This year of dental school so far has been very similar to when a vase gets shattered in a cartoon -- after the accident, the vase remains intact and seemingly unscathed for a few seconds and then simply collapses upon itself in a cloud of dust. The first few weeks back, I certainly felt overwhelmed about seeing patients regularly, the classwork load, and the ambitious lab schedule but I felt somewhat ready to hit the ground running. This past week, the vase shattered in a cloud of dust. Without exaggerating, there has not been a single day in the past 2 weeks that I didn't feel like I should sequester myself in a bathroom stall momentarily to 1.) burst into tears and then 2.) regain my composure. As a matter of fact, I've seen at least three people crying this week in school and granted they may have been upset about countless school-unrelated things, it helps me to at least think that I'm not alone in feeling this way.

The other night, Stacy, Katrina, Josh and I were swapping stories about how stressed our parents must be going through this with us. Stacy thinks her mom suspects torture at the dental school because she always has a minor breakdown on the phone. I called my parents on Monday night and before my poor Mom could even finish the "--oo" in "how are you," my eyes had already welled up with tears. By the end of the conversation, my parents had offered not once, not twice, but 5 times to come to Ann Arbor and clean my apartment, do my laundry, take me grocery shopping, send me home-cooked food, or bring me a care package. I adore their support and sometimes just knowing it's there helps.

I wish I could say I'd have this weekend to recuperate but we've got three exams and a wicked practical next week. In comparison to the studying I'll be doing this weeked, putting on some tunes and scrubbing the apartment tonight sounds like a luxurious vacation. I know I'm going to make it; I always do. I just have to take each day at a time and remember how far I've come. Today I heard a few first year students stressing about their biochem lecture and first upcoming practical; I felt the same way a year ago and somehow I made it through unscathed. No collapsing upon myself. No cloud of dust.

xoxox