Anatomia, anatomia, anatomia!

I've told everyone that I only know about four Polish words--dzień dobry (good day), dziękuję (thank you), przepraszam (excuse me/I'm sorry), and prosze (please). While these words are helpful, the main, and most commonly used "new" word in my vocabulary nowadays is ANATOMIA. Although it is of latin origin, it is also in the polish dictionary and I can pride myself by saying it's the Polish word I can pronounce most accurately :) There's no real trick. Just try thinking, reading, hearing, and dreaming about it 24/7...

By now I can also FEEL what Anatomia feels like--blood, sweat and tears. I'm sure you get the point. Don't misunderstand me though, it is extremely interesting to learn about the structures of the human body from the inside and out, relating this to a variety of diseases and clinical conditions. At the same time it's exhausting. This week I've had altogether 10 hours of anatomy labs and lectures. In addition I've spent about 6 hours writing notes on the osteology of the lower limbs and head, 2 hours of studying general osteology flash cards, and 4 hours at the "bone library" studying "the real deal": 4+ hours--just the bones and I :)

Now, anatomy is certainly not the only class I have. Fortunately though, we've had a "soft start," with the other classes being Histology, Parasitology, Polish, Latin, Biophysics and Medical Biology. This coming week we also start Biochemistry, Behavioral Sciences, and Physiology. Needless to say, I need to pay some attention to all of those classes as well. I will get back to you about how that goes... In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for my first anatomy exam on the 26th.

/Anna