Well hello. It’s been a while. I suspected that this blog would get a little sidetracked once I got into vet school, and as I approach halfway (!!) I think it’s safe to say that that is what has happened. However at this time of year I’m usually at home with a little time to relax and reflect on the year, which usually involves a little return dip into the blog-o-sphere.
To be honest, second year was fairly nondescript, apart from the exams which were horrendous. I spend around double the average person’s working day in the library studying my ass off, and it still didn’t feel like nearly enough. I’m rapidly learning that you will never even remotely feel like you know everything at vet school, and it’s a matter of prioritising because you simply cannot do it all. Having said that, the crazy working paid off and I passed the year well. It made me think that I need to perhaps chill out a bit, not work so crazy hard and concentrate on living a little more, although that is easier said than done for a workaholic such as myself.
I then had a fabulous two months in NZ. Part holiday, part work, I spent two weeks living with a lovely family on a dairy farm on the North Island, and it was such a fantastic experience to see how dairying is done NZ styley. I was also fortunate to get involved with the local vets where expressions such as ‘get scrubbed up and hold the uterus while I pull out this calf’ were not uncommon. I then spent two weeks at a mixed practice on the South Island, where more similar phrases were used on a daily basis (‘I’m just drinking tea, can you start the consultations please?’ Hell yeah! [disclaimer: don't worry, it was just to start off with general examinations, we weren't let loose for any diagnoses!]). It was such a fantastic experience, and the laid back attitude of the Kiwi’s meant that we were welcomed wherever we went, and allowed to get involved with all sorts of vetty (and non-vetty!) things. Then of course, there was the five weeks holiday which took us all over the country, and found us doing crazy things like jumping out of planes, climbing up glaciers, throwing ourselves into freezing cold rivers and partying on beaches until the early hours. Such a fantastic country and an experience I’ll never forget. I’d like to blog about it more…
Then it was back to good old Blighty for a slightly different term. Research projects meant that I didn’t have any lectures, which I relished the break from. I very much enjoyed structuring my own learning and being in charge of my own days. I was involved a lot with going out to different farming events and speaking to lots of farmers and vets which was fantastic. I loved it, and I’ll never have to buy pens again. I didn’t enjoy the last week or two of writing up, but that’s to be expected I guess, especially as I was having problems with the data analysis. However, on the whole it was a great experience, helped by a fantastic supervisor.
So, to the present. I’ve got a couple of weeks EMS lined up next week. It’s at a small animal practice near home. Feeling v rusty on the old knowledge so it should be good to get back into it, although I hope I don’t find it too difficult at first. I’m also feeling in need of a farm fix, but that would require traipsing across the country to live in an unfamiliar place, and although that could be great, I think I need to spend a little bit of time at home, and concentrate on that sort of thing in the summer.
As for the future… CEMS is proving to be booking up extremely fast. I’ve managed to get onto a couple of exciting externships, although I’ve found out the hard way already that the competitive nature of vet students means that I need to keep my cards relatively close to my chest on this one. It is such a shame that vet students are like this at times, because everyone could be so much more productive if they shared such experiences, but alas, I won’t change it so have to play the game.
On that note, I think a theme of 2011 has been relationships, both good and bad. I’ve learnt a lot about people in general, and have certainly been taken for granted in big way in a few instances. However, it’s made me realise who matters most, and I’m making an effort to not get walked over. This is a difficult one because it is a lot easier to go with the flow for the sake of the peace, but I’m also learning that it’s something you have to tailor to each situation – in some cases this is ok, or even the preferred course of action, but it is by no means a general rule and in a stressful job you have to take steps to be firm but fair. On the other hand, I’ve met some truly wonderful people this year, and the welcome that I’ve been shown all over the world has been inspirational and one that I hope to be able to pass on. I suppose this is a theme of every year, but this year it has been particularly obvious to me.
So all in all, it hasn’t been a year which particularly stands out, but you know what, that is a welcome break considering the last few! Here’s to 2012, and the next step of the journey.
