Bittersweet Feelings

Our time here in VSA is almost over. As our last days near, my group and I have been productive in finishing our grant application research project. At first it looked really scary and hard to tackle this project, but as we are progressing and beginning to practice presenting it, it doesn’t feel too hard at all. It felt good to know that our professor, Dr.Sulikowski thought my first draft of my study design was awesome! We are just about finished, and with a little more practice, I am sure we can stand confidently in front of the graduate students and present our project.

Having a little fun in Pharmacology class!

Ate at Pancake Pantry with our class for lunch!

We continued our study of drugs with a lecture on hallucinogens. Hallucinogens cause distortion of reality, which include drugs such us LSD and PCP. It was interesting to learn that LSD was discovered through bread. Once upon a time in 1938, some girls ate bread that was growing a fungus that caused them to hallucinate. They thought they had become witches, when in reality it was LSD. PCP is Angel Dust, and can be more dangerous than LSD. A five mg dose will produce the desired results, while a 10 mg dose can lead to a stroke. These drugs are highly dangerous and can cause you to go into a psychotic or paranoia state.

Alcohol is also considered a drug, because not only does it act as a physical stimulant, but it also acts as a cognitive depressant. It affects many parts of your brain, and your brain is still developing until the age of 20-25. Alcohol interferes with communication between nerve cells, and is very unsafe for the developing brain; it can damage your brain forever. Although driving under the influence is a leading cause of death for people ages 15-24, deaths resulting from texting while driving has surpassed those numbers in some states. So don’t drink, text, and drive at the same time!

Aside from doing my last load of laundry during free time, I decided to head with my roommate to the College Search Counseling session. I was the only junior there, so I am definitely ahead of the game. The first step for me is to figure out what size of a college I want and its location. Being away from home for almost a month already, I’m still not quite sure if I would be able to do this for months at a time. I still need to think hard about whether or not a school away from home is the best for me.

Girls going out for our last SOFT night!

For our last SOFT night, some of the girls in my proctor group and Chris headed to explore Nashville for the last time together. My friend found out where Taylor Swift lives, and even tried to leave her a letter, but the security guards at the lobby desk didn’t accept it. We did some quick stops at CVS for snacks and Starbucks for some drinks. 

It's a bittersweet feeling knowing VSA is almost over. I truly miss my home, my family, and home cooked meals; however, it'll be hard to leave the amazing people I have met here. Right when we have gotten much closer to each other, it's almost time to part ways. We have grown to be sisters, and I know we all have each other's backs.

Our awesome proctor group ended our night with a little surprise party for Amber! She is one of our proctor group members who turned 16 today! She is such a sweet girl, and I'm glad I got to meet someone like her. For our proctor group meeting, we had a successful surprise party, and it was totally unexpected for her. Some girls decorated streamers, balloons, all over the room. We all pitched in for an ice cream cake with her favorite colors and flavors, and it was just a fun night! Happy sweet 16, Amber! 

SURPRISE!