New Seasons, New Changes

I cannot believe the month flew by so quickly. October was filled with a lot of anxiety and material!. I was definitely pushed past my previous limits, and while I am thankful for it, I am also really looking forward to ending the semester.  Although the three modules we covered this month were really dense, our curriculum still gave us various opportunities to further enhance our learning experience in various ways. I got to finally commit to a community volunteer organization that aligns with my passions for sustainability, made good connections through networking, and learned long term techniques for stress and anxiety.     

This month I volunteered with Sprout  NOLA, a small community organization that helps local farmers with harvesting and planting seeds. I went on a Heifer Ranch sustainability trip while in undergrad and it spiked my love for gardening and sustainable farming practices. While at Heifer Ranch, I participated in harvesting carrots and preparing beds to grow winter vegetables. In contrast to Heifer Ranch, the farm and garden of Sprout NOLAare more personal and community-based. Sprout Nola has three gardens that are part of a fresh project with Whole Foods market to get community members to eat healthy and fresh foods. On my first day, I helped with propagating small household plants to get my feet wet. The next week was a little different because of our schedule and I participated in helping at the weekly farmers market that sprout Nola organizes every Monday. This project has improved my patience and taught me to slow down, taking things one day at a time as they come. 

  Although our first couple of weeks in the program were focused on introducing us to the basic pharmacology principles, we dove headfirst into more dense and detailed material this month. From reading the irregularly regular ECGs of a Ventricular Tachycardia, and having Pharmwiki pinned on my mac book, I can confidently say I have learned so much about the principles of the Heart and blood circulation. I have grown so mu8ch academically this month and I am enthusiastic about the possibilities of our Gastrointestinal module. With so much learning happening this month, I still took time to explore New Orleans food and culture with fresh eyes.

The humid New Orleans summer is finally over so I was able to go on more walks exploring the city snd seeing the diverse culture and food it has to offer. In this field, I feel as though I never get the chance to truly slow down and smell the flowers. Being here during a pandemic has definitely forced me to count my blessings as I walk around this beautiful city and its disproportionate class distribution.