One More Catch-Up Post

hi, I guess I’m back. I literally wrote an 800-word post last April, but I could not bring myself to post it. It was about my trip to Spain and about the beginnings of the pandemic but posting about it felt… wrong. I guess I can share it at some point, but now? I don’t feel like it (sorry). If you want to see pictures, though, you can go to my instagram or see this tweet:

a couple of pictures from my trip. (Shout-out to the grumpy guy photo bombing the last one) pic.twitter.com/26sC3xgUAA

— natalie (@fearlesslynat) March 2, 2020

My trip to Spain started when there were about 100 cases, and when I left there were more than 300. Although it was foolish to travel at the time, it was fun and unforgettable. When we came back, we had to go to uni for about a week until lockdown started (no quarantine required back then. Whoa) and things became the way they are now. And that’s all I’ll say about the trip, sadly. *cries*

I guess this post will be kind of an update? We’ll figure it out as we go.

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What’s new?

I’m a bit more than halfway through my first APPE rotation, Ambulatory Care, at an OBGYN office. You may ask, what is a pharmacy student doing at a doctor’s office? (Believe me, I asked the same thing too.) We’ve been taking vitals, interviewing patients and discussing cases and treatments. It is definitely a nice way to start my 7 rotations.

We’ve been following protocols, sanitizing the areas every time we meet patients and wearing face-shields. I’ve also been tested. (And will get tested again next Monday). This doesn’t mean it’s not scary working and being so close to patients once or twice a week. (This is also an adjustment my preceptor made: We don’t work at the clinic every day. However, we meet on Zoom to discuss cases.) But this is what I’ve wanted to do for years. Pharmacists are on the front lines, don’t you ever forget that. 🙂

My next rotation will be remote, sadly, but I know I’ll learn a lot. Plus, the one after that will (finally) be at a community pharmacy. I’m SO looking forward to that. “What about hospitals?” You may ask. It’s a bit difficult for students to work at hospitals right now. Even my current rotation was originally supposed to include visits to the operating room, and we lost that. 😦

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What else can I say? I miss a lot of life before COVID, I miss my friends and sometimes I feel like this is just a dream where I can’t bring myself to wake up. This is all so weird, and I can’t say I have completely gotten used to it. But this is our new reality for the time being. Which is to say PLEASE STAY HOME and if you don’t, WEAR A DAMN MASK. It’s not so hard. Things are tough and will get even more difficult… Please stay safe, my friends.

I’ll try to be back sooner rather than later *peace sign*

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Quick update: cruising, reading and binge-watching

So, of course, after all those posts with specific purposes, I owe you an absolute mess of an update, since that’s what I’ve been doing with my blog for months and that’s what you have come to expect of me. So here I am.

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First update: Somehow (really, don’t ask me how) I am halfway done with my degree.

I reached 50% of my PharmD: I never thought I would reach this milestone so fast. I only have one year left of my didactic studies, after which I’ll work my ash off. I think this is the first actual break I have had ever since I started pharmacy school and I have really stopped to think: holy shirt how is this possible? I am honestly so proud of myself for coming this far. Especially, if you read my past posts, I had no idea what I would do with my life until my second year of my undergrad.

View this post on Instagram

Gente, llegamos al 50% 💃🏻

A post shared by natalie 🐬 (@fearlessly.nat) on Apr 30, 2019 at 2:44pm PDT

I went on a cruise with my friends.

That’s something I never thought I would ever do (I went on a cruise when I was way younger and my experience was not the best in terms of motion sickness), but here we were. It has been one of the most fun experiences I have ever gone through in my life. Going to piano bars? Listening to talented singers perform every night? Eating delicious food?

I am so glad I was able to do this with my classmates, as this is something we will remember for the rest of our lives, hopefully.

A stray thought: I can’t believe I’ve hopped on a plane more times in a year than I have my whole life. (hopefully I’ll be able to do it even more once I actually graduate and earn money O.o)

Another stray thought: Non-drowsy Dramamine is BS

As for reading (I had written “I am a disappointing mess on a previous draft”)

I finished Vengeful and Love and Other Words, two of the books I had started months ago. But the one I actually want to mention is Kingdom of Exiles.

Mo gave it a glowing recommendation and, as I tweeted this:

I just want everyone to know I trust Mo’s taste in books with my life.

