I SURVIVED THE 3 WEEK AWFULLY INTENSE ORIENTATION. WOOO YEAH!!!
Needless to say I am exhausted and I failed 1/3 proficiency exams (by one question!!) but, I have had an amazing experience so far. First of all, I've met some pretty great people & I can tell spending the next nine months with them is going to be a blast!!
Dietetic Interns @ Saint Louis University's Garden
Although orientation consisted of a lot of heavy lectures & projects oh and more projects and lectures we did some fun things! This past Wednesday we went to Missouri Botanical Gardens and WOW that place is beautiful. It was quite calming to walk through there; you felt the warm sun on your skin and could smell an array of different plants. There was an abundance of fresh scents of basil, lemon, sage, and even cocoa. I will definitely be going back there when I need some peace of mind.
Last week had even more to do with gardening because it was nutrition education week. We spent the whole week planning lessons to visit elementary schools in the area. When we're at the schools we'll be working with the kids to grow vegetables in their garden over the course of four months (and of course incorporate some nutrition education into it!). Since our lesson plans are finally completed I am definitely looking forward to doing it next spring because working with children is always a fun experience.
I am also very enthused (and pretty nervous) to start my diabetes clinical rotation at SLU's hospital next week. It will be so nice to get out of the classroom and into a situation where I can finally start putting my education into practice. :)
So here are some pictures of the botanical gardens for y'all to enjoy although they really don't do it justice. Also some other fun ones from the past few weeks...
this guy... he read off the slides on that screen for an hour and a half!
end of orientation picture - super happy but exhausted!
(evidence = the bags under my eyes)
SLU's Medical Campus - it's quite pretty!
Here is a shot from the med campus but the big building with the green peaks
is SLU Hospital which I will be working in next week!
My new nook from The Container Store;
pretty much where I spend my evenings with a hefty amount of caffeine
I will definitely have a lot to post next week I'm sure! Emily & I are going to the historic Soulard Famer's Market tomorrow (finally!) to get some delicious, healthy, fresh produce... and some mamosas, obviously.
Also, I want to say thanks to my parents for they gave me the privilege to have an education & to pursue my dream career. Thanks to my sisters for the sincere texts and hilarious pictures when I need a laugh. And thanks to Colin for making delicious dinners, listening to my rants and complaints, and rubbing my head so I can fall asleep.
I am truly happy here. :)
Oh & thanks to Zeke... who has taken on the very difficult task of
guarding the apartment while we're both away all day. :P
