It's Been a While...

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while...   Finals are rapidly approaching, and it is really hard to stay focused.  I keep dreaming about Thanksgiving and Christmas break...  Our last final is on Dec. 12th (Friday), and we have a Holiday Ball that night - I can't wait!  They say it's like med school prom...   Our school has an adopted elementary.  The kids are part of the underserved, who we (the college) are trying so hard to help.  They have a mentor program, and are trying to get a mentor for every child.  They ask that you spend 30 minutes a week with your child (bring them lunch, or play with them at recess).  I just started last week (I got sucked in when I helped with an ice cream social we hosted for some of the kids) - they are all so cute!!  I am mentoring a 7 year old boy.  He is very sweet, and smart.  The hardest part is that all the kids who don't have mentors, yet, all want to play and talk to the mentors (they all want their own mentor).  Some of them will grab your arm, and try to pull you away to play with them - it's heartbreaking.  When I was leaving last week, a girl followed me and asked if she could go with me...she had never even met me.  Some of these kids are in really tough situations; they may be abused, neglected, exposed to drugs or gangs...  :-(   Today in anatomy lab our profs hemisected the cadver heads (cut them in half, from top to bottom - the brains have already been removed; that's a whole other course).  Brett asked me why they do that...my response was "to make the test harder".  The truth is that they want us to be able to identify the structures in cross-section.  Still, there is something very wrong with seeing a band saw used on a human head (or any part of the body, for that matter)...plus, it smells a little like Fritos...but I refuse to let it ruin Fritos for me...  I am getting used to the "normal" cadver smell, which is much worse than it was at the beginning of the semester; now, I only notice the particularly offensive odors.    I hope you are all doing well!!   Jen