A Sunday Post

Hello to all from the Pacific Northwest! Sorry for my inability to keep everyone in the loop, not that it really matters to some. I have decided that this blog is going to serve as a way for me to share my experiences out here with those of you whom I love who cannot share it with me. So with all that said, I begin:

School started this last Tuesday, and by God's grace I was allowed into the Clinical Lab Science/Medical Technology program, which is now transitioning into a marriage of the two names (since both are used rather synonymously): Medical Lab Science. So there you have it! My schedule is rather straight forward... class on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 to noon. Rather nice actually. On M/W/F I take Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Hematology, Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, and Clinical Microbiology. Tuesdays consist of Intro to CLS and Phlebotomy and Urinalysis. Plus I have an independent problems course for Immunology. 18 credits in total.

The classes themselves are a different experience. For starters, I only have 2 main professors and one sort of adjunct prof. The classroom itself is known as a "Distance Learning Classroom". For those of you who don't know what that means (for I was surely one of them), it's basically a classroom designed for two classes in complete separate locations to share and participate in the same lecture. How this is achieved is via cameras, an LG flat screen TV, a projection screen, computer, speakers and microphones. The projection screen and TV serve as a way for us to view the other class/prof while simultaneously being able to see the notes they are projecting using Powerpoint or a projector (like one of those old fashioned ones used way back when) hooked into the system so we can see what they are writing. The professor stays behind the desk with the computer and projector and lectures from there. Their lecture feeds into the other classroom at the exact same time and what we see done on the screen is what they see at the exact same time. Now if we were to ask a question, there are microphones on our desks in which we can press the button and speak. Without this system it is quite difficult to communicate, and sometimes people in the other classroom forget to use the microphone making it quite interesting to hear an answer without having heard the question.

All of my classes are done this exact way, in fact, they are all in the exact same classroom... I have a feeling that I will soon grow tired of this classroom, but I can understand how it all makes sense to have it all in that room. The other class is located in Pocatello which is at least a 5 hour drive from where we are located. One of the professors at the other campus, and the other two are in Meridian (where I attend).

Aside from attending class, I now have a part-time job in Caldwell at the YMCA working as a lifeguard. The general demographic of my work environment is high-schoolers, Mormons and Hispanics. I realize this makes me sound like one of those people who thinks everyone should be like me (the word escapes me at the moment), but that is not at all the case. Sure there are some annoying people, but I actually enjoy working with most of them! Well, whatever...

Anyhow, I should get back to homework... :/ Hope you all are doing well and keep me updated as to what is going on in your lives! Love you all! Take care...