Goodbye 4th Term

Josh just left to take his last final of 4th term!  We have both been so anxious for this term to be over.  I don't think that Josh has ever NEEDED a break more than this term.  I've really been worried about him these past couple of weeks.  He's kinda been losing it.  I think he has been stuck in his man cave for too long.

Case in point, he's started doing this when I leave the house.  He comes out on the balcony and tells me not to leave all the while giving me a sad face and looking longingly at me. 

We really need a break from school! 

We'll be back in California tomorrow night and are SO excited!  See ya 4th term!  You weren't very much fun, but we made it through.  One more term left of basic sciences!

We're All In This Together

Today, or I guess right now as I write, Josh is off taking his final for Term 3.  Another term almost over and done with.  I just can't believe how quickly things are moving along in medical school.  At this time last year, we were just arriving in Newcastle.  Brand new term 1ers with NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves into.  WE I was nervous and scared about living in a foreign country and extremely unsure of how this whole medical school thing was going to work out.  Would I ever make friends?  Would I ever understand SGU's schedule?  Well, the answers to those questions are yes...and yes.  And now I find myself in the position to help other's, like us, who were brand new to this experience and needed a helping hand. 

In the past two days, I have taken mulitple newby's to the grocery store, helped pick up lost luggage at the airport, viewed an apartment for someone coming in January, and tried to answer any and all questions as best I can for people who are here and are as scared and nervous as I was last August.  I'm not trying to pat my own back here, I'm just trying to point out the importance of helping out others, people who are strangers, in this process. It is intimidating to say the very least.  We had sooo much help from our friends when moving to Grenada because we knew people who were ahead of us in Newcastle.  But when we moved to Newcastle, we were alone.  Yes, we figured things out, but it was hard and I wish someone could have been there for me, to answer my questions, and help me with my concerns.  Someone to tell me, "It's okay to be freaking out! I was too!"

So I will continue to offer my help to any new students or SO's that I meet, even if they don't ask for it.  And my hope is that when the next term rolls around and new students and SO's are piling off the planes in Grenada, that those that I helped will pay it forward and help somebody else.  I may at moments feel like I've spread myself a little too thin, but it makes such an enormous difference to those that you give help to.

I sometimes don't know how different people come across my blog, but if anyone sees this, and is a new student or SO coming to SGU now, or in the future, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you have about Newcastle, Grenada, or medical school in general.  I will try to answer you as best I can because afterall, we're all in this together.

Packing the Crate

Or, what I like to call...total and complete, somewhat organized chaos.  I have used this word a number of times in the last week or so as it seems to have become the theme surrounding our departure in the UK. 

As I mentioned yesterday, Josh finished his last final of year 1 in medical school.  Yahoooo!  I am so proud of him and his hard work.  Not to mention, he is rocking out some stellar grades this term!  So yesterday, before we could go and celebrate the end of the year, we had to head to Drill Hall one last time to load up the crate with all of our stuff to send to Grenada.  Hopefully, it's all waiting for us when we get there in June and didn't somehow sink to the bottom of the ocean. 

So anyways, the plan was that everyone had a specific time slot to bring their belongings at, the course reps would check that it fit into the appropriate size space, and then you would load your items into the crate.  Sounds simple right? ...WRONG! 

We arrived on time with our 60 cubic feet worth of stuff and it was pure madness.  Boxes scattered EVERYWHERE outside and inside the building, cabs and moving trucks pulling up, people unloading  their things from the cabs while others were loading stuff onto the crate, and basically people who have had very little sleep and way to much caffeine all week everywhere.  To say that it was crazy would be the biggest understatement of the year.

Some of us were working harder than others. :)

Smart Guy!

Julie and Kevin came to help us even though they just finished term one and will not be moving to Grenada until January.  We have such great friends here!

Our babysitter

Kevin was used for his muscles

Finally, all of our stuff made it on to the crate.  It was time to get some food and drink a cocktail or two to celebrate the end of the term. 

All loaded!!!

Josh and I only have a couple of nights left in Newcastle upon Tyne.  We really cannot believe our year here is over already.  We have made such great friends and our memories here will last a lifetime.  It is bittersweet to leave.  We are excited to be moving forward, but we are sad to be leaving the comfort of our life here and the first place that Josh and I lived together.  I'm positive that I will always think fondly of Newcastle upon Tyne, even if I didn't think so when we first arrived in August.  It is the end of our time here in Newcastle, but with that comes the beginning of our journey in Grenada.  Josh and I are both excited for what God has in store for us during this next year.  So stay tuned, this adventure has really only just begun!

And Then There Were None

Just got the call. 
Josh is done with his last final of Term 2.
Which means that he is done with Year #1 of Medical School.
1/4 of the way through school.
25% Doctor?!?
Leaving Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Going to Grenada, West Indies. 
I'm the proud wife of one amazing guy.
IT'S A GOOD DAY!
Time to celebrate.

