We're up early today, class starts in little over an hour. The nine of us girls on our floor managed to work out a shower schedule, so we're cleaner, awake, and happy. Our "living room" has three couches arranged in a horseshoe and we're all curled up with the pillows, laptops, and Jordanian yogurt. We've turned on the TV for white noise; I like subconsciously listening to arabic, even if I don't know what it means.
Today is our first day of class and I'm nervous. The professor is intense, the reading dense, and the assignments daunting. I'm unsure what to bring, how hard to study...is memorizing before the first lecture a little too much? I don't know. It'll probably be fine. A bunch of us lounged around talking late into the night about public health, epidemiology, and life. We quizzed each other on the textbooks, swapped history trivia, laughed about nerdy infectious disease jokes, and cheered when Spain won the Euro cup. I love being around other public health-ers. I love the exchange of ideas; one person will mention "herd immunity", someone else jumps in with the difference between endemic and epidemic outbreaks, while someone else quips "did you know 100% of people die?" We're a fun group - everyone is passionate, excited, and good-humored. We're all a bit out of our comfort zone, but it's an adventure and we just roll with the punches.
It's almost 8am and it's getting warm. My books are on the table. Laptop's charged. I've got my arabic words all written out in a notebook. Bring this day on!
Today is our first day of class and I'm nervous. The professor is intense, the reading dense, and the assignments daunting. I'm unsure what to bring, how hard to study...is memorizing before the first lecture a little too much? I don't know. It'll probably be fine. A bunch of us lounged around talking late into the night about public health, epidemiology, and life. We quizzed each other on the textbooks, swapped history trivia, laughed about nerdy infectious disease jokes, and cheered when Spain won the Euro cup. I love being around other public health-ers. I love the exchange of ideas; one person will mention "herd immunity", someone else jumps in with the difference between endemic and epidemic outbreaks, while someone else quips "did you know 100% of people die?" We're a fun group - everyone is passionate, excited, and good-humored. We're all a bit out of our comfort zone, but it's an adventure and we just roll with the punches.
It's almost 8am and it's getting warm. My books are on the table. Laptop's charged. I've got my arabic words all written out in a notebook. Bring this day on!
Your reading public would like at least one example of a good infectious disease joke.
ReplyDeleteOmg, this will be thrilling to follow. Am sure you'll be needing my constipation cure for travelers and, well, all occasions, so i can prove once again just how invaluable I am to your dear family! Uh, wait; they don't censor in Jordan, do they? It's kinda delicate... Let me think about it!
ReplyDeleteo I can
Haha, no far no food poisoning or bathroom camp-outs, hopefully we'll keep it that way. Avoiding the ice, fruit and lettuce like a good girl. :D
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how you are learning more about populations than individuals. That is something that we, veterinarians, are taught but it isn't something taught in the US human medical training. I loved my herd health and field disease investigation unit classes. That is partly why I started in shelter medicine as it is small animal herd health. I guess this is why veterinarians are always being asked to get the Masters in Public Health, we have a better background that most human physicians.
ReplyDelete