Back to School

My first day of classes was on Friday and it feels so strange to actually be moving forward with my plan to become a cardiac sonographer. I have completed the first round of travel: Leave for the airport straight after work on Thursday, Board plane to Sacramento, Arrive in Sacramento, Immediately fall asleep, Wake up at 5am, Drive 2 hours, Attend a full day of classes, Drive 2 hours, Board Plane to Portland, Ride bus 1 hour from airport home (Did I mention I no longer have a car in Portland? It's now in Sacramento for the 2 hour drive.)

My instructor is extremely knowledgeable, with multiple graduate degrees, and a strong passion for her career. I feel incredibly lucky to learn from such a strong woman. I am one of 7 people in the class (4 Boys, 3 Girls) and I can't imagine how close we'll become after 2 years of learning together. There is a tradition every year in this program to hand out a "100 Grand" candy bar to every student. We are to send the signed wrapper back to our instructor once we have earned our first 100K; and apparently most of the wrappers come back with in the first 12-18 months. Hmmm... I think I like this profession.

Class was short this week, but we did manage to squeeze in a lecture on physics. How quickly that information left me after college! I couldn't remember some of the equations for the life of me, but it felt great to once again be surround by scientific information and I was grateful to be back in the classroom.

While listening to my instructor on Friday, an overwhelming confirmation of this career path welled up inside, but now that I'm away from that classroom and dwelling upon everything else in my life that still needs to move smoothly, I begin to panic. The travel. The money. Free time. My paying job. I have been obsessively working on work related projects this weekend as I feel so guilty for abandoning the non-profit organization I love.

Getting used to this new life is going to take time. Ultimately, I believe it is a worthwhile journey but it's hard not to have doubts as everything that once was stable is beginning to shift.

Random Story: I had to stop at a gas station on my way back from class and needed to use the restroom as well. This bathroom was the kind that is accessed through the outside... inevitably, completely disgusting. I REALLY had to go by this point so I ran in locked the door and realized that the room was smokey. Like dense, can't-really-see-anything-in-front-of-you, smokey. There were bloody Kleenex tissues in the garbage and I went as quickly as possible and tried not to cry from the horror. I reeked of smoke when I ran out of there and I couldn't figure out why anyone would go into the restroom to smoke. Then I realized that I was in the central valley of California and it was probably smoke from some illegal drug. My mind began to wonder and I became convinced that I was contact high from crack or meth. The rest of the drive was consumed with this thought. Ah, the joys of neuroticism. I won't be stopping there again.