The First Day

I was so anxious to get to class that I barely got any sleep last night. This morning my alarm clock went off at 5:30am the first time and every 15 minutes thereafter (in the event I pushed the snooze button one too many times). I actually rolled out of bed around 6:30am and started getting ready for the hour commute that awaited me. I left my apartment at 7am and was stuck in minor traffic before I hit the highway. From there it was smooth sailing until I reached the exit to my school and there was only one lane open due to road construction. It was now 8am and I started to panick because I needed to find a parking space and walk to the nursing building once on campus. All prior to my 8:25am start time... I finally arrived on campus at 8:13am, parked in the "visitor's parking lot" beside the nursing building, and then gathered my belongings from the car. I looked like the "bag lady" with my rolling bookbag, lunchbox, pocketbook, and 2 textbooks in my hands. Let me add that each textbook weighed almost 10 pounds each... As I walked to class I realized that all the extra baggage was slowing me down. My nursing program does not tolerate tardies and I was determined to be on time or points would be deducted from my final class grade. I finally arrived and at 8:22am. I made it just in time.

The rest of my day consisted of 3 classes in which the professors basically reviewed the syllabuses and course guides and then expressed their expectations of the students. I was engrossed in their rambling because I did not want to miss anything and then later on hear "well I went over that information on the first day". So I had my notebook and pen out taking diligent notes on what I thought was important or key points to my success this semester. My day ended at 2:45pm but luckily I had a 2 hour break from 11:30am-1:30pm. I took that opportunity to read a chapter in my Pharmacology textbook while I ate my daily dose of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with a snack. I then walked through campus in the blazing sun to buy the $40 parking decal for the school year worried that I might get ticketed since I did park in the "visitor's" lot. On the way I saw several cars with parking tickets on the windshield that were parked in another lot. I rushed back to put my new decal in my windshield, proud that I myself did not get a ticket in the interim.

I got back home around 4pm, ate some leftovers from my mom's Sunday's dinner, and then took a 2 hour nap. I have homework due already this week and next week so I decided to get a head start on that. I also printed out some additional notes that my professors posted online today. I'm actually going to bed on time tonight and from here on out because that 2 hour nap could have been 2 hours worth of studying. So by 10:30pm I need to be in the bed and sleep every night before class or else this semester I will be tired and sleepy instead of focused.

Tomorrow I have lab at 8am and should expect to be on campus until 4:30pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until my clinicals start in a few weeks. I am eager to learn the new nursing skills not covered in my CNA 1 and Health Assessment class. And with 4 nursing classes and 1 elective, I know I will have brain overload this semester...

"If you're bored, you're not paying attention" - Nikki Giovanni