The Beginning of the End

Good morning, afternoon or evening! Today is Monday November 30 and I am only 5 days away from home!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am! I have completed my paper for Wednesday and just have a few revisions to change and today I am going to complete my paper for Thursday! It feels so good to be almost done with my tutorials! When I look at the calendar I can actually see December 5th at the end of the week!

So, this week I am having my normal Wednesday tutorial at 3:30 and then we (the other girl my tutor is teaching and me) are having dinner at our tutor's college. Although she hasn't told me exactly what time, I assume that it will be after my tutorial. And then I have moved my Friday tutorial up to Thursday at noon, just so I can get it out of the way and not have to worry about it all week. I plan on a doing a little shopping this week as well and pick up a few last minute gifts for my family :) And then at some point I want to just walk around for the day and take some last pictures of Oxford. Unfortunately the weather says its supposed to rain all week so we will have to see if the weather will hold out for me to take pictures.

Well, that is all for now! My last blog entry will probably be on Saturday morning on the way to the airport. I can't wait to get home!!!

Quote
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Vince Lombardi

7th Week

7th week is now drawing to a close and I'm so excited! Tomorrow is Thursday, where has this week gone?! I'm so excited to be home in 10 days!

I have 2 papers left to write and I have attempted to complete one today but I am struggling. I'm so anxious for this to be done and to be on my way home, but I know that I need to focus and still do my last 2 essays well. I hung out at Starbucks for most of the day with my friend and people watched for a good portion of the time. I did a little bit of reading but that was unsuccessful, I'm not very good at focusing when I'm in public.

I saw someone playing a musical saw. Yes, really it's a real thing, but I wouldn't call it an instrument exactly, but you should look it up! Well, I should probably try to get something done today so I am going to go do some reading. I hope you are all well!

Quote:
Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
Bertolt Brecht

A&E Drama

Well A&E-2 Me-0

After Wednesday's visit I am slightly discouraged about universal healthcare. Sure it seems like a great idea, let's help those who don't have insurance or can't afford it. BUT, and this is a big but folks, at the expense of proper medical care? Really?

On the second visit I went through triage. Estimated waiting time was 2 hours. I was seen in about an hour and a half. The doctor I was seen by was probably one of the rudest people I have ever met. I told him what happened Monday and what Dr. Tuten (one of mom's friends) said, and he asked me why I questioned the doctor's judgment. I responded with what Dr. Tuten said and that I needed a boot for my foot and that I wanted an x-ray. After asking me a few other questions very exasperatedly he said "Fine, we can do the x-ray but you should know that it increases your risk of cancer and infertility. I guarantee your x-ray will be 100% normal."

"Really? Cancer & infertility!?? Are you sure you're a doctor and not Captain Obvious??!" is what I wanted to shout at him at the top of my lungs. But instead of stooping to his "cheeky" level I took the little pink form and crutched over to x-ray like a decent human being would do. I was x-rayed and returned to the exam room with my flatmate Sasha so that I could be sure I wasn't crazy about this man's rudeness. He, after sitting at the nurse's station for 5 minutes finally told me to go back to the exam room I was in and he followed us in. He said there is no fracture on the x-ray like I told you there wouldn't be. I responded with "Not all stress fractures show up on x-ray right away." He didn't seem to care for what I had to say, so I finally told him that my doctor said I should get a boot. He said "we only give boots to people with fractures." He repeated this probably 5 times, as if I was hard of hearing, and then walked out of the room with no good bye or good luck or any kind of closing remark.

I returned back to the flat I spoke with my wonderfully awesome parents. They were a bit miffed, just as I was, but Mom took care of it and got a boot from Dr. Tuten. I am extremely grateful to both of my parents!! It was not cheap to send that boot over here, but it will be ridiculously nice to be able to walk on my feet again and not use those quite awful crutches!!! So a big THANK YOU!!!! to my parents! Taxis are expensive here and while I do still have money in my account I am trying to come home with some to save for the wedding!

This week has been pretty hectic and tiresome to say the least. Thank goodness it is Friday and I can relax. Next week I meet with my Wednesday tutor on Monday and then the Friday tutor as usual, on Friday. I have only 3 more papers to go and then I will be Oxford Alumna!!! 15 days to go before I take my airplane home :)

