The End of a Season

Summer is drawing to a close- not that it feels like I had much of one anyway. I have practically lived at Oregon State University, taking the Anatomy & Physiology course sequence. Approaching my last few days of class here is actually somewhat bittersweet, as is the close of every summer in my opinion. This summer I became a student once again. I stayed up late learning bones and muscles, got to identify them on cadavers and got to dissect pig, cow and sheep organs. This summer I spent evenings out by the Calapooia River, watching stars in my husband's arms and rejoicing as my boys learned to swim (or float in Isaiah's case!). This summer I went to a baby shower for my ex husband and his wife, and waited intently to hear that mom and new baby sister to my boys were both healthy.

Starting college again was difficult. The first few days I thought I'd die of loneliness. I no longer had students to talk to all day, and I am a non traditional student, meaning though I by far not the oldest, I definitely do not blend with the early twenties population here. I have cried often at the difficulty and complexity of Anatomy expected of us to learn. I wish I could say I earned A's, but I have earned an A and on my way to two Bs as it averages out. I have been disappointed, proud and resigned all in the same day. I have joined the flock of nurse wanna-bees in hoping that my few imperfect grades will still let me in to an RN program. I have laughed with newfound friends here that I will actually miss when I go on to Lane in a few weeks. I have whined about a lab professor that took forever to grade things and spent little time actually teaching us, and giggled at a different professor whose jokes about sex and the reproductive system could only be considered ok because I was in a college level course learning about them! He would show us slides of skeletons "having a good time" In various positions to break up our two hour lecture sessions!:) I have learned that parking almost always sucks here, even during summer session, that the bathrooms in the microbiology hall are much nicer than the ones here in Cordley Hall, and that counting the times your new instructor says "umm" definitely does not ensure you understood the material in between all her utterances!:)

I have learned that sometimes you really will grasp the concept on the 5th, 6th or even 17th time that you pull out the confusing diagrams to stare at them! Just today, hours before an exam, I can finally say that I somewhat understand pressure dynamics in the lungs and glomerular filtration rates in the kidneys. I can say though that I excel at learning the clinical applications of things and the diseases that afflict a body system- hopefully a good sign for my future calling!

Not setting up a classroom this year has been bittersweet too. I will dearly miss my students. I will miss being part of their days and their adolescence. But that season has concluded, while I still email, text and Facebook with some- I know it isn't quite the same. The season at OSU is almost done. I look forward to the Fall, a season including two sociology courses and lots of family time. I look forward to helping in Matthew's classroom, homeschooling Isaiah, training our new puppy, Max, and taking a quasi breather before another season begins anew. What a beautiful life.