Once again, it is time for updates! As many of you know, I will be graduating very soon- August 29th, to be exact. Next week will be my last week of classes, followed by a week to finish up clinic shifts, and then I will be suddenly ejected from the comfort of the OCOM nest that I have been residing in for the past four years. This end is bittersweet. I am truly going to miss the school, the clinic, and the friends I've made along the way. However, I have been working very hard over the past year and a half towards the next chapter and I am eager to dive headfirst into this adventure with all its unknowns.
I've been getting a lot of the same questions from people, so I thought it would be good to just include some information regarding my next steps and where I am at in the planning process. Here we go:
As some of you know, in 11 months I am intending to move to Australia to further pursue my education in a PhD by research program at RMIT in Melbourne. For the past year, I have been spending countless hours researching the application process, scholarships, housing options, visa processes, and pet migration, among many, many other details of this exciting journey. Some of these aspects seem easier than others, and as I gather more information about how it all truly works, I am finding that much of it is going to be far more difficult than I had anticipated. Whether I am able to commence the program and pay for my living expenses rests almost entirely upon being awarded several HIGHLY competitive scholarships- granted that I am accepted into the program in the first place.
Right now I am in my last year at OCOM, fulfilling my internship requirements in the clinic as well as taking classes, studying for board exams for licensure, and working on several research projects. This is all very time consuming and stressful, but I can't I often play this little game with myself, asking: "If ______ happened right now, what would I do?" One of the questions that always comes up is, "if the fire alarm were to go off right now, what would I take?" In my mind I would anticipate giving myself about 15 seconds to decide, find the items, and be out the door. Often, I'd even locate the items just to see if that were possible. I always saw myself grabbing my laptop, a large box of photos, and my passport.
I will tell you right now that the items I saw myself taking, and the items I actually took were quite different when the fire alarm in my apartment building went off at 6:30am a few weeks ago. Perhaps one reason for this is Last month, I thought it would be an awesome idea to take a motorcycle rider's training course. And it was... but also it wasn't. I wound up with a $180 bruise on my thigh from some useless metal bar sticking out of the side of my bike. But there is always a silver lining right? Because I'm a total nerd when it comes to stuff like this, I took daily pictures of it as it 'bloomed.' On day 6, I received a single acupuncture treatment from a fellow intern and I photo-documented the results.
The first three photos are pre-treatment and the following 6 show what happened afterwards. The treatment approach was to tonify the spleen (in Chinese medicine, one of the energetics of the spleen is to hold blood within the vascular system) and to move blood. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Ok, so now that I’ve found a moment of free time, I can finally get this blog rolling! Thanks for everyone who has patiently waited. Without further delay- here are some updates and details on where I’ve been, where I am, and where I am going! Where have I been? For the last three years, I have been working hard towards my Master’s in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) in Portland. Up until this point, my schooling has consisted of many hours in classrooms, observing with practitioners, and practicing techniques on brave classmates. Topics of my education include Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, Tui-Na massage, acupuncture techniques, moxibustion, gua sha, cupping, Chinese herbal therapy, research protocols, and business strategies. Where am I now? Just over a month ago, I began my year-long journey as an intern in OCOM’s acupuncture clinic. I have been treating patients seeking help with a wide range of ailments including pain, digestive complaints, insomnia, and cold symptoms, to name only a few. I love treating in the clinic, and even on the most challenging days I go home feeling like I am doing good work and making a difference. If anyone has any questions about TCM theory, techniques, what I can treat, etc- please contact me! I have such a passion for this medicine and what it can do, and I love talking about it. Now onto the most exciting part…! Where am I going? Next August, I will graduate from OCOM -please, hold your applause until then. Upon graduation, I have been invited to apply for the PhD by research program at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Melbourne, Australia. I plan to focus my research on acupuncture for pain management, and Melbourne will be my home for four years as I pursue this incredible opportunity. I have already begun fund raising to support my transition to Australia by holding garage sales (can’t take it all with me!) and selling my paintings.
Look for updates here on my many fund raising events over the next year. I would love the support -whether it is financial or emotional- from all of my dear friends and family. For those of you who already know about my plans, thank you so much for your encouragement so far! It means so much to me that you all believe in me- and I would love it if anyone wanted to come and visit me in Melb! Drop me a line if you would like to hear more about RMIT and my plans, and I will keep everyone updated here as best as I can. I also plan to keep everyone updated on my work and life in AU right here on my blog. Ok, I have rambled on long enough. Keep checking back here for new posts and let me know if there are any topics you would like to see posted and discussed! Take care everyone <3 I would like to thank you for checking out my new site and blog, Objects in Motion! This blog is where I will be sharing recipes, interests, news, etc! I will also use this space to update friends, family, and any other interested parties (stalkers??) on my progress in school and my epic post-graduation plans... to be shared in a future entry! ^-^
Right now, I am about to enter my fourth and final year at OCOM. I will participate in a full year of internship before I set off into the world to further pursue my dreams. I would like to thank everyone that has encouraged me and supported me along the way so far, and those that have dealt with how busy and distracted I have been with my schooling. Thank you for understanding! Please G+ and/or 'Like" Objects in Motion, and check back often as I will be updating several times a week and will eventually be adding in video logs as well! Thanks for stopping by! |