SO! I really want to fill ya'll in on the happenings here in Baltimore. I'll try to keep it (relatively) brief though. I arrived on the east coast 2 weeks ago, and was so lucky to have my mom join me for the journey! There was a little delay with flights... my poor mom got stuck in Denver overnight due to a thunderstorm, but she finally arrived in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon. We planned a trip up to New York City for the weekend, so it was cut a bit short, but we made the drive up the coast through New Jersey and arrived early Saturday evening to our gorgeous little hotel in downtown NYC. Side note -- I HIGHLY recommed the Gild Hall Hotel for anyone thinking of traveling to New York! We were upgraded to the suite, and it was a spectacular room. Here are a couple photos to give you an idea:
Yeah. Wow. So, after dropping off our bags, my mom and I took a walk down Wall Street (note the NYSE in the previous photo) and then over to Ground Zero. I had seen it on previous trips to NYC, but each time I walk by there I pay my respects and take a moment to remember those lives lost on that day 8 years ago. We then hailed a taxi up to Greenwich Village and SoHo and walked around before settling into a little eatery serving delicious salads. By that time, it was quite late, so we returned to our incredible room. Sunday morning we explored the Subway system, taking a ride up to Times Square and then over to Fifth Avenue. My mom had never been to New York, so I wanted to show her my favorite parts of the city. It was fun to share this with her, as it is one of my favorite places in the world! Then it was off to church at the temple building on the Upper West Side, which was a fun experience. The Manhattan Temple is a unique and very special building, and quite a bright light in the middle of the city. After church, we took a stroll through Central Park and then it was time for us to make our way to dinner before making the drive back to Baltimore. All in all, a fun and memorable trip through NYC with my mom. I feel so fortunate that she was able and willing to share that experience with me :)
Last week was kind of a blur... My mom and I arrived in Baltimore Sunday night, and spent the next couple days getting me settled into my new apartment. I live in the Mount Vernon area of Baltimore, near Inner Harbor... I don't want to bore you with details, but this is the historic area of Baltimore and Inner Harbor is the "touristy" area of the city. It's a quaint little neighborhood, and I love it here! Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week were spent at my new home -- the Anne Pinkard School of Nursing Building on The Johns Hopkins Medical Center campus. It's a beautiful building... and I'm going to know it quite well, as I spend 75% of my waking hours there. I was introduced to my fellow students and faculty, and we learned about what we are to expect for our next 13.5 months here in Baltimore.... lots and lots and lots of classes and clinicals and studying! But I am excited and eager to begin the necessary preparation to become a nurse!
Last weekend, before the craziness that would start on Monday, my roommate Amy and I went to Annapolis to explore the city and the Naval Academy. It was exactly what I had imagined -- an idyllic little snapshot of early colonial America. We enjoyed walking the cobble streets, eating frozen yogurt (Pinkberry-esque) and just marveling at the historic buildings. The Naval Academy was quite a sight as well - we toured the grounds, and walked past a wedding party outside the chapel, with the guys dressed to the nines in their full naval officer attire. After exploring the town, we made our way to the local mall and movie theater to see UP (the new Pixar movie) and loved it!! It was such a cute, funny movie with such a simple, sweet message.
Here are some snapshots of Annapolis:
Then Monday arrived... what a whirlwind this week has been. Seriously. We have classes from 8-5 or 6 everyday, either lecture or lab, and then my one day of clinical I have been assigned to the spinal cord injury unit of a nearby hospital. The faculty here at JHU is wonderful, so warm and welcoming and eager to teach us all that they know. It makes going to class for 10 hours a lot easier when you are listening to someone enthusiastic about the material! I will get into more detail about my classes in the upcoming weeks, but these are the classes that I'm taking:
- Principles and Applications of Nursing (with an additional lab)
- Foundations of Nursing (including clinical)
- Health Assessment (with an additional lab)
- Trends and Issues in Nursing
- Issues in Aging
It's quite the course load... and all in 10 weeks! Needless to say, I am going to be quite overwhelmed with reading and studying and homework throughout this semester. But we are constantly reminded that it is manageable... and that we can have a life of our own. Actually, they encourage us to maintain balance in our lives, and I'm glad that they do.... because I think that I would go a bit crazy with stress and anxiety if I didn't! I actually took a hot yoga class on Tuesday night... and it was a great workout and release, but I was not used to that level of heat so I almost passed out! I'll be more prepared with water next time... haha. But now it is the weekend, and I finally have a moment to process the information that has been thrown at me these past 5 days... so once things get a bit more settled, I'll let you in on the classes and my experiences as a nursing student! Hopefully I'll be able to live up to the reputation that I'll exude when I wear my new white coat... :)
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