Well, Spring Break is over, and it was a wonderful break from
the lectures and work of school. It has been a wonderful
break, the weather is starting to warm up and the sun is
shining! It is good to be able to relax at home, and spend
time with the family. Life as a vet student is different from
any other type of student. Even when we are on break, most
vet students will spend some time working with animals, whether we
volunteer our time somewhere or pick up a few shifts at our home
vet clinics. We always appreciate getting some more
experience with our veterinarian mentors, especially for me this
year; our classes in 2nd year are very lecture
oriented. It was such a blessing to be home for a few days
and work with real clients and patients, it was a reminder that
veterinary medicine is my passion, and I love what I do! Many
of the vet students all had very different activities planned for
spring break, some people were traveling, some working, some had
activities planned, some just planned on sleeping and
relaxing. The first weekend of Spring Break, I went to the
Houston Rodeo. This is one of my favorite pastimes; the
animal athletes of the rodeo are what inspired me when I was a kid
to pursue veterinary medicine. So many people only go to the
rodeo for the concert at the end, but for me the appeal is in the
athletic ability of the horses, steers, calves, and of course the
bulls. The rodeo is also a culture all its own, a mix of old
west and hard-working country. Those cowboys and cowgirls of
the rodeo care about those animals more than anything, and that has
always kept me coming back. I have always had extreme respect
for the rodeo clowns as well; most people don't realize exactly how
dangerous their job really is. Without those clowns many
cowboys would have serious injuries or even have died. Every
little country child will tell you their hero is a cowboy, but
every cowboy will tell you his hero is the rodeo clown. It
was amazing to watch the rodeo and see the clowns jump between the
cowboy that was thrown and the bull. They risk their lives to get
those young men out of their alive. I always love going to
the rodeo, it reminds me of why I love my career, and why I chose
to go to vet school. This break has been a much needed escape
from the monotony of lectures, and now I feel refreshed and ready
to get back to the grind! I am ready to go and learn
everything that will help me be a great veterinarian, because that
is what I have always dreamed of, and I have the animal athletes
and cowboys of the rodeo to thank for reminding me of that. J
I hope everyone out there has had a great Spring Break, and
remember to be thankful for everything, because whatever you are
doing now was once a dream you had!