tumbledry

To Finally Begin

Today marks my first day of dental school classes, a day that I am sure will be indelibly imprinted on my memory for the rest of my life. I’ve been prepping for today for the past 5 years and suddenly, as if from nowhere… here I am. In anticipation of The First Day, I have worked on:

I thought I had anticipated everything, and yet I didn’t count on the incredible level of apprehensiveness and nerves. I wasn’t tired at night, and then exhausted when it was time to get up. I was concentrating in class, but feeling like I couldn’t absorb a thing. A day full of dichotomy, yet straightforward and not over-scheduled.

Once these first-month jitters die down, I hope all the preparation pays off.

One luxury of working for a year instead of coming straight from undergrad: perspective. The isolation from the real world in higher education is a double-edged sword — it is both a shield from the harsh light of reality but also a roadblock preventing one from enjoying the benefits of being part of the workforce. For me, imagining that light of a 9-5 (not 7-sleep) job at the end of the tunnel helps pull me through.

A few notes: I’ll post a bunch of recent State Fair photographs and then daily photos will cease here at tumbledry. After 3+ years and well over 1100 photos, I will only have time to post but a few snaps per month; I hope to show only the best/most memorable pictures. I will miss you, daily photos.

Text updates both short and long will absolutely continue — this is my life journal and it only ends when my life does.

I was planning on ending there… but gosh that sounded rather morbid, no? Here, I’ll fix it:

contagious-orange

3 comments left

Comments

Nils

Good luck on your first week Alex. Take it all in stride. I’m sure you’re more than ready to handle this next round of schooling.

Alexander Micek

Nils — you’re very good at taking things in stride; I’d really really like to learn that skill. Thoughts on how to stress less?

Caley

Welcome to the U, Alex! Let me know if I can do anything to help you out here on campus…my classes start next week, too, so I can relate (on a smaller scale) to your jitters. Congrats and I hope to see you around this place soon. It’s good to have a fellow former Tommie in this land of Gophers.

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