The Month in Instagram

Studying for the MCAT and blogging do not mix. However, I owe you all at least an update on my life! February was one of those months that just flew on by. I couldn't even remember what happened until I checked up on my Instagram pics and looked back at my calendar.

So here we go, My February in Instagram Pics:

Apparently, it snowed a lot. These are some views of frozen Lake Michigan outside of my dorm window and from around campus.

My campus is a winter wonderland! And I'm SO sick of it...it's March already. This snow should be out of here!

I've been spending more time downtown. I never realized in the 3 years I've been at Loyola how easy it is to take the shuttle to the downtown campus. My friends and I spent a Friday night studying at the downtown library...hey, there's no shame in that, is there?

An afternoon view from the downtown LUC library

Downtown study sesh! Maybe it'll become a tradition during this MCAT season.

I also apparently ate a lot of food in February. This is my favorite burger in Chicago. I've raved about it before on this blog. It's the Kimchi burger from Bop N' Grill. Fried egg, kimchi, caramelized onions...put simply, it's amazing in all its gooey glory.

This is a chicken sharma sandwich. It's a middle eastern sandwich on a type of pita bread, and it's DELICIOUS! One of my favorite parts about Loyola is that Devon, a neighborhood featuring all sorts of middle eastern and Indian restaurants, is right down the street, so I get to try all different kinds of food I wouldn't normally eat...like this!

Basically the only thing I'm living on using my meal plan. I was so happy to find our dining services offering something that is 1) actually healthy and 2) doesn't make my stomach upset. 

I volunteered through my sorority at a benefit event downtown. I know it's dark, but yes, that is a MONKEY on my shoulder. A real live monkey. In a costume. Without going into details, the event was absolutely AMAZING and was for a good cause. (Oh, and by the way? There were real camels too. Be jealous!)

Other news:

• I'm getting an apartment for next year! Finally, my very own apartment! I'm so excited to decorate it and make my own meals for a change. The kitchen in my new apartment is the same size as the one I have now, but for two people rather than four. That's a big change for me!

• I'm trying to figure out my summer plans. Right now it's just a waiting game to see what opportunities come through.

• These next few weeks are going to be NUTS. A mixer, formal, St. Patty's Day (this year I'm seeing the green Chicago river! It's happening!), Aziz Ansari, spring retreat, and then Easter. And studying somewhere in between.

But...I think this Dove chocolate wrapper sums it all up:

Get out there and make your dreams happen.

And that's exactly what I'm doing.

***

That Time I Got Five Stitches in my Thumb

Let this post be a lesson to all of you: be careful opening cans. I'm serious here.

Here I was, minding my own business, making some mac and cheese with peas for a Sunday afternoon treat. I go to open the can of peas. Our can opener is right-handed, and I'm left-handed, foreshadowing the problem already. The handle was slippery for some reason, so I struggle trying to open the can. I get about halfway around, where the lid is popped open halfway, when the can opener slips out of my hand and I gash my left thumb on the super sharp edge of the lid.

It's a stupid accident for sure, but it could happen to anyone.

(Don't mind me, didn't exactly have time to put makeup on)

Thank god my roommate and I were prepared. If you don't have a first aid kit in your apartment or dorm, get one now! We tied gauze around the thumb (well, she did, while I was freaking out) and sealed it with medical tape.

Even though I kept telling her I was fine, my roommate was the smart one in this situation and called a taxi to take us to the nearest emergency room. Have a doubt about an injury? Go to the emergency room. Better safe than sorry, right?

Before we went, I had the sense to pull out the copy I have of my insurance card. This also was a god-send. My dad made me make several copies of my insurance card right when I started college. It was a lifesaver, and saved me a huge hospital bill. Make several copies of your insurance card! Who knows when something bad can happen.

My premed roommate and I tried to make the best of a situation and loved being in the ER, just to see how it worked. They seem to be great at efficiency, having a nurse take my initial vitals and information, a technician clean off my wound, and a resident stitch me back up. She was extremely nice  to me, calming me down (I've never gotten stitches before! And I was three hours away from my family! Don't laugh).

In the end of the day, I got five stitches (two on my nailbed...ouch) and my hand looks like a mummy who's gauze has started rotting off.

