Hello friends, after a long hiatus away from this blog I have full intentions of starting back up. It's been hard lately to really articulate my thoughts and I'm not entirely sure why but I do catch myself staring off into space, contemplating life. So I'm hoping that as I type, more will come to me and I'll be able to share my thoughts.

I've just finished with 2nd year. It's really bizarre because it is a huge landmark to be halfway through my program, and actually 2/3 through the typical student aspect of it since the last year I will be on rotations. But at the same time, we've started up with our summer term which technically means we are 3rd years and had a whopping three day long-weekend off. For those three glorious days I felt like I was on summer vacation after a long 5 month term, but now I'm back in the groove. It's hard to realize I won't be home for another 8 weeks or so. I really think I'm gonna have a lot of fun this summer; I know had this been the situation one year ago, I would have been absolutely miserable and wishing I could go home.

Looking back on how homesick I was last year compared to this time, there is no comparison. I'm doing so much better this year. There are still moments though, when I think about how different my life would be if I was at home. When I look at the big picture, I know I'm grateful for this experience, I feel like I could have gone my entire life without ever leaving home and it would have taken me a lot longer to really mature and become independent had I chosen to go into a program that was offered at U of A. The biggest thing I miss is obviously my family, I've said it time and time again. It's not really the city you miss, it's the people. I feel like this year, I've grown further and further apart from a lot of the people I care so much about and it's hard. I feel a bit disconnected. It's difficult when everyone is busy with the trials and tribulations of life and you can never really coordinate your schedules to have the conversations you want to, or maybe need to. Your friends and family are experiencing life without you. Usually, I go home and I feel like it's exactly how I left it but there are changes, perhaps subtle changes that happened while you were off having your own adventures, while you were growing into the person you'll become.

All I know is I'll never grow out of good friends, the ones back home and the ones I've made here, and my loving family.