My apologies for avoiding you for 2 weeks. I promised to write more regularly so I'll continue to work on it. The humor behind this is that so much has happened lately but the more there is to talk about the more reluctant I am to write! On a personal level, I had a ground shaking experience this past week. The last time I saw my mother was when my little sister and I waved goodbye to her in the airport 14 years ago. She went home to her family in the Philippines and we haven't heard from her since. Until last week, I didn't know a thing about that side of my family or whether or not my mother was still alive. Last week I received a friend request from a man with the same last name as my mom and in all honesty I was hesitant to accept the request. I wasn't sure whether or not I was willing to open that door because of the potential flood of emotions that could ensue (and did). Long story short, I accepted the request from the mystery man who turned out to by my mom's youngest brother and have learned so much, whether its for better or worse I'm not sure yet. What I do know for sure is that it's very likely I will never see my mom again because of the present circumstances. All I can do is trust in God's will and pray for her health and well being. There's still a very long, dark path to be traveled.
On a lighter note, I'm starting to get into a rhythm in school. Classes are manageable and getting more interesting. My irregular class schedule has become routine but 8-5's will never be easy; this might be due to amount of Independent Study time we have... (too much). The curriculum at Case is a hybrid Problem Based Learning (PBL) system. In addition to lecture we have sessions where the class is divided into groups, we are given a case to analyze/investigate/debate and ultimately determine what to learn in order to understand the topic. Each group has a facilitator that keeps them on track. This form of learning is supposed to stimulate critical thinking skills and provide an opportunity to apply recently acquired information in lecture. PBL is a more modern approach to academics and has been implemented in most medical schools' curriculum for a long while. This is one of those topics where "different strokes for different folks" can be applied because everybody learns differently.
This last week we started Preventative Periodontics. It has been SO refreshing learning clinical based information! Its exciting getting familiar with our instruments and most importantly the mouth! So far we are learning about the gingiva (gums, for the lamen), how to diagnose periodontal disease, and how to detect calculus (tartar). One of the things I'm having trouble with is holding my instruments. For some reason, I'm just not comfortable with the "modified pen grasp". My hand cramps when I use my ring finger as an anchor but it won't be long before this is all muscle memory and a thing of the past. Hopefully I pick up on this quickly before I start working on my partner!
Outside of class, Regan and I have been working diligently to put the living room together. For now, we still have a cot for a couch and moving box for a tv stand but we're fishing around for deals. I'm totally comfortable with the set up but she's not :-P ... at least we have a dinette and coffee table! Our current list of things to do include going to the zoo (next weekend hopefully) and driving to New York in the near future. I want to congratulate her on being accepted to another university located in CA! She has a difficult decision to make but I fully support any decision she makes and trust that our relationship can handle it.
I'm starting to get to know my classmates much better and they are beautiful people! Yesterday a group of us had a bbq, threw a frisbee around while having drinks, watched some football, and went out to the bars! We even kept our discussions about school to a relaxing minimum. It's moments like these that make me appreciate what dental school has to offer. It's approximately one month before winter sets in Cleveland and you can already feel the icy breeze creeping in. A group of us just started intramural flag football and lost our first game to the law students (Booo). At least we can enjoy the weather before were all locked up in doors.
"Ladies and gentleman it's been so lovely" communicating to you how life is on my end but it's time for me to get my head in the books. Have a wonderful week! Oh and PLEASE comment on topics I can provide more content on or things that you'd like me to include. I think you can comment anonymously!
Modified Pen Grasp
Saturday Night!
Lingual Aspect
Facial Aspect
I got to pick up this lil guy. RIP baby squirrel!
This is the prep where each wax up begins
Meet my first patient, Paul
SIM Clinic
My first canine wax up
Mesial cutting arm is facial... =(
This weeks sleepers!
Pizza Party at Waldorf Tower!
Modified Pen Grasp
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