As horrible as it was at the time, this experience showed me how to act in an emergency. Again, here are the four tips I can leave you all with so hopefully you won't have the same experience as I did:

1. Have a first aid kit in your apartment
2. When in doubt, go to the ER
3. Make copies of your insurance card
4. Be careful opening cans. They're evil.

Anybody else have any exciting stories about going to the ER? Any tips on how to handle a situation like this?

Bid Day

One of the reasons I haven't been posting much is because I've been going through sorority recruitment (as a junior...yep, go ahead, ask me why I joined so late, everybody has!)

I didn't want to post about it here because I didn't know if it would work out or not. We had over 300 girls rush this year at my school, which is definitely a record. I didn't know if I would even get a bid. But here I am, alive at the end of it all, and I am proud to tell you...

(Can you spot me?)

...that I received a bid for ALPHA CHI OMEGA!

You can't imagine how excited I am. Not only is one of my roommates already a member, but my other roommate received a bid for it as well. I'll do the math for you...3/4 of us living together are now in AXO!

My only regret is that I didn't join a sorority sooner. Already I feel comfortable with all the girls in my chapter, like I've known them for years. I had a preconception of what sorority women were like when I entered college, but after meeting so many Greek girls in Rome this summer I knew that I needed to become one myself.

I have a couple of interesting posts ready to go live this week, including a review of the amazing Etsy shop The Angelorian Tradition. As a teaser, here's the Lucky Penny I received last week from the shop owner, Crystal, that I kept with me during all recruitment activities. I feel like this special penny helped me throughout this whole (stressful!) process. Go check out Jakira's shop so you can get your own!

(It says Lucky Becky on it, in case you can't see)

Have a great week everybody!
--Becky

First Week of Junior Year

So how's the beginning of everyone's fall going? Well, I survived my first full week of school...and it's been filled with quite a cast of characters.

Via Amazon

My physics teacher is a Grammy award-winning singer.

My theology teacher is really young and encourages us to follow him on Twitter (when you picture theology, don't you picture an old, bald priest being the teacher?) These are real Rate My Professor reviews of him.

Jim Wand

Via

I met a real-live hypnotist on Friday as part of being a leader for the freshman Welcome Week events. No, I did not let myself get hypnotized...I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of 800 freshman, thank you very much!

Source: imgfave.com via Becky on Pinterest

And my friends. I missed them so much this summer! The hard part of college is that your best friends most likely come from separate parts of the country or, in my case, the globe! Two of my roommates hail from Michigan, but the third is from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. And she spent the summer in Canada! I don't have any good pics of us all together from this year yet, but I will soon.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! Enjoy the last days of summer.

--Becky

Chicago Bucket List

I've been in Chicago for two years now, but I've only got two more to go. I feel like I haven't done enough of the touristy things that every Chicagoan should experience. Yes, I've seen the Bean, Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier, the Hancock Building. I've shopped the Magnificent Mile, seen a Chicago play, ice-skated at Millennium Park. I've been on the El countless times, been to the beach on the Lakeshore, eaten deep-dish pizza.

Via

But, alas, there are obviously holes in my Chicago experience. Here are some of the things I hope to accomplish this year while here in the Windy City. Wish me luck and, if you're a native Chicagoan, give me suggestions on what else to add to my list!

Pictures via ChooseChicago.com; collage by me

Yep. This will be my year.

--Becky

Favorite Things of Summer 2012

Well, summer is officially over for me. Today marks the second day of classes. As you read this, I'm probably sitting in my ecology class, being handed out the syllabus and told the class expectations.

But...I can still dream about summer, right? I wanted to look back on my summer by listing some of my favorite things about it.

Favorite Summer Activities

• Sister's high school graduation: early May
• ROME: May 18th - June 22nd
• Devil's Lake: Late June
• Mallards Game + Rhythm and Booms: June 30th
• Research and English Class at Loyola: July 3rd - August 11th
• Family comes to visit Chicago: July 6th-July 8th
• Art Fair on the Square: July 14th
• Dark Knight Rises premiere: July 20th
• Opening Ceremony of the Olympics: July 27th
• Sister's summer play: August 3rd
• APT: August 16th
• Irish Fest: August 17th

Favorite Summer Book

If you read this post, you know it has to be Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Via

Favorite Summer Movie

Well, I only saw two...Ruby Sparks and The Dark Knight Rises. I gotta say, both were only "meh", so if I could choose a movie I would choose one that I saw this summer but isn't new: Babel. It's another thing that I don't want to spoil for you, so check out the Wikipedia summary if you're interested!

