Ok this is the point where I’m like “I wish this thing was done already!” I want my social life back! Up to now, I was fine with having that same study/research/class/clinic routine, but now, i.want.it.done! Maybe I’ll feel better in the morning? Let’s hope so cause I’m only nearing the half-way mark.

Oh yes, I found a place. But what a horrible process it was! I was about to sign the lease on this minuscule apartment – scheduled the date and everything – but that same day I saw a new listing online, made an appointment to see it right after class, at NINE THIRTY (needless to say I was exhausted!) and when I got there to meet the realtor, I felt like I was in a HGTV episode of House Hunters. That put a smile on my face. Who knew that a NY realtor could be so outgoing, professional and warm at the same time??? Then we got to the actual apartment – AMAZING! So I put in an application right then and there, and had to wait a few excruciating days to find out if I got it. And I did! It so happens that Irena (the realtor) also went to St. John’s. Oh and get this, my school’s shuttle bus stops 2 blocks away. Perfect huh?! Anyway, now I’m de-boxing and putting things were they belong. Made good progress over the weekend, but still have a way to go. My cousin’s moving in June, and you better believe he’s gonna go with Irena (I’ll make him!). Come to think about it, my movers were pretty great too: lightning fast, professional and chatty (well I was in a good mood so that might have helped the chattiness). 
 
In other apartment news, I saw the cutest side table, and I’m determined to get it… If it’s still available on Saturday that is. Fingers crossed! Maybe I’ll post a pic if I can figure out how to do that.
 
Resourcces
 Irena at Aidonis Realty - http://aidonisrealty.com/contact-irena/
 MaxiMoving - http://maximoving.com/

Is not such a great thing to do right in the middle of the semester. I knew it would be hard, and it is, but it’s got to be done. Let’s hope that will be soon! What has been happening way too much lately is setting up appointments to see an apartment, but having the broker call to say that it has been rented before that day even comes around. How does this happen you wonder? Well, I can only make it to appointments on Fridays and weekends. Maybe on Thursdays, and that’s pushing it because I have a class that day and before class, there’s always lots of materials to read, papers to submit or some other school related task to do.  On Wednesdays I get home pretty late from a day of double clinics and pretty much crash when I get home. Tuesdays?
Back to back classes. Mondays? Same as Thursdays.

So where does that leave me? Daydreaming about having the next apartment I see be miraculously the perfect one and ending my search right then and there. What will most likely happen though, is re-adjusting that daydream after I see the first place so that the second one is the perfect one, then again doing some re-adjustment so that the
3rd place is the charm. And starting that whole cycle again the next day…

Oh boy, wish me luck!

Last week was my first week of clinic and I had my first clients for audiology clinic. My partners and I definitely had to dig deep to remember some of that stuff considering we’re speech students and all. But we did ok. I also have dysphagia clinic as you know, but I haven’t seen clients yet.

What classes, clinic, studying, papers, reports and editing Winning Speech add up to is little time to socialize. And I’m ok with that, I know what I signed up for. But what I think is ridiculous is certain friends (not all of them of course) not understanding that this program takes up most of my time and taking it personally when I can’t “hang out”. When I do manage to get some extra time, you better believe I use it to sleep or just hang at home. And if I do make it out, it has to be a mellow outing. What good does it do me to get home at 4am and be in slow  motion the next day? That’s a waste of a studying/editing day. And what about alone time? I LOVE alone time! Here are some of the things I hear:

 “I haven’t seen you in months!” Well, I’ve been in this program for more than months, so…
“I moved here since last year and have yet to see you” Thing is, I was in this program last year, went out of the country during my time off, came back right before school, so…

Well, I’m sure you get it. If anyone’s going to get it it’s you since you’re going through the same. So what are some of the things that your friends have told you?

A new semester has started. Hopefully I’ll keep my resolution not to procrastinate. But I have to say, I’m not too sure how that’s gonna go. I am a master procrastinator.

I’m taking dysphagia (swallowing) this semester. It’s a hands on class takes place at a nursing home and I’m really excited about it. I was dying to get my hands dirty (didn’t have any clinical practicum during the first semester). This past Thursday was our first meeting and we were warned that “this is the one class where you can actually kill someone”. Scary stuff, but I’m also excited about the work. All the girls I met who already took that class raved about it so I know I’m going to learn a lot and that it’ll be fun learning. I’m so jazzed about it J (since this is a blog, I figured smileys are ok. I successfully tried to restrain myself last semester, but since this is a blog, I decided I can be free to be me).

