4 Down

Well, I have finished my first month here in Cork.  So far it has been pretty easy.  I am very much not used to this light workload.  Even though I was constantly tired, I do miss my 50+ hour weeks.  I have so much down time right now. I hope that changes soon.

This week was a bit different then the other thus far.  On Monday, we had our first cadaver lab.  The specimens were already dissected, so, sadly, we don't get to do any of that.  Its been a while since I have been around preserved bodies and body parts.  Almost forgot the lovely smell of formaldehyde.  The other girls in the program did well with their first experiences.  I don't believe anyone fainted or anything. Kind of a bummer. Laguna Pathology had a good record of making people pass out so I was hoping that would continue.  The laboratory facility they have is very nice.  It just opened and we are one of the first classes to use the facility.  Working in brand new labs is always nice.  The staff on the other hand was a different story.  There was almost no direction, it felt like a self exploratory lesson.  There were staff members to answer questions, but you had to approach them and ask specific questions.  Even with experience, I was confused on some issues.  I can only imagine how the other students, who have never seen a dead body, felt.  I ended up assuming the role of a tutor or something for several other students who were confused.  They weren't getting help from the staff and I was already explaining it to some of the girls in my program.  So yeah, that was anatomy.  I have that lab every Monday from now on.

Tuesday and Wednesday were busy as we had our normal classes and then we had to make up for the two classes that we had skipped last week.  Lots of lecture and discussion of the readings.  Not very fun.  On Tuesday night the immigration office was having extended hours for students to apply for their green cards.  I headed there after class and stood in the very long line.  After 3 hours of waiting, and with only 3 people in front of me, they informed us that they weren't going to see any more people.  3 hours wasted.  After I got back home, I changed and got ready to meet up with some of the girls from the program at a pub for a drink.  It was a very fin night out.  There was a pub quiz going on.  We missed the first round but did well anyways.  I think next week we are going to try again, and be a tad earlier.

Thursday I went to Dublin along with the rest of the archaeology program and a few other students to attend a conference at the Royal Irish Academy.  We had to meet at the department at 6am, then sit on a bus for 3+ hours.  Not the most fun way to start off the day.  I saw a little bit of Dublin from the window.  Passed by the Guinness Storehouse.  The talks were pretty boring for the most part.  Except for one experimental archaeology paper that looked at the effectiveness of an early bronze age weapon.  They tested the weapon against sheep heads (left overs from a slaughterhouse). They were quite effective.  The wooden bench-like chairs we had to sit on didn't help the boring nature of the talks and knowing that when it was all over we had another long bus ride back to cork made the day seem like a year.

Friday was an even longer and more annoying day.  I woke up early again to head down to the immigration office to apply for my green card.  There was already a huge line.  I made it all the way to the front when they said they were gong to close for lunch.  3 hours of standing in line already and now I had to wait 2 hours for them to re-open.  Once they re-opened, I was first one up.  They reviewed my paperwork and informed me that my letter of financial aid from the college is not acceptable as proof of finances.  This sucks.  Spent 5 hours in line waiting, plus the 3 from earlier in the week, only to be turned away after 30 seconds.  Now I have to figure out how I am going to secure the money I need to demonstrate proof of finances.  If only my bug would have sold then there would be no issue.

So finally, after I thought I was getting adjusted and settled in, I am back to square one.  Let's just hope I still have a few tricks left.