With all this time during the pandemic I really have had time to catch up and capture some thoughts about the last few months.
Coming back to ACOM for my second semester of medical school, the winter semester, felt good. After a relaxing break that you can read about in another blog post I posted earlier. Off the bat we began the semester with Neurology. Let me tell ya, there is a lot going on there. Very much a “meta” course as you really dive into how we learn, think, operate and grasp this world that we live in and construct within the labyrinth of our brain.
A few weeks into the semester near the end of January a good friend of mine asked me if I would take engagement photos for her. I was ELATED at the opportunity and we found the most gorgeous botanical garden (The Dothan Area Botanical Garden https://www.dabg.com/ ). I went a week ahead and scouted out the area for shots. It was January in the south so there wasn’t that much in bloom, or that much color when I really think about it, but we made what was there work for us. We collaborated on the essence she wanted to capture as well as her vision and I drew up a plan and a shot list. The shots turned out wonderful and she was quite pleased! Feel free to check them out in the events engagements and extravaganzas gallery!
In the middle of Neuro about the last week of February my girlfriend and I decided to take some time and check out the Mardi Gras parade that Dothan puts together. We headed downtown and found an awesome spot along the route and got ready. The main street, Foster Street, was packed! So much color and energy! We had 0 expectations. We were more than overwhelmed with the quality of floats and the execution of the event! The Krewe of Kolosse really put on a wonderful parade ( https://www.kreweofkolosse.com/ )! After the parade we spent some time walking around downtown and ended up at the Thirsty Pig ( http://www.beathirstypig.com/ ), a wonderful bar/craft brewery that you could feel still had the parade energy going strong! Check out some of my pics from the parade here!
We finally made it through the tumultuous time that the Neuro course was and had a rare free weekend the beginning of March. Being only a couple hours to the gulf, of course we decided to take some time for a beach trip. We settled on heading to Destin, FL (https://www.cityofdestin.com/), a cute beach town on the Florida gulf coast. We got an Airbnb as close to the beach as possible and let our hair down. White sand, clear skies and spring breakers made this a pretty fun trip. We spent most of the time on the beach enjoying some time to relax and take in the scenery. All in all, it was exactly what we needed! Enjoyed some tremendous food, hit up a Chipotle and stocked up on groceries before heading back to Dothan for the next block. Check out some of the pics from our beach trip here!
Musculoskeletal System
After neuro we began the MSK system which in comparison gave us a little bit of room to breathe, just a little though! Hit the ground running because soon after the first exam was our spring break which we were all excited for! This is when the pandemic that we are currently experiencing began to really pick up. School was changed to online and the precautionary measures for COVID-19 came into full force. Definitely changed things up here, but none the less we continued to grind just as all medical students do.
With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing the spring break that my girlfriend had been planning to head to St. Petersburg, FL was essentially canceled. It was the end of March / early April and states had started issuing social distancing and quarantine orders. We followed the guidelines and recommendations from the CDC and decided to do some social distancing of our own and head out into the woods for some camping. We headed to Lake Eufaula about an hour north of Dothan and had a great time. Campsite was right on the lake and our view was to die for! Spent some time relaxing in nature, eating smores and looking up at the stars and made the most of our spring break! If it has been a while since you have been camping and you are able to do so, I would highly recommend connecting with nature and taking some time to get out! Assuming of course you also follow the CDC recommendations for social distancing and are not under a lockdown order. Check out some of the pics from our camping trip here!
Since the beginning of the semester we have continued our growth and development as future physicians soaking up as much knowledge as we can. We have had some time to blow off steam between exams and practical’s and certainly taken some time for that essential self-care. Stay tuned as the odyssey continues!
