As 365dayswithamy on Instagram came to an end, I felt so lost. If you didn't already know, specifically those not on social media, I posted one photo every day for the entirety of the year 2018. I am so glad I did since 2018 was one of those years that was full of change.
The PharmD program here at UBC is no joke, and as many of you know my time is very limited so it can be hard to keep in touch with everyone all the time. Hopefully this blog will keep everyone who wants to watch me take on the next 3 and a half years updated. You're probably thinking, "why I have decided to take on this commitment". Fact: many many years ago I use to blog just for fun about skincare, makeup, and fashion. I found it was a great way for me destress and bring out my creative side. Blogging my journey through the program will not only keep everyone updated but will also be a great project for me to do other than studying, since that's all I seem to do these days.
Hard to believe that only Tuesday I was in Seattle stress free, preparing to pull myself together for the first week of classes, since honestly most of my break was spent on the couch watching Gossip Girl. UBC is great in the fact that classes start the day after New Year's Day (*sarcasm*); so, of course I pushed my stay at home to the max and took a late train from Seattle to Vancouver. Probably the worst traveling experience of my life, since the seats facing opposite the flow of the train made me sick to my stomach. Those 4+ hours could not have gone any slower.
Don't be fooled by the appearance of white space...this was NOT syllabus week. In two and a half days, I learned the chemistry, pharmacology and allergies of half, if not more, of all the antibiotics. And that's just Intro to Infectious Diseases. Orientation for second term lasted two hours until we got to do our first Case Based Learning activity. CBL's are honestly my favorite since we get a patient profile and analyze their drug therapy; sometimes creating a new regimen. This week was a patient with uncontrolled acne and the antibiotics she was prescribed were not helping her acne improve. Turns out she was not using any topicals in combination, which is necessary for effective treatment, AND she was drinking a lot of milk along with a daily calcium supplement which was interacting with the antibiotic making it ineffective! This seems like a simple thought process...took the entire hour and lots of trial and error (Note: patient was fictional).
Where else would you find me on a Saturday? I have spent so many weekends at the Starbucks near the pharmacy building that the manager knows my name. Not as embarrassed as you would think, since he only knows my name based on the fact I can spend up to 7 hours in one seat studying. People like to tell me I'm addicted to coffee...FALSE...1) I drink coffee for the taste, not to wake up. In fact, if I drink coffee too early in the morning I get very bad stomach pains...I mean gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)...as you can imagine, it is a delightful experience. 2) Growing up in Seattle, Starbucks was a block away from my house. It's my happy place; where I meet my best friend Leah to catch up when we are home, where Stefano and I studied in my undergrad, where Kristin and I spend sister time (even if it is in the drive thru), and where my best friend Alix and I would meet to catch up 3) I can ONLY study productively in coffee shops since I need random noise and coffee shop music.
My go to drinks:
Christmas: Grande Latte WITH 2 pumps gingerbread (cheaper than ordering a half sweet gingerbread latte with no whip)
Weekends: Grande Latte
Weekdays:...get ready...Double Tall Extra Hot Latte with NO foam
But lately Jaylene and Waverly have got me into London Fogs....NOT from Starbucks...
Sunday I ventured of campus by myself, which is a first. Ended up on W. Broadway at Aperture Coffee Bar. A change of scenery is always nice (away from my usual Starbucks). Of course I ordered a 12oz latte to get my though the next 4 hours of studying antibiotics.
Aperture is very cozy; with long wooden tables, exposed brick, live plants, and a real fireplace. Not gonna lie, made a mistake sitting next to the fireplace. Got way too overheated by the end of my studying and called it a day.
Cannot stop playing Happy Now by Kygo; whether it is at the gym (yes...I went to the gym Saturday), first thing in the morning, or during my commute to the pharmacy building. This song always puts me in a good mood no matter how stressful the day...yes...it's only been two days of class, not even, and already stressed.
My absolute favorite right now is listening to podcasts on my commute in the morning, even if my commute is only a 5 minute bus ride. Just today, I listened to about 2 episodes of this podcast going to W. Broadway and back. New to the podcast scene, I have been loving Gals on the Go created by two college girls who talk about literally everything.
Here's to week 2!
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