Learn something new every week...

Hey girl,

 This past week was a tough one (by this point you are probably saying, isn’t this a trend- yes it is!  I think UPenn is trying to kill me….slowly….and painfully).  I have decided that if I can make it to Dec 9^th, I will have accomplished one of my greatest victories (over the giant that is- one semester of grad school).  I cannot think of more than one semester right now. I haven’t had a mental breakdown this week, and I want to keep it that way. 

So, this week, I passed my second demonstration!  This one included a review of systems, head to toe assessment, and assessment write-up, totaling 3 hours! I swear, I can assess like no other and I can ask you every question under the sun related to your digestive system (and all the other systems, I am just best at the digestive system for some reason-haha).  After I got out of lab at 8pm, I headed to the local market to get food for a celebratory dinner (in all honesty, I didn’t have a bit of food in my apartment, and when I run out of milk, bread, cheese, and cereal…. I don’t know where to go). So for my celebration, I decided to splurge and buy things too expensive for weekly purchase- TGIF’s potato skins and grapes!  Both items cost over $5 here, which is a no-no in my current budget, and they both tasted AMAZING!  Don’t worry, the next day I went back to a cheese sandwich and sunchip lunch.

Today, I went to the street market, partially because I cannot afford grapes again until Spring, and because I don’t know how much longer I am going to be able to get fresh fruit every weekend.  (I usually stick with the apples, $1.65 a lb, sold by the cute guys…. but who is looking).  While walking to the market, I realized- once it has been cold one week, these Northerners dress like its freezing no matter the temperature.  I was comfortable in a long sleeve shirt and jeans, and some of the people I passed were in full winter coat/hat/ glove attire.  It was very strange, but also reassuring to know that when it actually does turn cold…. I will not be alone in my arctic attire.

 I am making a photo log called “what I have to wear to class” to document the progression of coldness, haha.   I thought it would be a funny way to keep track of just how ridiculous I have to look on my 2 mile walk each day (or how cold I get before I start spending the $2 on the bus). I took my first picture this week, and if I can figure out how to post pictures, I will share. Surviving a winter up here will definitely be a learning experience.   

Speaking of learning experiences, I learned something very valuable this week- how to deal with mice in your apartment. No, I have not encountered a mouse yet, but my Northern friends are preparing me for the day.  Now, other than the weird creature that I swear used to live in our water heater, I have never had to deal with rodents in my place. I think it’s a “Northern thing” or maybe just the acceptance that it will happen, is a “Northern thing.”  So here is what I learned from my trusted sources: I have three options:

1) I can use poison, which leads to the mouse crawling back into my walls and dying there- leading to the terrible smell of rotten flesh permeating my apartment for weeks. 
  2)I can use a sticky trap, which leads to the mouse breaking his/her legs and the squealing there until I take it outside and beat it to death. 
  3)I can use a spring trap, that will crush the rat body and leave a bloody mess- if it actually kills the mouse and doesn’t just disable the creature.

Yes, that is what my trusty “city friends” have told me will have to happen sometime this winter.  Needless to say, I would love a 4^th option.  I can deal with the cockroaches (yes, I have cockroaches on a daily basis) but not the mice. {Let me just clarify about the cockroaches- no matter how clean I keep this place they still come!  I literally sit at my desk, or in the tub (oh yeah), and watch them crawl through the wall from my neighbor’s apartment- there is nothing to do.  But be assured, I do keep this place clean….mom} Like I said, I can deal with that….. but Dear God, please don’t send the mice.  I would prefer to locusts…. if you were wondering. I will keep you posted.

That is really all I have for this week- cold weather and mice, haha.  I did see the most amazing sunrise on Friday morning, and it literally stopped me in my tracks.  It forced me to take a second, look around, and it hit me- it is fall (my favorite season)!  UPenn’s campus is always beautiful, with its old building and brick sidewalks, but it is supremely beautiful in the fall. I must admit, it cannot compare to the Blue Ridge Mountains (which I miss so much, especially this time of year), but it was definitely lovely. I think that the sunrise was God’ way of saying, slow down silly girl, this is not grad school, this is your life….. and it is beautiful (if you would just take a second and realize).

I hope you have a great week!  Miss you,

Love,

Court

(haha, Winter Picture #1, we shall see the progression.  ps, I am such a dork..... didn't realize I actually have my book bag on in this picture, very- my life right now)