Life Changes

Wow! A lot can change in just a week. I'm ready to have some consistency in life for at least a little bit.

Last week I was headed to Eugene. This week, I didn't get the financial aid I needed to live there. I mean - not by a long shot!

I always said I had a Plan B to stay in Austin and go to ACC then UT in the spring and try to get all my course work done in the same amount of time. And, now, that is what I will have to do. It will save me a lot of money and a lot of financial stress. It might replace it with academic uncertainty, though. But, I am honestly, determined to make this work.

As soon as I found out yesterday, I called both UT and ACC to set up meetings with advisors and get the ball rolling at those institutions. I think I've written about this before, but not a lot of grass grows under my feet. I probably put divits in the cement, I tend to move so quickly and proactively.

Now, some have said - "get a bank loan" (hell no!) or, "if this is your life's passion then go to Oregon if you think it will get you into medicine." These are both solutions/suggestions. But, bank loans are just plain dumb (in my opinion), mostly because you have less flexibility on how long it takes for you to pay them back, and staying in Austin is not a horrible idea.

So, here I may stay. I think my friends are pretty excited about this, and my family is sort of split. Everyone just wants me to do the best thing, and sometimes doing the best thing is a combination of reason and compromise.

I'm going to make it work, either way.

Eugene!

Welp! It looks like I a moving to Eugene, OR for school. A hard, tough, life-changing decision...but really, it won't be that dramatic or grandiose. I'll be back to Austin and my friendships here will be forever and stronger. It could be a temporary stint for the next year and a half, or it could be a two-year gig. It just depends on what happens to me out there before med school.

I learned one very important lesson going out to Oregon this weekend. Big decisions don't always come in a-ha revelations that knock you over the head and make you feel clear and secure about moving forward. Sometimes, they come in waves that leave you high and then leave you low. Let's put it this way, I was riding the edge of a long-board this weekend and it was fun, and it was also not so much fun.

Great things about Eugene.

• The school has an excellent reputation in the sciences
• The school has an excellent reputation and is a real 4-year university
• People in Eugene drive so sensibly.
  
• Oregonians are really friendly - who knew?
• It's freaky beautiful out there
• Everyone loves to be outside
  
• The summers will be gorgeous!

My new XTi took the following pics