Photo of letters sending to my pen pals!
As we are closing in on the first month of classes already, it is time to reflect back on the past month. After having two modules down, I have solidified study habits and a study group. The famous anki has become my favorite study aid, and I enjoy swapping decks with my friends. Going forward, I plan on dedicating more time to learning the mechanisms of drugs, as that seems to be my weak spot. Luckily, I have friends who do not struggle as much, so we can both help each other with our areas of difficulty. One of my favorite things about this program so far is how collaborative it is. It is difficult to become as close with COVID19 and social distancing, but I can already tell some of my classmates are going to be friends for life.
With COVID, there is also a change to the way we are doing community service. I am hoping to get involved with reading to kindergarten classes virtually when the schools open up again. Because I went to undergrad at Tulane, I have lived in the New Orleans area for over four years, and working with education and kids is extremely important to me. There are great disparities in education between the charter school system and the private school system, and as education is extremely important in opening up opportunities and the mind, I want to contribute to this in a positive manner. In the meantime, I have made two pen pals with seniors. In one of my current jobs, I am a patient care tech on the general surg unit at Touro Infirmary, so I see older people coming from many senior and assisted living homes, who are oftentimes more lonely than anything else. So, the opportunity to share words with people, especially when friends and family cannot visit, is a wonderful experience. My grandfather lived in a nursing home for the last few years of his life, and I know even before COVID, that many of the residents do not have anyone outside to communicate with. I know it brings them a lot of joy to receive letters, especially because I received one of my cards immediately. It does not seem like a service when you are making friends. I definitely plan on keeping up with my two new friends throughout the semester, as we share about cats, books, and mysteries!
Community Service Hours: 3 as of 9/21/20
