Some wise words from the Dalai Lama, gastric secretions, and finally spring

Hi!
There is just something about this time of year that makes the weeks just fly by. There's been a lot of schoolwork lately, we're just finishing the module on digestive physiology this week, and guess what? Only 5 more weeks of class until this school year is done! Then there are the inevitable exams, but I'm hopeful that these will go much better than the ones in January. I guess I'm more prepared for the horror of Swiss examination methods ;)

So while I've been busying myself studying other people's insides (literally, we've done a lot of dissections lately), I've also been planning out my last two months in Switzerland. It looks like I now have no more free weekends until exams start! I'm really excited though, I think the month of May will be awesome! Plans are for two touristy trips to Swiss cities, one visit from my sister, one visit from my mom, some horsebackriding in the alps, and one trip home for my sister's graduation! And of course hours and hours in the library in between.

Also, I have to mention the awesome conference I went to last week when the Dalai Lama was visiting Lausanne. He came to UNIL to discuss the topic of "Living and Dying in Peace" with a group of scientists from my university, all in different fields. There was a psychologist, a doctor, a biologist, an anthropologist... and they asked questions pertaining to the subject of aging, how the elderly are valued in society, and how we should improve our "western" vision of the elderly as a "burden".
I really enjoyed his opinions and views, and found his answers to be very true. I particularly liked his openness toward other cultures and his emphasis on empirical values in ethics, rather than religious values.

When asked; "How do we approach a person suffering from dementia in a way that will value him/her and how can such a person be of use in society"; the Dalai Lama replied very simply that basic human compassion can be understood by anyone. We don't have to live the same reality to be able to show one another compassion and share in another persons' experiences. The value of the elderly person lies in his/her experience in life, in emotion, in beliefs, and in knowledge, and not necessarily in his/her "usefulness" in society.

Overall the conference was a rewarding experience, and it was fun to have seen him in person.

***

I asked in my last post whether spring was arriving any time soon, and I am happy to announce that it finally has! We've had some really nice weather lately, and last weekend I played golf for the very first time! I've also tested the local swimming pool next to campus, and been on several walks enjoying the sunshine by the lake with ice cream. Temperatures went up to about 23 degrees last week and have dropped slightly again now, but hope is we'll continue having nice weather in the upcoming weeks.
My most recent walk through the forest was much more photogenic than last time, so here are my spring photos from the Sauvabelin woods...

 

 

I'm definitely planning on some posts from the coming weekends, so stay tuned for the Swiss tourist!
xx Therese

April! That's spring right?

Hi!
Tell me something. When is spring this year? Because I seem to recall even March being considered the start of spring... no such luck this year.

The six weeks of classes before Easter went extremely fast. I've really been enjoying the curriculum too, cardio-respiratory physiology is really interesting! Now, though, we have turned to the digestive system, and this really isn't my favorite topic (ask those around me as well, I mean who wants conversation about gastric secretions at the dinner table???) Most of the anatomy of this semester I have already done last year and so I get time to focus a lot on the physiology and pathology which is all new. This week is Easter break, and my goal is to have finished reviewing the cardio module so that everything does not pile up on me in June.

Since spring has been taking its time this year, I feel it's been giving me a false sense of security-- I mean, it's winter right? So no exams to worry about? Great. Good. But no, once again (as always in the life of any medical student), exams are approaching waaaay too fast. Only 8 weeks of classes left!! How is it possible that my year in Lausanne is actually so much closer to the end now? I guess I'll have to start planning a post reviewing my experiences etc soon?? I don't even want to think about it.

So I just came back from a very nice long weekend with my family-- we went skiing in Zermatt, which is about as close to the epitome of Switzerland-in-a-nutshell as humanly possible. The mountains, the snow, the small chalets... and of course the Toblerone mountain-- the Matterhorn..
The weather was not great the first two days, but snow conditions were good so it didn't matter too much. We got two days of beautiful sunny weather as well, and even though we had a few kinks in the plan (people hurting themselves, losing some skis, feeling sick, etc), I think we managed to enjoy our time together. It was good to see my sisters since I hadn't seen them since January-- but I feel like this term we're seeing each other often enough that we don't have too much time to miss each other :)






I went on a hopeful mid-study walk in the woods today, certain that since the weather outside is so nice (10 degrees!!), there must be some flowers or leaves or life in the forest for me to take some pictures of. Again though, no such luck, spring has NOT ARRIVED. Here are some of the small signs of life I have found in the past few weeks though, telling me that all hope is not yet lost...
















I hope everyone has had a really nice Easter, I'm excited to plan some weekend trips and maybe some small hikes for the weekends to come-- taking advantage of the nice warm weather I have ordered :P

It'll be lots of school here again from next week onward, plenty of material to cover before summer.. otherwise trying to get fit again after a very reluctant-to-leave cold, and looking forward to a visit from my sister in a months time!
xx Therese