actual person. I keep reminding myself that I am learning from the body and I think this will help overcome my fear. 

     How it has been learning the material can be summarized as follows: too much knowledge, too little time. I feel like there's always so much to learn. I'm trying my hardest to keep with the pace and not let myself get too overwhelmed. If I just focus on every little thing that I have to do, I'll be pulling my hair out. Also, having several back-to-back courses can be draining, but I think I'm also getting used to it. That and I'm sure the copious amounts of caffeine are helping.

     I've also noticed that my attention to studying has been rather good. I don't feel like I was able to stay this focused in undergrad, so I am very amazed (haha). I think this really has to do with the fact that I am interested in the material we are learning. No matter the subject, they always try to incorporate a clinical relevance and I think that helps keep me interested and also allows me to see the bigger picture. 

     What have we covered? In biochemistry, carbohydrates, lipids, pH, and amino acids (We spent quite a bit of time on the first two). In physiology, general cell physiology, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and the cardiovascular system. In Histology, microscopy, cell biology, epithelium, connective tissue, and muscle. Finally, in anatomy we have covered spinal nerves, heart anatomy, heart embryology, the thoracic wall and pleura, and the mediastinum. Quite a bit huh?

     We have our first exam coming up on Monday, so I am waiting to see how that goes! I will just be tested on two subjects (biochem and histo). So, I am hoping that it won't be too crazy. Otherwise, I am doing well. I am trying to keep myself going and reminding myself that I need to have some me-time (I had a bit too much this weekend, but it's okay). 

Outfits

     Thursday's Outfit: Old Navy printed pixie pants, a chambray top, and my lace up ballet flats that I got from target.

     Friday's Outfit: Gingham peplum top, navy chinos, and coral flats. I also threw on a navy cardigan.

Tuesday's Outfit: A midi dress from Old Navy, my camel sandals, and a navy cardigan.

     Wednesday's Outfit: A basic striped J. Crew shirt, leggings, and navy Sperry's. The shirt was a bit longer in the back, so it worked with the leggings. Also, as you can probably tell, I've been dressing up, so I wanted a more laid back day.

     I hope you are having a great week! I will try to keep you posted about the upcoming weeks!

~Genesis<3