— natalie (@fearlesslynat) June 12, 2019

 

I HAD to read it. And it was so good! The whole plot was amazing, and I always needed to know what would happen next. I buddy read it with Lee, and theorizing, screaming and fangirling with her was so much fun! I hope I can get to do it again when Frozen Prince comes out!

I’m currently waiting for Soul of Stars to come out and suffer.

Now, for the update you were (not) waiting for: TV and K-dramas!

I watched the entirety of Fleabag in a day. (Not going to lie- I watched it because of a specific Andrew Scott Tumblr giftset my friend sent me) And it was so much more than I expected! Quality comedy that can also make me cry.

Good Omens: My current obsession: I shall spend my whole life trying to get everyone to watch the masterpiece of Michael Sheen and David Tennant playing an angel and a demon, respectively. Plus, it was written by Neil Gaiman: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, PEOPLE?!

As for K-dramas:

-I’M IN LOVE WITH KIM JAE WOOK. Her Private Life wasn’t full of a mind-blowing plot or whatever, but it’s so cute and fangirly and my expectations for men kept skyrocketing.

–Angel’s Last Mission: Love– It’s so cute and my mom says it looks like City of Angels and if it is, I’ll cry. A LOT. But meanwhile I’ll have fun with their cute and amazing acting kbye. (And the plot is amazing, and I’m scared of how it will end. *cries*)

-And the one I love the most right now: Search: WWW. It’s such a feminist K-drama. Every single misogynistic trope is turned around, and I am living to see three powerful women take over the world. ❤

As for miscellaneous obsessions:

–Lore Olympus owns my life right now. That’s all I’ll say. ❤

 

Anyhow, here is your mess of an update! Hope you enjoyed it!

-Nat ❤

“But I still have this faith in the truth of my dreams”

Hi, everyone. It’s been a while. (an understatement, but certainly not the longest time I have been without writing on this blog)

I have been busy. And then I wasn’t. I haven’t been busy for two weeks already and I haven’t been able to put everything that happened during the past 6 months in writing. I’m thinking I could divide everything in a couple of posts, so you’ll have some things to look forward to, if you like my writing. (which… I’m not sure it’s even possible) This post is about two dreams I was able to fulfill on this period of time, if you want to read it.

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Dream #1: The first time I visited Universal Studios in Orlando, years ago, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was being announced as I was leaving. Middle-school Natalie felt sad (although that’s not strong enough of a word, I think). Through the years, as it opened, as my friends and classmates all posted pictures with Hogwarts, on Diagon Alley, or drinking butterbeer, I felt jealous. (I mean, I was happy for them in a way, but I wanted to see what it felt.) When my friend told me she wanted to visit a mutual friend who studies in Orlando during spring break, I did not miss the chance: I said yes. Enthusiastically. We would figure out the logistics on the way. And we did.

Believe me, there were A LOT of roadblocks, beginning with the tickets we bought and apparently someone had reprinted 4 times. (But that’s another story, although if you followed me on Snapchat that day, the rants were REAL) However, it was an amazing experience to visit the place I dreamed of with my best friend. I still get teary-eyed thinking of how it felt to see Hogwarts for the first time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BunKhv6FugH/

It was also amazing to meet my friend’s classmates who did everything to make us feel welcome. I will always feel thankful for everything. For taking us to eat Korean BBQ for the first time (it was amazing, thanks for asking). For watching Twilight with us (my friend’s first time).

Of course, my immune system could not stay put and I got sick during the trip. What I thought was a regular cold turned out to be… *drumrolls* influenza!

Update: the cold ended up being influenza.

Get vaccinated, folks. https://t.co/MLrv7UxVhn

— natalie (@fearlesslynat) March 9, 2019

So, you guessed right: a spring break that was going to last a week lasted half a month that felt like forever, after which it was extremely difficult to catch up on my university’s responsibilities. Anyhow, I survived, the semester ended, and dream #2 was about to be fulfilled.

*Making a note here: if you can get a flu vaccine, please do. Although you can still get the flu, the chances of getting it and the severity of the infection could decrease.

For some background into dream #2: If you follow me online, you’ll know I have been obsessed with Anastasia: The Musical since *looks on Twitter* probably November 2017.

