Hello again!
Haven't written in a while because things have pretty much been absolute madness. I'm about half way finished this semester at JMU (it's gone by a bit too quickly), and when I've escaped from Burruss (the Biology building) and the genetics lab for a while I still enjoy swing dancing to de-stress. Nothing too terribly new here is going on, the same old stressing with classes and grades while trying to scavenge some sort of a social life is an interesting balancing act but one I seem to manage with a few ups and downs.
Today is the first day back to classes after a lovely week off for Spring Break and while I enjoyed not having to pull any all-nighters or cram sessions for a week. Unfortunately, I also realised just how little of the semester is left and the prospect of my Chemistry and Calculus grades frightens me like little else can. Also with the end of the semester drawing near, so does the trip for Africa... and the impending doom of however am I going to pay for all of this. True, the program itself is cheaper then many summer abroad or internship programs... but three grand is still a ton of money for an unemployed college student. Plus airfare, spending money, equipment, and vaccinations... Let's just say I'm a tad bit worried.
Personally, I think that people who are afraid of needles shouldn't have to shell out a lot of money to be tortured... but that's just me.
This past Thursday I went on a lovely trip around the Beltway to the Passport Health Clinic. Actually they had wonderful service. The nurse Jackie talked me through everything from mosquito netting and bug spray to rabies vaccinations to make sure I understood everything and was well informed. I learned something new: The area of South Africa I'm travelling to has a high risk area for Malaria and also provides a lovely home to new virulent strains of Polio and Tuberculosis, as well as a plethora of other parasites and diseases I can contract by something as simple as food or water. Wonderful!
What is a trip across the world without a little bit of Russian Roulette thrown into every meal!?!
The thing about my vaccinations that really got me was the price of the preventative Rabies vaccination. Shouldn't there be some sort of insurance for people who work with animals that they can write this off or something. I mean, rabies is not something you want to mess with... so it's pretty much required for my line of work. I think Blue Cross should have my back on this one. Three shots over four weeks = rabies antibodies all in my lovely immune system = empty bank account. I'm not a fan.
On the plus side, while I was being turned into a human pin-cushion Jackie told me she was using the "pink" version. Yes, because that makes it all better. I came out of the classic rock trance I put myself into when attempting to fight the phobia to needles - and was actually surprised to find the vaccination a translucent hot pink. Weird.
Later that day I went to visit my twin (fraternal) Allison at UMD and told her of this awkward fact concerning my rabies vaccination.... I'm not exactly sure what type of response I was expecting, but "OHHHH! So your blood is PINK!" was definitely not it.
So this is for my twin. No matter how stressed I am with school, finances, or social issues; I can always rely on you to say something that will make me burst out laughing four days later in calculus class.
~Mia
~ The Twin and I at a Maryland football game... yes, the height difference is a little redic. ~
