One down....

 Dear Coley,

       My first week of school is over….thank goodness!  I think of it as, one down, something like twelve to go.  I am not going to bore you with all the details of my classes.  However, for informational purposes, here is the rundown.  I am taking four classes and one lab.  The classes are: Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology, Professional Role of the Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Decision Making in Advanced Nursing Practice, and Nursing of Children- Theory I. The lab is a physical assessment lab (aka. what they do at the doctor’s office during a physical). There are no easy classes, as suspected, but I don’t think that any of them will cause me to spontaneously combust (we will see when the exams and projects start).  Like I told my mom, the classes are just as hard as I expected (unfortunately, haha). Anyway, this blog is not called Graduate School Girl…. so now onto some city talk.

       This week, Mother Nature decided to drown Pennsylvania, and I just happen to be along for the ride.  Rain, for those who have cars, and don’t walk four miles a day to get to and from class, is just an inconvenience.  However, rain, this week, made my life a nightmare!  Tues, Wed, and Thurs were downpours! (Did I mention that I am expected to dress, at the very least “business casual,” to class…. after all, we are professionals now).  There I was, refusing to take the bus because that would still require me stand out in the rain for 30min, walking my southern self two miles in the rain….. in dress pants, flats, and a blouse.  Just fyi: NO dress shoe of any sort works well in rain!  I tried heels, flats, sandals, even flip flops… and all I ended up with is a grand total of 10 blisters!  Turns out, when shoes are completely soaked by rain water, and whatever crap is floating in the Philadelphia streets, they stick to your feet and rub them raw. My feet could be on a poster for “ugly-feet-r-us.”  Again, how do these city people do it?  I don’t know, so on Friday I gave into the terrible….. tennis shoes (as it so happened, Friday was sunny). Mother Nature 1: Court 0

       Anyway, because of the rain, I didn’t get to see much of the city this week. I did venture out Friday night to buy myself a slice of pizza…. I finished my first week, I deserved it! I found out two things on that little outing:  1) A great slice of pizza only costs $2 which happens to be the exact cost of bus fare. I already didn’t want to ride the bus due to the cost, but now that I know I can get pizza if I save by walking…. bye bye bus.  2) When walking down the street, alone and carrying pizza, I felt very exposed!  I could just see all the “city people” drinking in the bars with their friends looking at me, and judging me for being alone on a Friday night with my greasy pizza.  At least in NC, when I would go get a Little Caesars pizza and consume the entire pie in one sitting… my car shielded the deliver method, haha.  (David thinks I am ridiculous). In the end….. the pizza was worth it! 

       So, it was a pretty slow week, other than my classes draining the life out of me.  But progress was made this week!  I feel much better about being here (not that it was ever terrible), but it does feel a little more like home (in the, this place is absolutely nothing like home, but I will like it anyway kind of way). I did get two packages this week from loved ones- THANK YOU, I love mail!  Oh, and the highlight of my week was when TR called on Sat, and Will told me, “Courtney, I am going to come up to your school and give you a kiss!”  I melted!         

How is your school going?

Miss You!

Courtney