It's competition!

Our first class today was Cell Biology.

The subject in itself is really not that challenging... what is so difficult about cell walls and plasma membranes I don't know, but I suppose it's kind of the stepping stone for us to move on to more difficult things.

So today we donned our lab coats, switched on the microscopes and made slides of onion cells, plant cells and cheek cells... I'm not telling you how fun it was to scrape cells out of our cheeks with a syringe but you can imagine!

The whole exercise was actually really cool, we managed to see tiny little parts of the cells which would be impossible to see otherwise (though I was a bit disappointed when the teacher pointed out that what Simon and I were looking at was just a blob and not really one of my cells...) and it was fascinating.

Eventually we got there and, coloured crayons at hand, we got to draw some beautiful cell masterpieces!
After that we went for lunch (well... it was supposed to be breakfast but we were so hungry that it ended up being lunch!) and then back to class for Chemistry.

Unfortunately something happened to our teacher and he wasn't there but we got to sit with our tutor and discuss all the ins and outs of our course.

It was very good to get a few things sorted, clear up the air on some issues and, though it was nice to know that there may be the chance for more than just 5 to get into St Andrews (provided of course we all get the requested grades) it was also made pretty clear that it's a remote possibility and we are competing against each other...

I don't know how I really feel about it... I love to help people and this situation kind of puts me in the position where I have to keep what I know for myself (except for sharing it with Simon of course) and behave like I am not that clever or not that focused or even not that bothered...

I suppose there is a reason for everything and maybe I need this experience to grow up into the independent, free thinking and capable doctor I want to become, I just hope it won't change the type of person I already am and I really like to be...

But for the moment it's "open-season" so I have to deal with it!


On the bright side - because there is always a bright side - I arrived home, parked the car, got out into the rain and there I saw him... aimlessly crawling right in the middle of the sidewalk...


"They're going to squash you if you don't get out of the way, little one!"
He stopped for a moment, just like if he understood me and then kept on crawling...
"Right, talking to you isn't going to help, I know..."

So, totally ignoring the repulsion I feel for bugs, I put my hand right in front of him, let him crawl onto it, lifted him and put him right in the middle of the garden under a bush...
He started crawling again... yes, in the direction of the sidewalk... I wander if he really had to get somewhere and I delayed his journey...

But I feel good about it, and for now, saving a worm's life just made my day...