Quote:
Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.
~ W. Clement Stone

Wrong Diagnosis

Well, here it is Wednesday and my foot is still swollen and painful. I sent Mom some pictures and a description of what happened and how my foot was feeling and where. She works with an orthopedic surgeon so he looked at the pictures and checked out my little note and decided that it wasn't Morton's Neuroma, it was a stress fracture. Yes, he is 3,000 miles away and pictures aren't as helpful as seeing it in person but at the same time I think he probably took more time to look my letter and pictures over than the doctor here did looking at my foot! So I called the A & E (accident and emergency dept) of the hospital I went to on Monday. I told them that I had been there and diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma. I then told them that my orthopedic surgeon concluded that I didn't have Morton's Neuroma and that it was a stress fracture and that I needed a moon boot, which would take pressure off of the front of my foot and put it on my heel. Apparently here it is called a wedge boot. Anywho, I was told that I have to come back to the A & E and register again and wait again and then see a doctor again and that I can explain the circumstances to him/her. So after my tutorial at 3:30 I will be grabbing another cab and heading back to John Radcliffe Hospital and hopefully heading home with a moon boot. :sigh: I really hope that this is not the shining example of socialized healthcare, because to be honest I was quite optimistic about the whole thing. We'll see how tonight's visit goes and then I will make my decision as to whether or not I find it efficient and practical. I'll post again soon! :)

Quote:
"I think; therefore I am." ~Rene Descartes

Stonhenge, Bath, & a Bad Foot

Good afternoon!

This past Saturday I went to Stonehenge and Bath. It was a rather dismal day, it poured at Stonehenge, to the point that the wind was blowing the rain sideways and it stung as it hit you. It managed to clear up for a little while, just long enough so that we could snap a few photographs. Bath was nothing too impressing in my opinion. I think I am more of a nature girl. I'm not so interested in seeing ruins that lie in the middle of a city. But nonetheless the trip was worth it and I saw some interesting sights.

Sunday was basically a resting day I didn't do very much work. However, today I was supposed to be writing my paper but that didn't exactly happen. Last night I noticed that my foot was hurting a little bit and thought that maybe I had stepped funny or something and brushed it off. This morning I woke up to a stiff, swollen, and painful left foot. I decided to call my parents, although it was 4:30AM for them, and asked what I should do. The pain was quite severe and I couldn't even put my foot on the ground to walk. Luckily there was a pair of crutches in the basement and so I used those to go to the local health clinic with one of my flatmates.

Upon arrival at the clinic we were told that all the urgent care appointments were taken and that our best option was to visit the A & E (accident and emergency room). We called  a taxi and headed there. We got there I registered, which consisted of giving my name and addresses (both here and the US) and then answering what kind of ethnicity I was from a chart comprised of listings such as: Irish white, British white, other kind of white (me) and so on. It was quite surprising. We then sat down and watched another 10 people come in and register, one of which was a pair of girls. One girl said she had a rash and I believe I heard the nurse ask if she had taken any drugs and then the girl said LSD. I'm not positive I heard this correctly, but I did see her take something out of her pocket and give it to her friend.

Anyways, I got an internal viewpoint of the universal healthcare system here and can't complain too much. I was triaged within 10 minutes of arrival and waited about 2 1/2 hours to be seen. I was with the doctor for about 10 minutes I would say, and while he was rather nice I left questioning his diagnosis. I was originally told they would take blood work but then the doctor told me that this wasn't needed. I wasn't even given an x-ray because the doctor didn't think it was a break. So basically I went back sat on a bed and he looked at my foot and said I think it's Morton's Neuroma. Which he told me basically means that the nerve in between my bones is inflamed or crushed. They aren't sure what causes it but say that years of wearing high heels or excessive pressure can be linked to it. Well I don't wear high heels very often at all and I'm not fat so I don't think I put excessive pressure on it. I would have to say that on the bright side my visit was free (not that they actually did any tests or anything).

And so I am let uncomfortable and in pain. Tylenol is what I was told to take even though I said it didn't help. So now I must hobble around Oxford until my foot magically heals itself, I am a bit skeptical of this whole diagnosis but I will take it at face value and hope that my foot gets better soon so I can actually walk. I'm not thrilled about using the crutches but taking a taxi everywhere is going to get costly and pretty old.  But I guess if it's what I have to do then it's what I will have to do.

With that, I must say that it is nice to visit an ER and not pay a dime other than the cab fare to get there. However, I am left with the uneasy feeling that the diagnosis I got was rather unfounded. But, I have the reassurance of my mother that once I get home we will see a proper doctor and have it checked out. :) I hope that it won't still be swollen and painful by then though. I hope you are all well and I can't believe we are finally into the teens! Only 19 more days until I am home!

Quote:

Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle.

~ Martha Washington

My reaction this quote: perhaps feet shouldn't be so small if they bear such great responsibility in keeping your entire body standing... Just a thought! :)

Week 5 Blues

This week we all received an e-mail from the program director about 5th week blues. Apparently it is "a well documented phenomena." I would have to say that most of our house is doing pretty well in dealing with the 5th week blues. No one seems to be to depressed or too homesick. We all are of course, but we try to get by. After all I only have 24 more days to go!

I saw the new animated "Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey. It was really good but I think a little dark for younger children. I would have to say that it was a good representation of the book. And it was in 3D, so if you want to get in the Christmas spirit go see it!

My tutorial today was canceled, my tutor said she had a lot of work that piled up this weekend and early this week and she didn't feel that she had enough time to fully go over my essay. So next week I will have 3 tutorials (I think that will be my blue week). I have 2 more essays for that class and 4 more for the Friday class.