I have loved the animated movie since earlier:

Listening to “Once Upon A December”
I love #Anastasia!! ❤

— natalie (@fearlesslynat) July 30, 2012

(but let’s move on). I wanted to see it with my own eyes, so when it was announced that its Broadway run would end, I was devastated:

I keep seeing the Anastasia Broadway cast goodbye posts and pic.twitter.com/sB1fMm9iz2

— natalie (@fearlesslynat) March 30, 2019

As you know, although it closed, there is a tour traveling through the US. And casually (I still cannot believe this), it would stop on Fort Lauderdale during my finals and through the beginning of May. Which meant that I had a (small) chance of seeing it before I went on a cruise trip with my class friends. However, I did not realize this until I had a conversation with my school friends. They encouraged me to buy tickets, and then told me they would go with me. Which meant ABSOLUTELY THE WORLD and I will always appreciate. So I can say I watched Anastasia, I listened to my favorite songs live and sang along from the very last row and enjoyed it all.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BygOmYSn9YF/

I almost cried listening to In a Crowd of Thousands live. And In My Dreams. And Quartet at the Ballet (These three were always my favorites, and will remain like that for the rest of time) The Countess and the Common Man, though. This performance GAVE ME LIFE. (The touring cast is so talented, guys.)

There’s something to be said about the feeling of seeing a dream fulfilled. Of course, I have new and unfinished ones, (Seeing Hadestown and graduating Pharmacy school come to mind), and I cannot wait to do it all. And to take you all with me.

-Nat ❤

A new update: IPPEs and Taylor Swift

Hello, my dear followers who I haven’t really spoken to in a while O.o (!!!)

How are you? How are you doing? -you probably will not answer these in the comments, it’s fine. *cue the crying*

My second year of pharmacy school is about to begin -I know. Shocking- and I wanted to catch you up with what’s happening in my life.

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IPPE Community (aka my first practice experience)

How can I say this? I learned so much during my three weeks practice experience. I don’t think anyone truly knows what happens behind a pharmacy counter, except for the ones working there. Honestly? I couldn’t have been more blessed with my placement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlqniVjHpNB/?taken-by=fearlessly.nat

They were so nice and patient with my questions and my inexperience. They were willing to teach me, and I wish they knew how much I appreciate this. My preceptor, the technicians and the other pharmacists working there: I love you, and I want you to know I had lots of fun and that I hope that my future site of work has a similar environment.

rep tour!

If you follow me anywhere, in any social media -Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (@fearlesslynat) -you’ll know that THIS HAPPENED.

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I MUST BE DREAMING #reptouratlantanight2 #reptouratlanta

A post shared by natalie 🐬 (@fearlessly.nat) on Aug 11, 2018 at 2:25pm PDT

Somehow, thanks to a friend who lives there (Shoutout to Ashley!!) I was able to attend the reputation tour. Even as I’m writing this, I keep believing it was a beautiful dream. I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see the wristband, my t-shirt and the pictures on my phone.

Honestly, if a few months ago you had told me that I would travel on my own to see my favorite artist on her biggest tour to date, I would have said you were joking. I’d been wanting to see her for 9 years, and I had stopped hoping for a while.

Still- it happened, and I have the evidence to prove it. ❤

My current obsessions:

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: You’ve probably heard about it already, but it’s amazing! I’ve been reading the books and I’m literally in love with Peter K. But shh, watch the movie on Netflix, or even better, do what I didn’t and READ THE BOOK FIRST. You won’t regret it!

Meteor Garden: It’s basically a Chinese Boys over Flowers remake, but I’m LIVING for Daoming Si and Shancai’s story. It’s on Netflix (US) and honestly, I’m obsessed.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty: I’m both watching the kdrama (It’s really cute) and reading the webtoon translation. They both cover important topics such as the idea of beauty and how much it could either improve your life, or consume you. I would say it’s a must watch.

Other ramblings

As for my home, it’s still under construction. I’ll most certainly post when it’s done. I can’t wait to have space for my books and my things!

I’m starting my P2 year, and I’m really scared, but I’m HOPING no hurricanes arrive this season. I do not think I would be able to handle it again (and people here haven’t really recovered from the damage yet. Let’s hope we get some rest and a normal pharmacy year (haHA like these words could ever be included in the same sentence!)

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Whoa, two posts the same week! Is this what they call a miracle? Still- thanks for reading and I hope to see you all soon!

You can find me here:

Twitter: @fearlesslynat

Instagram: @fearlessly.nat

Snapchat: @fearlesslynat

To a long lost friend

This post is a little bit different. It’s a letter -kind of like the one I posted years ago– These are the things I want to tell someone who hasn’t been in my life in a long time, but I miss them so much sometimes that I wish I could see them at least one more time.