Via

Favorite Summer TV Show

Pretty Little Liars...I know, I know, it's a teen drama, but it's so good! Once you get past all the bad acting and the fact that the high schoolers in it NEVER go to school or study, it's a great mystery show.

Via

Favorite Summer Outfit

This simple outfit: it was comfortable and was perfect to wear during the midst of the heat wave the midwest received.

Favorite Summer Outfit by preppypremed featuring lightweight t shirts

Favorite Place

Vatican Museums. Hands down. Most intriguing place I've ever been to in my life. I wish I could describe all the treasures the museum holds, but seeing as I needed two days to go through all of it, that could take a long time. St. Peter's Square is second--I went there so many times!

I've dreamed about seeing the "School of Athens" fresco at the Vatican Museums for SO long!

Favorite Day (or, in this case, weekend)

I spent a whole weekend in Rome all by myself because all my friends were away on a trip to Tuscany. I've got to say, it was so liberating! Can you imagine, being a twenty year old girl, alone in a giant, foreign city, having no idea where you are and unable to speak the language around you? It was absolutely thrilling. After the first few moments of panicking and asking "what did I do to myself?", I began to love it.

I went anywhere I wanted to and spent as much as time as needed to see everything. The Colosseum. The Pantheon. The Roman Forum. Piazza Navona. The Spanish Steps. Castel Sant'Angelo. The Vatican Museums. I saw it all throughout the weekend, and sampled Rome's best cappuccino, open-air market and gelato as well. Best experience of my life so far.

Needless to say, I had a great summer and I don't know how any summer afterwards is going to live up to it. Well, it's back to the grind, but that's life. And junior year of college will be great..."I gotta feeling".

(throwback to 2009, everybody!)

Sunday Confessions: Back to College Edition

Forgive me if this post turns into Tumblr, but the pictures and the gif aptly explain the conflicting emotions I have with the fall semester starting. And they're fun...fun's always a plus.

1. Really? I originally wrote something very passive aggressive here, but no one needs that negativity! I'll just keep it short and vague: when I saw the class rosters for my classes, this was my reaction:

Via

Love this SNL skit! I miss the two of them being on the show.

2. I spent the past week being a Welcome Week Leader: helping freshman getting to know each other and tell them how great my college is.  However, this week I definitely wasn't in the mood to be all bubbly and happy-happy-cheery-cheery-college-is-AWESOME! But I sucked it up and did my job. Hopefully I helped a few freshman out.

I just wanted one freshman to ask me this. Just one.

3. I feel guilty that I have a lake view out of my dorm/apartment/I-don't-really-know-what-to-call- it window. Really, I don't deserve it. I'm not worthy.

Lake Michigan beats the ocean anytime.

4. I'm totally going to become a slacker this year. I can see it already. Now that organic chemistry and my hard biology classes are over, I'm just going to slide by. But I can't let that happen! I'm not in medical school yet! And I still have that pesky MCAT to take next April.

WEBSITE COUNTDOWN

Countdown to the MCAT...maybe it'll give me some motivation.

5. I didn't buy any textbooks this semester! Hurray! I know karma's going to come around and I'll have to buy twenty next semester, but for now, my debit card is very happy.

Via

I Googled "happy debit card", and this is what came up.

What are some of your "Sunday Confessions"?

End-Of-Summer Activities

I go back to college on Sunday, and my sister leaves for her college on Friday. Therefore, this weekend was all about celebrating the end of summer!

Every summer we try to go to a play at a place called American Players Theater. It's an outside, in-the-round stage located about an hour outside of Madison, WI in the middle of the country. The views are fantastic!

We saw a play called The Admirable Crichton, which was about a wealthily, early 20th century family who travel overseas with their servants and get shipwrecked on a desert island. It was really funny, but probably the best part of the performance was, as it got dark outside, watching the bats fly around over our heads!

We spent Saturday at the Irish Fest in Milwaukee. Every summer there are all kinds of cultural tests that take place on the Summer Fest grounds: Polish Fest, German Fest, etc. Even though we don't have a single bit of Irish in us, we went anyway!

Irish stew & potatoes

Carrot cake cupcake and Irish coffee

The Punch Brothers: a bluegrass band who made a single for the Hunger Games soundtrack

What are you all doing to celebrate the end of summer?