Angela’s Blog

If exams haven’t hit you yet, they definitely will now that October has rolled in. On Wednesday I had my first exam for my Animal Physiology (PNB 2250) class. While it’s a great and interesting class, there is a LOT of information that we’ve been taught just within the last few weeks. Lipid bilayers.. hormone signaling pathways… muscle contraction… can you tell I’m a biology major? I usually split my studying time between Homer Babbidge Library and my apartment, but for this exam I chose to stay in and make myself comfortable in my living room. Studying styles vary among all college students, and I’m definitely the type that needs to have some music playing in the background to keep me going, as well as a constant (free) caffeine supply. Here’s a little breakdown of what went down on Tuesday night as I prepared for my PNB midterm…

For all those who live at or around Storrs, there is a little gem of a restaurant hidden away in Mansfield that’s one of the best places around where you can get the most delicious hibachi and sushi called Asian Bistro. I was there this past week to celebrate my friend Shrijana’s 23rd birthday. There’s typically a few groups of UConn students there in addition to Mansfield residents. It’s off campus in the East Brook Mall complex, which translates to a 10-12 minute ride by either car or the Willi-Storrs shuttle that leaves from UConn. It’s definitely worth the short trip if you’re ever inclined to go out to eat (birthdays? dates?)

When our group was there we sat at the hibachi table and got a amazing show from our hibachi chef (see flaming onion above haha). He was pretty funny too, and played a game with us where we were supposed to catch the chopped up cucumber bits that he flung with our mouths. We all had a fantastic meal overall and left satisfied and entertained.

At the Hibachi place! Josh, Alex, Abe, and Pete (top) and Shrijana, Pratistha, Me and Kelly (bottom).

This past weekend, my roommate from last year and one of my best friends, Avani, came to visit me at UConn. Avani graduated last May and is soon heading off to Philadelphia to start her grad studies at Drexel. We headed off with a bunch of our friends to go watch the UConn vs Virginia game.

Avani and Me at the tailgate!

The rest of the guys... from left, Avani, Josh, Tom, Terry, Toyoda, Abe, Pete and Jamie

This was my first home game, and I absolutely LOVED it! Though it was pretty obvious that it was going to be a UConn victory midway through the game, we all stayed til the end to watch the Huskies finish 45-10. The night was made even better when we caught up with UConn’s President, Mike Hogan!

Abe, Pratistha and Me with President Hogan!

Yesterday was a pretty action-packed day, so I just wanted to share a few tidbits of it with you. So every semester, the Student Union hosts an Involvement Fair, which is where hundreds of UCONN’s clubs and organizations gather to attract new members. As Vice President, I was there yesterday with the rest of the executive board to advertise the UCONN Pre-Medical Society. Of course, since the Fair goes on for hours, I walked around for a bit just to say hi to a few of my friends and also check out some of the clubs that looked interesting.  I’m thinking that the Skydiving Club might have some potential. You see, every pre-med student has an idea in mind for what they’re going to do after they take their MCATs (also known as the pain-in-the-butt entrance exam into medical school). My line of thought is, What better way to relieve all of the pent-up stress and anxiety than to jump off a plane at 30,000 ft screaming at the top of your lungs?

Persis and Me flaunting our Pre-Medical Society t-shirts in front of our board

The Involvement Fair was pretty packed...

Later that evening, I went back to my place to cook dinner with my roommates. Living at Charter Oak Apartments this semester totally rocks, because having my own kitchen is amazing! I’m not the best cook, but I absolutely LOVE getting creative in the kitchen. With the help of my friend Pratistha, we made this delicious salmon penne al forno dish. Needless to say it was delicious and was gone within minutes!

Yummmm....

Hey hey everybody! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m pumped for this new semester at UCONN and I can’t wait to share my experiences with you guys! But before I go on with that, I just wanted to update you on what happened during my summer. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I had gone to China for two weeks with a group from the International Scholar Laureate Program. The reason for the trip was a delegation on medicine, and we traveled to Beijing, Xi’an and Wuhan visiting various medical schools, hospitals and villages. I took a whole bunch of pictures during that trip (over 500–photography is definitely one of my passions, haha) and here I’ve posted just a few of them to give you guys an idea of what I did.

A group of us on the Great Wall of China! Brysien, Brett, Casi and Brandon (top); Ian, Diana, Amanda, Bisi, Colleen and Me (bottom)

I mentioned before that I was able to visit a rural orphanage in Xi’an. Here, the kids weren’t technically orphans; their parents had actually all been committed of crimes and were in prison. This special orphanage had been established to give these children better lives and education, as well as emotional support. It was so fun and touching to be able to speak with them in Chinese and just joke around with them!

Two of the orphans and me. They were pretty happy when we brought them chocolates, as you can see!

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll be posting the rest of my pictures on Picasa once I find the time, so I’ll post the link here if you’d like to see what happened on the rest of my trip.

Thanks again for dropping by!

Hey everyone!

My name is Angela, and I will be going into my third year at UConn this coming fall. I am a student in the Combined Program in Medicine and I am majoring in Biological Sciences.

My experience at UConn thus far couldn’t have been better. It’s a combination of the people there and the opportunities that UConn gives us students that has made my time here so amazing. The Study Abroad program was one such opportunity that perfectly combined my love for meeting new people and traveling.

It started last summer, when I joined a group of 14 other UConn students to study abroad in Italy. Traveling has always been a passion of mine, because to me, travel symbolizes the excitement of freedom and the adventure of undiscovered places. For six weeks, my group and I traveled around Italy and in the process wrote a journal about the people, the sights and the tastes we encountered.

This summer, I traveled around China, visiting major cities like Beijing, Xi’an and Wuhan. This trip was led by a medicine delegation, focused on teaching about traditional Chinese medicine and the Chinese medical system. Not only did I get to visit hospitals and medical schools, but I also was able to learn a great deal about my own culture. One of the most moving parts of the trip was visiting a Chinese orphanage in a rural village and hanging out with the kids there. At UConn, I lead a community service program called ChinaCare that works toward helping Chinese orphans. Learning about the conditions of these orphanages and the stories of these kids’ lives definitely inspired the work that I plan to continue with ChinaCare.

Working with kids is something I hope to do later in my life as a physician. I’ve always been interested in going into pediatrics, and this summer I’ve been exploring the field by shadowing doctors at hospitals like Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, St. Francis and the UConn Health Center.

All in all, I’m having a fantastic summer, and though it’s been pretty busy, I’ve been putting the free time I find to good use by hanging out with my friends, going on road trips (significantly shortened in distance due to recent gas prices) and playing tennis.