Well, hello everyone out there! This is my first blog and I figured what better subject to start with than summer? Some people may not know that after completing your first year at SCO, you have about ten weeks off for summer. I completed my first year in May and start back in mid July. Trust me, after the first year of countless hours of studying, ten weeks of summer is a HUGE deal! The way the program is set up, this is pretty much my last full summer so I am trying to make the most of it.
Many of my classmates are doing many different things with their time off. Some are sharpening up the skills we’ve learned over the past year by working in an optometry office in their hometown, some have traveled to different countries to provide free vision care with SVOSH and FCO, some are working with professors doing various research projects at SCO, and some are also staying in Memphis with other work-study positions at SCO.
However, there are also a few like myself who are just taking in every second of R & R possible. I am enjoying my time with family and friends, and have spent most of my summer at home in Greenville, MS. However, it’s only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Memphis so I have visited many times. I really enjoyed cheering on the Grizzlies in the playoff games and attending the Memphis in May Music Festival, but I must say that my favorite event this summer in Memphis was BBQ Fest. It is held right on the Mississippi River and people come from all over the world to compete in this famous event. It was so much fun socializing with friends, all while eating some fabulous BBQ!
Although I’m enjoying my summer at home with family and friends, I am really missing my new friends I have made through SCO! One of my favorite aspects of SCO is the diversity of its students. I now have good friends from all over the country and I cannot wait to see them again when we start school back in July. I have kept in touch with many of them over the summer even though we are miles apart, but I am ready to see everyone in person in July and hear about their adventures as well. At that point I hope we will all be rejuvenated and ready to take on our second year of optometry school!