School can be hard!

Hey yall, 

School has been exhausting. It turns out graduate school is hard, who knew? :-) School is really interesting. It is kind of fun to focus only on healthcare, but very different than my undergrad. I used to be able to take a break every so often with easier classes; in this program everything ties together and there really aren't breaks. 

I got sick this week. It's my own fault, moving to Minnesota means colder weather than Texas. And I think I got too cold... I can't wait for summer again! 

Halloween is coming up! Apparently my program is really big on Halloween! The first years throw the party for the second years. And I'm on the social committee! It should be a lot of fun; I know my costume already... but I can't say. It's a secret. A big secret. The kind of secret where I could get a dead fish in my mailbox for spilling. So I can't say. But in two weeks... I will share! 

I'm super excited about the Presidential race coming to an end. I feel like I've been following all this political jargon for so long now... and it would be nice to bring this whole thing to a close. Obviously, I want my party to win. However, I've become so immune and apathetic to all the ads and speeches, I'm just glad for it be over soon. 

My three friends are doing really well. They just rock at everything. It's kind of cool to have a little group of people that care about me so much, when I got sick this week they were really supportive. They have helped me look at life a little differently; with such big hearts they are very giving, considerate people. These girls are the kind of people that you meet that you just know are going to make a profound impact on your life and on so many others. They make me a better person. 

I made a wonderful decision coming to Minnesota for grad school. It's the best decision I've ever made academically, but the people around me are making a huge impact on me. I really didn't think that would happen, but I guess I just got lucky. 

Amanda 

My first month!

Hey yall! 

It's been almost a month since I last posted on my blog. So many things have happened with graduate school... it is really overwhelming. Let's start at the beginning. 

I started graduate school right after Labor Day. I went to class Tues and Wed, and then our Thurs class had been cancelled and we never have class on Fri. So a bunch of us went out after our first "week" of classes. We went out Wednesday night and Thursday night, I might have been drinking and had a great time. Pictures can be seen on facebook, many are now untagged. However, the fun didn't stop there, after the first week, we went on the annual MHA fishing trip. Which really isn't fishing at all, but it was all sorts of fun! It included all of the first year MHA students, plus the second years, plus some faculty and staff and all spouses. But I had a great time, I even joined a bocce ball tournament and my team won! We played four rounds of bocce ball... I now love and hate that game.

I have three new girlfriends in the program! They are so awesome! And I spent Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun with them that first weekend, and they didn't get sick of me! It was a hard and long weekend on my body and I'm still not sure my liver is the same... But hanging out with them was really great! They are such great people - honest, hardworking, outgoing, kind and gentle, sensitive and exciting people! Even after a month, we are still close and getting closer. I feel so lucky and blessed to be so far away from home and meet such extraordinary people who make me feel not so alone in this new journey.

Then after the trip, school got really busy and really hard, really fast. I've been having a lot of fun, but it's really difficult for me. I'm trying to keep my head up and work on my weaknesses, but focus on my strengths. I don't have any background in this stuff, but as long as I keep looking forward, I find myself moving through it! And I love it! It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. My program is so wonderful and exciting! The professors are genuinely interested in my progress and improving healthcare for Minnesota and for the U.S. It's a really loving program and I know I made the right decision by coming up here. Though, check again with me in the winter.

I will have to post again sometime soon with all my funny stories. Minnesota is fundamentally different than Texas. For sure.

But I'm alive, doing well, studying A LOT! Missing my people, but meeting all sorts of wonderful spirits! 

Amanda 

My Birthday!

Hey yall! 

So today is my birthday! At 8:19 this morning I turned 23. I was sound asleep until noon, but I know my dreams were very happy at 8:19!! But now that I'm awake, I would like to share a few things I've learned today already!

First of all, I waited until midnight for midnight birthday calls. And no one called. Not a single call. However, at 8 am this morning tons of people called. So now I'm officially old...all my friends are too old and too tired to wait up until midnight to call. They ARE awake and working adults so at 8, it seemed reasonable to call me. I was asleep because I'm still on summer and enjoying my last week of relaxation. 

Second, in Minnesota they have basements, thus apartment buildings have units in the basement. They call these units "garden units"... which sounds nice and wonderful. But in reality, my apartment is half buried underground and I stare out at another building with a small patch of grass between us. The bugs just walk in my apartment. It's not complicated. 

But today! I had rabbits chasing each other our my window. And then! A rabbit came up to my open window and stared at me through the screen... What the heck!? Minnesota is a strange place. Even the rabbits are friendly - and apparently voyeurs. 

And finally! My Mom sent me this cute ecard. It said, "23 years ago was the best day of my life and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Love Mommy" How cute is that?!?! She's awesome. I love that woman so much. 

Things learned today before 1pm: 

1. My Mom is the best in the whole world.

2. Rabbits can be creepy and maybe they really only want my goodies.

3. I'm old and everyone I know is now old. Psh.

Amanda 

Howdy!

Hey yall! 

I just moved to Minneapolis from Austin, Texas for graduate school. So far I've had a lot of funny things happen and I thought I would keep a blog to tell people about my experiences. I look forward to writing in this occasionally and would enjoy feedback. 

Amanda