Adjusting

Well, I'm done week 1! I am exhausted. The combination of getting up way earlier, not being able to sleep at night, and taking the long way to every class while carrying my 20 pound bag has officially tired me out. Aside from being  almost the most tired I have ever been (close second to the first week with a newborn), I am equally as happy. Even though the busy schedule of the past few days has had me explore every corner of  the beautifully spaced out campus....(which reminds a lot of that movie "the labyrinth") and has added at least 2 hours to my nightly reading, I feel calm. I have taken in so much information over the last 2 days that my brain hurts, and in 3 days I will be in the hospital dealing with patients, but I somehow feel relief. It's like everything I read is relevant, I understand the books, and I feel a bond, not only with my classmates, (who are awesome) but with Nurses in general. I am paying my dues. I am going to be tired for 3 more years. I am ok with that. I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be, doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing, and that somehow gives me strength....having Tim Hortons on campus is also helping :) I have been getting up at 6am and trying to go to bed around 10. This is a pretty big change for me, since my many years working night shifts usually landed me in the sack around 2 am. To me, midnight was going to bed early....hence the no sleep at night the past week. I have learnt that I love mornings though....(already I am learning about myself.) I love that I get to see the sky change from black to light purple on my way to school, I love the quiet crispy air, and I love, LOVE! the snuggles I get when Paige is still groggy after her morning wake up. Early mornings are filled with so much hope as a new day begins to unravel. Its like Nursing school is the morning of the rest of my life..so full of hope and potential. I feel so supported at BCIT. They don't lie when they say that they do whatever they can to help you succeed in this program. Free teeth cleaning, free counselling, did I mention Tim Hortons? Oh, and I have used the weight room twice (ALSO FREE) and it has literally EVERY machine that I love, so I'm happy.

I am still trying to find some flow with homework, but having only attended a couple of classes, there is not a whole lot I can do. I have impressed my self with my organization so far!. I knew going in that every day would have to be visually available at any given time, right down to what I would make for dinner, and that is going great, thanks to my 60 day-colour coded-white board calendar on my wall. I have connected with my level 4 mentor and am excited to meet up with her and soak up all of her wisdom. I no longer worry about "the unknown" because I know exactly whats coming up and I can mentally prepare for it. I can also mentally prepare my picky little eater for what will be hitting the dinner table that night. What a trooper, She has tried 4 new foods in the past 2 weeks and loved them all. We have started a new routine where we each tell each other our 3 favourite things about our day, and then any negative things (thanks mom for this one)....the conversations have been wonderful. I bought some more scrubs today...because  I love scrubs...and I wanted some separate ones for clinical vs school labs.....or I just LOVE scrubs :) anyways I actually do have a little homework to do and since I'm working all weekend, I don't have much time to squish it in, so that's all for now!

Have a great week everyone
xoxo
Alana