Aaaaaand we're back!

I've been completely MIA. I can even hear Mrs. Weasley's voice screeching, "Where have you been?!" The truth is I've been incredibly busy with school (vet school is no joke!) in addition to partaking in Scottish shenanigans with shocking regularity.


So where did I leave off... ah yes. Animal Body 1 (AB1) is now finished! After 4 weeks of anatomy lectures, and cadaver filled practicals I was feeling very knowledgable but horribly animal deprived. I just want to pet something alive and formalin free! Is that too much to ask?! Seriously. It's gotten pretty bad as I've never been without a pet of some kind.
I was reduced to chasing stray cats...

And staring like a creeper at dogs in the park.

Anyways, moving on to school! I first had an oral exam where I had to showcase my knowledge to the best of my abilities within 10 minutes. Though it was only worth 5% of my grade, it was extremely nerve wracking. I'm pretty sure I was talking incoherently fast at times since my examiner was very intimidating. She had a stony poker face that left me doubting myself.
Her: Which nerve innervates these muscles?
Me: The radial nerve.
Her: Are you sure? *Unyielding poker face
Me: Yes? Um.. wait. No. Wait. *F!*&t9$#
Harumph. Let's just say that oral exam format is not my favourite.

Two days later I took the written portion of my exam worth 95% of my grade. Realising that my exams could leave me weeping in despair, I proactively planned a post-exam trip to Ireland with my friend Dale. More on this later! Fortunately, the written exam wasn't as bad as I expected! There were 9 short answer questions and 30 MCQs. I should mention that grades are completely different in the UK than they are the US. To "pass" you need a 50+, for a "credit" you need a 60+, and for a "distinction" (the best rating possible) you need a 70+, and no one can ever really score 90+. It's a very challenging system and takes some getting used to.

I ended up receiving a distinction and as you could imagine, I was absolutely thrilled.

Sadly, it's back to work for me. AB2 is here, bringing the pleasures of immunology, inflammation, parasitology, bacteriology, and virology. So many -ologies, so little time!