The real learning begins this week. Up until now have we just been 'playing' at university students? I had a feeling that things were going to start getting serious in the learning department. Well, this is what we are here for after all. Part of me feels so excited about the new challenges and getting switched on once again to stretching my brain (this isn't biologically possible I'm so sure!). The other part of me is feeling slight panic. Who will take care of everything at home? The fairies I hope. Then of course there is work to juggle. All while still over thinking things as I so often do.
Where will this degree take me?
What will I do at the end of it?
Will I write for a living or see patients?
Will I teach others?
Will I travel to far places and cure the hunger crisis?
Monday we saw the start of our first lecture with a fantastic tutor who taught us the basics (apparently) of amino acids. This is one of the areas I am very keen to learn as I know just how essential it is to my course yet one of the areas I have not yet learnt very much about.
Making lots of notes, I realised there is so much to go home and learn. Di-sulphide bridges, classification of Amino acids and ionisable - what are these? Time for some Youtube videos once again.
Tuesday we all headed to the lab. This was great fun and everyone within the group seemed to really feel it was a welcome sense of 'using ones initiative' and good old common sense. Of course, there is much to learn but also a lot of the above needs to be applied. I did have a quiet grin to myself as our tutor (with an accent like mine; local) said,
"Morning everyone, I'm Andy!" yet when you look up his email on the system, his name begins with Dr.
He was great! I could hear him clearly in the lab although I did wear my hearing aid for fear of not being able to be near the tutor. Chemistry. I am beginning to feel a love for chemistry. Especially the fact that they gave us our very own drawers, with our very own glassware equipment inside. All secured with a lovely 4 digit code.
During the afternoon lunch break I was once again finding myself with difficulties of negative conversations. This was beginning to affect me and I was feeling a real sense of wanting to get away from this and simply work. Where could I go to do this? I would have to find a quiet hiding place.
Biology in the afternoon lab was fantastic. Lots of sessions of learning how to pipette things (not things, serial dilutions in fact). I was so glad once again that I had experienced the time I had at London Met last year. Valuable experience indeed. People seemed to get the impression that I really know what I am doing and my collegues were asking me many questions. I helped where I could of course. It's what I love to do. As we collected our ipads that afternoon, I realised I had left my ID badge at home. I needed this for the collection of the ipad that I would make friends with in the next 3 years.
"It's ok, I'm local. I'll pop home and get it quickly." I told the technician excitedly. I wanted to get my ipad ready to go, loaded with the apps and set for my Friday lecture.
This is also the day I registered with the Nutrition Society. Feeling very much like a real trainee nutritionist now. What a beautiful, exciting career to have.
Friday I made many notes. Isomers. What were they? I now know it's simply a name for the same number of atoms but joined differently! Go me.
Chiral - Still to get to grips with the meaning of Chiral.
Something about benzine. It's special for a reason I haven't found yet.
Biology on Friday afternoon was a delight of wonderful cells and organelles. Once again, I wrote ATP in my notes. Knowing this is likely something about energy but not being quite sure, I need to look it up. I keep thinking something to do with active transport, yet I know this makes no logic!
ATP is: Adenosine triphosphate. A molecular unit of currency. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism.
Lovely, now I know something I hadn't known before.