Boy sighting: There’s a guy in another of my classes that I didn’t know last semester. So we’re at a total of 3 men that I know of in the program.

As you can guess, I am now much more comfortable with journal articles, know what a research proposal is and was loaded with work.

Today I had an articulation final, an oral presentation and an acoustic project due. I did it all but jeez till the very last minute I was busy. I could only breathe once I gave my artic exam back to the prof. I have to say I’m a bit to blame. I did that project this morning at the last minute. So I woke up early to get to the lab before any other student (in case there were other procrastinators like me and there were), did the lab assignment, ate, sequestered myself to an empty classroom where I revised my artic notes for an hour, then practiced the oral presentation. After that, I ran to the computer lab just one floor above, printed some notes (I decided to make some edits on the oral presentation), made my way to acoustics class where I handed in the lab project along with everyone else and took my turn addressing the class and the professor. Just like many of my classmate who were going on to take the artic final right after, I revised some more while others were presenting (sorry gals, you know how it is), then headed to my last final.

And now I can breathe! I’m going to sleep for days and weeks.  I’ll sleep in NY while the not so cold winter does its thing, will sleep on the beach in sunny Haiti (heading there for the holidays, that’s where I grew up!) for the holidays, will probably sleep on the plane coming back to NY until this whole thing starts again. One thing is sure, I’ll definitely make up for the lost sleep.

Note to self: Next semester, do all my work on time. No more procrastinating. I’ll let you guys know how this goes.

Yes I kn0w what they are, but I had not guessed that we would be using them so extensively. Every single one of my classes uses them A LOT. Even though we have textbooks, everything that is said in class, every notion that we learn is backed by a peer reviewed article (journal article). It makes sense since we have to see the source of the info we learn and since this is a research centric school.

What doesn’t make sense though is their content. In undergrad we never had to actually analyze them so deeply, the professor gave us the jist of the article the rare times that one was mentioned. I guess it’s because this is all new. Reading one of these babies takes A LONG TIME. Thought I would be done with an acoustics one I was just reading in an hour, well no such luck. And again, the other girls feel the same way. Hopefully this goes faster as the weeks go by. It has to… I hope.

So you’ve been warned people, if you’re new to journal articles, allocate a good chunk of time to reading and understanding them. I’ll admit though that some are easier to understand than others. It varies with the subject. Out of all the classes I’m taking, acoustics ones are the toughest!

Ok, so I’m no longer nervous or intimidated. I’m surprised how fast  I came around, especially since that first undergrad day scenario lasted most of the first year and I remained pretty reserved til graduation. Well that’s a good change.

Ok, so the syllabi: the only words that seem to make sense in all of them are “midterm” and “final”. There’s a bunch of other assignments on there that I’ve never done before, so I have no clue what they mean! Well, at least I’m not alone: the other new girls feel the same. Quite a relief actually.

And my God, the work load is IMMENSE! My school is focused on research so we have a lot of writing to do – All things that I’ve never done before of course: critical reviews, research proposals… For each class, the most that the midterm and finals account for is 45%. Now that’s scary. To have so much of the grade based on work that is new to me is quite unsettling. Hey, the more advanced students did it, so that’s a reassurance that it’s doable.

Oh and the lone guy is not so alone, there are two of them in one of my classes. They must feel a little awkward... But I guess there was undergrad to get over that.

Today was definitely a bit nerve racking. Nothing like in undergrad when all my things kept falling on the floor: I’d bend down to pick up a pencil, then my pen would fall. I’d go back down for the pen, then my ruler and whiteout would go down. It was an embarrassing cycle. Today was more because I felt like a novice.

I expected to be in classes with first semester grad students only (I’m not saying girls cause there was a lone guy at our orientation), but instead, more advanced students were also in the class. Didn’t expect that. So yeah, I thought I’d better keep my mouth shut. Wouldn’t want to say something wrong that would be basic knowledge for them. I guess that’s called being intimidated. Yep, I think I was.