End of the Semester Update/thank you Starbucks

End of Semester Update:

So, the semester is almost over! I cannot believe that tomorrow will be our last exam and then we have a break to relax and unwind (thank goodness).  I have been spending waaaay too much time and money at Starbucks studying and luckily I have yet to have a MI (although there is still time lol). After reflecting upon this first semester, I really cannot believe how much I have learned about pharmacology and what medications to use for what diseases/common ailments.  You don't really realize how much you have learned until one of your friends are sick and you can tell them how their cold medication works or what antihistamines will make them sleepy or not and you just start rambling off mechanisms of action and side effects.  Then you realize that every time a family member is sick they start calling you and asking what medications would work or would this new medication they are on be causing these side effects and you have to tell them, well, I think it could be this, but I am not a doctor yet so you should probably just call them haha. Not only is it awesome to be able to understand so much more about how drugs work, but to be able to apply this to everyday life is pretty awesome as well!

Overall, this semester has been a busy transition from the move down to New Orleans, to adjusting to being in school again after a few years of working at Mass General after receiving my BS, but it has been really worthwhile.  I have met some amazing people in this program and made some great friends and have been able to give back to the community along the way.  Some goals for next semester are to try and get out more and enjoy New Orleans! Now that I am settled in and have one semester almost in the books, I want to explore and enjoy the city :).

Total Community Service Hours:

Habitat for Humanity: 8 hours a day..3 times this semester: total 24 hours
Volunteering at ACS Ball: 4 hours
Autism Speaks Walk: 2 hours

Total Semester Volunteering hours: 30

A long needed update!

Saturday, November 29th

Wow, I honestly cannot believe Thanksgiving is over and there is only one more test left until the end of the semester! I have been so busy with everything that I haven't even had time to update all of the fun community service days that I have done, so here it goes! A big update of all of the days I've spent having a blast in NOLA.

In October, my awesome friend Antonia who is also in this program, let me know about an amazing opportunity to volunteer at the American Cancer Society Ball! It was in Mardi Gras world and after 4 hours of handing out pamphlets followed by serving dirty rice to all of the attendees, we were able to enjoy the amazing food, dance to the awesome band and hear some amazing stories from some amazing people.  It was a great night!

Just in time for Halloween..me with a power tool, frightening

The next weekend, we volunteered again for Habitat for Humanity, but this time it was in the warehouse where we learned how to test power tools.  Ironically, I was put on nail gun duty...testing the dreaded air compressor to make sure it held pressure.  This time it did not go off in my eye and I faced my fear...quite literally, of working with that machine again.  It was a great day working with classmates and helping clean up the entire warehouse and test all the tools.  Now I feel confident I can work with saws, and nail guns...well, at least be in the same room as the machine without running away and hiding my eyes haha.

Antonia walking with Kristin's gramps :)

Lastly, Antonia and I volunteered for the Walk for Autism and raised money and awareness.  It was a beautiful but chilly day in the park, but it was absolutely amazing to join so many families and help make a difference, not to mention it was great exercise! We met up with my girlfriend, Kristin's grandparents to walk with us and Antonia made a new friend, Kristin's grandfather :).  They talked almost the entire walk haha. So adorable!

All of us at the Autism Speaks Walk in the Park

That wraps up one busy couple of months!!
Can't wait to see what other fun events are in the future:).


-Cait the Bostonian

Habitat for Humanity Weekend 2

It was another fun weekend with Habitat for Humanity and surprisingly the weather held out (for the most part haha).  This weekend was the weekend of paint for me, but this time I was prepared with my clothes that had already been exposed to paint the week before.  The most exciting part of this weekend was that we got to meet the family that would be moving into the house.  It was so awesome to actually be able to hang out with the woman moving in and paint some railings with her and it was great to know that you were actually making a difference in someone's life. 

Painting railings hoping the rain doesn't come!

For lunch, we all headed to Popeyes (which has become one of my favorite places). I wish we had them up in Massachusetts because it is so much better than most fast food places! When we returned back from lunch, the rain decided to finally come, but it was actually quite refreshing. 

All in all, it was a wonderfully productive day. It was really great working with everyone and making a difference while learning some new things and meeting some new people. 

The rain eventually came, but it didn't stop the tough mudders out front!

Wet from the rain but still smiling

Habitat for Humanity Weekend 1

September 6th, 2014

Rise and shine at 6:00 am this Saturday morning on what would be my first day ever volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.  Although I stumbled to the Keurig in the kitchen of my apartment in desperate need of a large coffee, I was incredibly excited to see what this day had in store for me and more importantly, to help out in the community.  I was also really excited that many of my classmates volunteered to help out this weekend.  What better way to get to know people than to paint walls and help build a house?!

As I stepped outside of my apartment, I became increasingly thankful that I remembered to bring some sunscreen and a plentiful supply of Gatorade and water.  Although it was only 6:45 in the morning, I could already feel that today was going to be a hot one. I hopped in my friend and classmate Antonia's car and off we went!

When we got to the worksite (after stopping for more coffee and some awesome PJ's muffins of course), we saw a few of our classmates there already.  After turning in our forms, we got quickly down to business and began the heavy labored filled process of leveling out the thick mud surrounding the house and making sure it was all leveled with the foundation.  When I say "thick mud", I mean thick, dense, clay-like mud that looks much easier to move than it is.  Needless to say, we do not have clay like this in Boston and I would definitely not need to be going to the gym for the next few days! Although it was hard work, it was great to feel like you were making a difference in people's lives and having friends around you while making that difference made the thick mud shoveling seem a lot more light (until the next day haha).

Antonia and I moving that "mud" (the heaviest most dense dirt in the world). She even did this with an injured ankle. What a lady!

11:30 finally rolled around and we all went on lunch break.  I felt as though I had never been this dirty and sweaty all of my life! Despite looking far from the cover of Vogue, Antonia, Todd and I decided that the call of Felipe's burritos was greater than the reality of our muddiness.  We went to have some lunch and it was totally worth it!

When we returned, it was back to hard work until 5:30.  It was a long and tiring day, but definitely well worth it to know that you made a difference and got a nice workout as well.  I also learned that air pressure canisters hold pressure for a long time despite being turned off, as the nail gun hose went off into my eye during cleanup at the end of the day.  It was one of those life lessons where you could laugh at yourself after (once you realized you still had two functioning eyeballs).  All in all, it was a fun filled day with some amazing people all coming together to make a difference.

Here's to hoping the Patriots play okay tomorrow.

-Cait the Bostonian