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Hi, friend.

It has definitely been a while. I’ve asked a lot of people about you and no one seems to know anything. I wonder if you are okay, if you have finally found what you wanted to do with your life, or if you always knew and never shared it with the world. You never shared many of your thoughts and dreams, only pieces. I probably overshared, but you always -or at least most of the time, when we weren’t fighting- listened.

I remember our last conversation- or at least where it was and how it felt. Do you? Probably not- I’m well aware you were a bigger part of my life than I was of yours. It felt peaceful, friendly again, like it hadn’t been in almost a year -or probably more. Sadly, I do not remember what we talked about- it has been 5 years since that day, and I would have paid more attention to it if I had known I wouldn’t see you again.

I wonder if you know that I do not want to be a doctor anymore -or at least a medical doctor, and that I’m studying to be a pharmacist. Can you believe this? -I most certainly wouldn’t… Did you hear about that?

I wonder if you know that I finally got to go to a Taylor Swift concert! That I made my dream come true- I remember you bought me Speak Now as a birthday gift-, and that I faced my fear of traveling alone. I wonder if you know that I don’t read as much anymore, that I don’t have the time, and that this makes me so sad I want to cry sometimes.

I wonder if you know how much I appreciated our friendship- no matter how much we fought- and that you are one of the people I care the most for, even after 5 years.

Anyway, I miss you. And part of the reason I keep my social media updated and public is because if you somehow found me, you’d be able to know how I’ve been, if you cared. Now that I think about it, it seems like a lomg shot. You abandoned social media long ago, and it seems unlikely that you would come back, but still. Hope never dies, I guess.

I hope to see you again someday, and that I get to tell you these things in person. I miss you so much!

Natalie

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(And I just realized this post sounds like they’re dead. For the record- no, they’re not. They just haven’t been in my life for years, and I am pretty sure I won’t ever see them again.)

 

3 years into blogging: My graduation and the start of a new stage

A few notes before I start this post:

• I started blogging 3 years ago! Can you believe it? (I most certainly can’t ) As I have told you before, I did not expect to be blogging for so long… but here I am. 🙂 I am sure 18/19 year old Nat wouldn’t imagine how nicely life is treating me right now… I’m happy. ❤

• I’m currently on a Twitter hiatus! This is why you have probably not seen me around for a while. I’m trying to concentrate on my studies and Twitter is literally a black hole I could stay in for hours. *shrugs* 

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Hello, everyone that is still somehow following me! I am still alive after my first few weeks in pharmacy school! That is an accomplishment, right? This post will probably be full of pictures… Are you ready for it? (Yes, I’m writing this post while listening to the new Taylor single. I’m a Swiftie. Keep up!)

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Let’s see… Some huge events in my life that should get their own post, but since I’m short in time, here we are!

• I finally  graduated! Somehow I survived everything… And even though graduations are supposed to be boring with protocol and such, it was so much fun (even though my best friends did not attend *narrows eyes*)

• Literally as soon as I graduated, I went directly to the apartment where I’m staying while I’m studying, so I did not have much time to think. The day after my graduation, I went to my first day of orientations at my new uni. That was both cool and scary.
• That first week, I had my white coat ceremony. Simply getting to wear that coat for the first time as a student pharmacist is a moment I will always cherish. (And the fact that my best friend was there to see it all made it all worth it. ❤ )

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A few notes on my experiences in pharmacy school so far:

• I have not taken any exams (yet), but they’re getting closer, and I have been studying along with my roommates so I can survive. (My first exam’s from biochemistry, so I’m crossing my fingers!)
• My professors are from different parts of the world and I’m loving that… even though understanding their accents was hard at first. (Still working on some of them… I will succeed at understanding them all! You’ll see!
• I love my class. Everyone just wants to help each other pass and have fun along the way. I really hope we become really close. ❤

• As for my experience staying away from home, it has definitely been better than expected. I love my roommates and our dynamic. ❤ (Even though… uh… our bathroom roof (plaster?) fell last week. And that same day there was a blackout. That’s life, I guess *shrugs*)
• As for my reading, I’m around 25% done with Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab and I’m loving it. ❤

These: the good, the fun, the bad, the ugly, are experiences that I will never forget. I sincerely love this stage of my life, and the people I’m sharing it with.