Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Insight Into My Life

So, as a new student at uni here in New Zealand, I thought I would take a moment to reflect and share my thoughts as I begin this great journey.....

This morning as I was sitting in orientation and hearing them talk about 'welcoming us to our future' as nurses...my throat was actually constricting and I confess that I was feeling really emotional and proud at the prospect of my future. - It is definitely confirmed that I will cry at my graduation! ha...I just feel so honored to have been accepted into the program (especially as an immigrant) and I am so thrilled to be making this huge step in my life. To some this may seem mundane, but for me, it's something huge and amazing!

Let me add here, however, that this feeling of awe and pride and excitement was very short lived as they began talking about the consequence of failure and expectations set for the classes/clinicals. (In NZ if you fail a class you have to wait like a whole year to take it again, and you are only allowed 5 years to complete the whole course, so if you screw up it sets you WAY back and it can become a big nightmare!!) I was prepared for this course to be intense, but I think that part really hit me today as I realized just HOW intense it will truly be! I know that I can handle it, but I also know that this is going to be a huge challenge.

Lucky for me, my fears were calmed a little as the counseling and student services talked about the multiple ways that they are there to help the students throughout the program. This college definitely has some truly amazing programs set in place and I will gladly take advantage of them all!! They have a whole learning center set up where you can go for consultations on your papers etc. (Definitely going to be one of my first stops since I haven't written an essay in like 12 years! - Not to mention the differences in writing styles of the US/NZ...I will be really grateful for the help offered.) They also run workshops on various study skills and that sort of thing which I will be excited to take advantage of.

Let me say here, that I think the instructors are awesome and I am really looking forward to my classes with them. (Esp. Vivien...I met her when I first applied, and I just think she is an amazing lady - can't wait to really get to know her and learn from her!) They also have a lot of wonderful online aids that help (for example, Vivien posts her class power points online so you can print them off later etc...).

We got our clinical placements and start working there after our first four weeks of labs etc. I am in the B Group which means that I will have my labs on Tuesdays and I will be assigned to the Summerset Retirement Village for my rotations in the first semester.

Now, I realize that this post hasn't really been much about weight-loss, running, or healthy living...However, I just wanted to take the time to share about where I'm at in my life and what's happening here. It's all a part of what makes me tick, and therefore, it's all a part of the "healthy lifestyle" I seek...

I was very excited when I tried on my uniform pants today and I was able to order the smaller size! (It just fits well now, so I must work hard to keep in shape!!) While I haven't run the past two days, I am taking this as an opportunity to rest and recoup before school starts. It might take me a bit to get into a really good routine, but I'm determined that I will make time for it, no matter what!

I did try a Madeline special tonight and had a baked sweet potato (kumera) in the microwave with steamed vege on top! Definitely a wonderful meal and very healthy...Yes, you would be correct in guessing that Travis was not here tonight so he missed out on this delicious concoction (somehow I doubt he is too upset by that!)

As my final comment, I do have to say that it is looking more and more like it was a wise decision for Travis to go back and fight fire during the summer. I am going to be swamped and it's probably best if I have the place to myself. I tend to talk out-loud and spread out EVERYWHERE as is evidenced by my apt right now! Not to mention that I love just eating whatever I want - as mentioned above - and having no one else to worry about. I will miss him tremendously, but I'm sure he will be glad not to be around all of my "crazy study" mess!! No doubt, my grades will be better as a result too. Hopefully when he gets back and I finish my second semester we can take a real vacation and enjoy some downtime together.

So, my focus the rest of this week will be on trying not to become too overwhelmed by the impending craziness that will soon be my life....To find peace in these stressful moments and to turn any worry into calm and quiet mindfulness.

"Make every effort to find stillness in the un-restful moments, and peace when your mind is worried." ~ Namaste

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I hear you on life being crazy! All we can do is be as prepared as possible and just go with the flow! Sweet potato and veggie messes never disappoint!