As far as the wedding planning goes, I have been looking at photographers in the area and sending out e-mails to figure out prices and packages. I think I like the photojournalistic approach. Some of the prices are more than I was expecting but I guess after the day is done pictures are really the only things, other than memories, you have left of that special day. So don't want to skimp in that department!

Let's see what else is going on... I am going to Bath and Stonehenge this weekend so I will have some pictures to upload on Sunday. I think I have covered everything. I think I am finally coming to the realization that I am getting married next October. I think it will be more real once I get home :) If you have any suggestions or recommendations about the wedding please do let me know! I hope everything is going brilliantly for everyone!

Quote of the day:
Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.
Louis D. Brandeis

Another Wednesday

Good Afternoon!

Another Wednesday is upon us. This week my prompt for my jurisprudence essay was: Does law claim to be morally obligatory? It's an interesting concept to think about, but difficult to argue when you have various philosophers pulling you in opposite directions. But I think that this week should go well, hopefully :) After finishing my essay I was going over the prompt for next week and suddenly realized that I only have 3 more essays to write for this class! How wonderful!!!! That made my morning.

This Friday I don't have my contemporary political thought tutorial because my don (professor) is out of town at a conference. So I will meet with him next week and extend my meetings until 8th week. My jurisprudence tutorial is supposed to end on 7th week but we have the option of presenting 7th week or of writing an extended essay and submitting it on 8th week. Originally I thought I would do the extended essay option, but now that I'm thinking about it I would rather just finish in 7th week and only have one essay to worry about the week before I leave.

I signed up for my last semester at Mason!!!! I can't believe that I am going to be graduating in the spring! It's been a quick 3 years now that I look back on it, although I'm sure I wasn't thinking that as everything was happening. But I achieved my goal of finishing in 3 years, sure it took a lot of hard work and a few sacrifices here and there but it was a good decision I believe. So in the spring I am taking: Psychology- Developmental Psychology, Statistics 250- Intro to Stats, Government 496- Honors Seminar, and finally Global and Community Health 205- International Health. Why all the health classes you ask? Well I am taking prerequisites for nursing school in the spring so that I can apply to VCU School of Nursing next winter (2010). I will have to take human anatomy and physiology while I am in Richmond but that shouldn't be a problem! (JP my dad said that you took stats at U of R, any advice?? I'd appreciate it!) This spring will be lightest class load since starting college!

My honors seminar is a class that select students are invited to take, there are 2 courses: 491 which is being held at GMU currently and 496 which is held in the Spring. After being accepted into this program, which basically means that you will graduate with departmental honors after writing an insane thesis, I told them that I would not be here in the fall to take the first course. They assured me that was fine and that I could pick up the spring course. However, what I wasn't told was the volume of work that the students are doing currently to prepare for the spring semester. I finally got in touch with the professor running the program this year, after several phone calls and unanswered emails, who was kind enough to send me the syllabus. :gasp!: After seeing the syllabus I was afraid that there would be no way for me to get on track for the spring. This semester they are creating: an annotated bibliography (basically a compilation of sources and a short description of why each source is relevant to your topic), a research proposal (including an abstract, introduction, methodology, relevance, etc), a project notebook, literature review, research methodology description, topic selection & supporting documents, and a research project presentation. PHEW! Was that enough for you?? Not to mention they are finding a faculty mentor who will essentially guide them through the research process this spring and give them their final grade for the course (at least that is what I understand). Obviously, I am here in Oxford already busting my hump to get this work done and the prospect of having to do all that work is daunting. Upon receipt of the syllabus from the professor, I sent him an email asking what portions of the syllabus I would need to complete for the spring. I also emails a professor asking if he could be my faculty adviser.

I suppose it would be helpful to know what I am going to do my thesis on: Public Perceptions of Muslims in Western Europe, The United Kingdom, and The United States After September 11, 2001. I did a research paper here on the same subject but without the US portion. I am a government and international studies major so I thought it would be appropriate to do a comparative study and to base my research on something that I did here in Oxford. So we will see if that is an acceptable topic. Hopefully I will hear back from the professor about being my faculty adviser... his interests pair pretty well with the area of research I want to do and he is quite worldly.

Tonight there is a drinks party (what we would call a cocktail party) with our adviser here and other students and tutors. It's from 6-7:30, so some housemates and I decided we would go for a little while as we all have a good deal of work to get done by the end of the week. I can't believe it's Wednesday already! I have only 7 more papers to write while I'm here! Sure that equates to roughly 49 pages of writing but it seems like nothing! Only 31 days away from my family and fiancé! I can't wait to get home and hug everyone, that's what I miss the most: hugs. And of course I can't wait to eat the feast that my dad promises me will be waiting when I get back! :) I hope you are all doing well and that life's little obstacles aren't getting in your way too much!

I think I will end the rest of my blog entries with a quote. Here is today's:
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer
- Robert Frost