Finals Frenzy

Even though there are about a million other things I could/should be doing right now...packing crate stuff, cleaning the flat, packing our 6 suitcases bound for CA...  Instead, today I slept in late, went to lunch with the hubby, read an entire book cover to cover (if you haven't read any of the Sookie Stackhouse series, you should, it's amazing.  Book #11 just came out last week), and have now decided that posting on my blog was a necessity.  But it is..isn't it?  I can be the Queen of procrastinating if I really set my mind to it.

We are in the midst of what I am now calling THE FINALS FRENZY!  Josh has been studying away in his mancave all week and we still aren't done with them yet.  Boo. :(  He has a test tomorrow and the last one, Neurology (the hardest one in his opinion) on Monday.  So we he has to endure ANOTHER weekend of torture.   Which just really stinks because all of our term 1 friends are done tomorrow.  Sad day.  On top of that, Josh has this theory that he can't shave his face until after his tests are done.  He started it last term.  I am a fan of a little scruff...but he takes it to a whole new level during finals and midterms.  I think he's very handsome no matter what, but I'm ready for at least a trim.

 Last night, he and our Term 2 friends were able to take a much needed time out from studying to go to our favorite restaurant in Newcastle, Franchesca's after their Immunology final.  From what I'm told, the "Immuno" final was a bit of a doozy...so it was a necessary break.  I would say that since we are leaving here so soon, that that should have been our last Franchesca's trip, but my guess is we will end up there one last time before we go.  What can I say, when you find a good place to eat in the UK, you stick with it.


Disclaimer:  I know I look a bit tan in these pictures.  I admit...I have been tanning.   But I have to say that I am not as tan as I look.  These people I'm with (sorry guys) are just REALLY white!  If I were in Grenada or Bakersfield, I would look perfectly normal.  Don't judge me, we're going to an island off the coast of Spain next week.  I would have FRIED if I went there as pasty white as I was!

Love this little boy

Love this big boy

Pray that Josh gets through these last couple of tests of medical school year number one successfully and that we both make it through this finals frenzy.

Now that I'm done with this post, I guess I should get back to the other important things that need my attention.  Or maybe...I'll just ignore it and go read another book!

ChAoS

That is really the only word to describe the Scurlock household right now.  Both Josh and I are in a total state of chaoticness...is that even a word??  Well, it should be.

We've got so much going on in the next couple of weeks that I am having a difficult time even wrapping my head around it.  I am in the midst of packing up our household for our big move on May 25th back to the United States.  It might not sound like much, but I've some how managed to acquire quite a bit of stuff over the last 9 months.  On top of that, before we leave Europe completely, Josh and I are going on a last minute European vacation after his finals end.  We head to Rome the 19th-21st and Ibiza, Spain the 21st-24th.  We are both super excited for our vacation, but it does add a bit of stress to my life. I have to make sure not to pack the stuff that we will need for those travels yet.  Not to mention we arrive back to Newcastle at 10:00p.m. on May 24th and leave at 6:15a.m. the next morning for Los Angeles.  Everything's got to be ready to go before we leave for Italy.

SGU provided a huge help to students by setting up a boat that all students were allowed to buy space on to ship items from Newcastle to Grenada.  We are so thankful for this since we had to buy a lot of things for our flat here and would have been very sad to leave it all and have to re-buy (at a more expensive price) items we already had once we get to the island.  Josh and I purchased three spaces.  The items for the crate have to be delivered to the school on the last day of finals (which mean we will be in the UK for a week without dishes, pots, pans, etc).  That should be interesting. So I have been busy trying to pack boxes with items wrapped in bubble wrap and newspaper hoping that they make it safely across the water.  I have boxes, bubble wrap, scissors, tape, and newspaper all over my apartment. Not to mention that all the color has come down off the walls and made it's way into cardboard boxes.  It's a bit depressing to say the least.

Look at my apartment.

Boxes, Bins, and Labels Oh My!

Then of course there is closing bank accounts, canceling internet, water, and electric services, getting our deposit back, cleaning up the flat,and of course for Josh, that tiny little part about getting through his finals!  The schedule for term 2 finals is a bit daunting.  He actually started finals this past Wednesday.  He has one today, three next week, and his last final on Monday, May 16th.  If you are keeping up, that's 6 total! Phew! I'm tired just thinking about it.

So,while I am busy wrapping, taping, cutting, and boxing up our life in Newcastle (and making a huge mess while I'm at it), Josh is studying hard with books and notecards strewn about the apartment.  The place is a mess, and if you know me at all, you know that that's NOT how I like it. 

Josh has many study spots during finals.

I suppose there's nothing to do but let the chaos continue until we leave.  No point in fighting it this week.  Oh well!  Let's just pray everything gets done on time.  So here's to the chaos...keep it coming!