This week has been one of high anxiety and anticipation for the MCAT. On Monday, I attended two classes. I had Animal Cognition in the morning, studied for the MCAT for most of the day, attended my last Intercultural Experiential Learning class, and attended a tutoring session for the MCAT. Tuesday was extremely busy school-wise. I had three classes and, on one of those classes, went on a field trip to graveyards to see several different types of war memorials. The content of the class was very interesting but the majority of us got cold due to the rain and the wind. During my ride, I was able to speak with my friend Yeji about traveling differences between people in our group. She has gone on several trips with some of the other girls in the group and somewhat inspired me to not be afraid to do things on my own. Everyone has different traveling preferences and being alone should not be something to fear. Laura was also on the trip. She is always extremely insightful and a great friend. On Wednesday, I was able to take somewhat of a "break" by going to Liverpool to play in a soccer game with the University of Chester women's football team. I scored a goal and assisted another in the game. It was a tough match we should have won but did not due to goalie issues. Once I got home, I studied for the MCAT again. Thursday was the big day. The day I traveled to London. I studied in the morning and traveled in the evening, taking only 3 hours by train to cross most of England. Thursday and Friday were spent mostly alone. It was refreshing to have a day or two alone where I did not really speak to anyone except for close friends and family. It was extremely nice to be able to talk to my roommates, best friends back home, and parents before the test. On Friday, I walked to the testing center (to practice where to go) and got some coffee. I ended up taking the MCAT on Saturday. It was very official, as they had to scan my palm and face in order for me to enter the testing center. The test was more difficult than I thought it would be (due to experience with previous practice) and I still feel very nervous about the results of the exam. After the test was over, I went to go get Bao (which is similar to a dumpling) with Hannah, Julia, and Lexi. It was interesting to hear about their previous night in London. They traveled the same weekend as me to London to see the city but were doing their own thing until Saturday. It was interesting to hear about their plans and what they did. Listening to their experiences, it seemed like it would have been a better experience if they planned a little more in-depth for their trip (although some mistakes were made that could have not been avoided). After Bao, we went to go get chocolate. For the first time in my life, I could not eat all of the chocolate provided. We all went to my hotel room after that and watched an episode of The Ripper on Netflix. On Sunday, I began to think about how I did on the MCAT and started to get anxious and somewhat sad. Due to this, I spent part of the morning in my hotel and spent the rest of the day exploring London a little. I went to Tower Bridge, a sky garden on the top of a large building to view the city of London, and went to eat at Flat Iron. This was all done with Hannah, Julia, and Lexi. They left for Chester after this while I met up with Parker, who was also in London that weekend. We went to the Wellington Arch, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the House of Parliament, and finally Covenant Garden. Covenant Garden was amazing because it seemed like a place that locals preferred. There, I informed Parker that Shake Shack was, in fact, an American food chain. There are even cultural differences between states in the U.S it seems. After dinner, I traveled home on the train. The train was extremely crowded because some trains out of London were canceled, leading to a rush to get on the next available train. I got home to Chester around 10 P.M. and headed straight to bed, ending my week.
Picture Description
Top Left: House of Parliament on The River Thames
Top Middle: Big Ben
Top Right: Near 10 Downing Street
Top/Middle Left: Cemetery in Cheshire
Top Middle/Middle: Hot Chocolate and Cake
Top/Middle Right: Pearson Center where MCAT was taken
Bottom/Middle Left: Bao
Bottom Middle/Middle: View of London from Sky Garden
Bottom Middle/Right: Queen Victoria Memorial
Bottom Left: London Bridge and the River Thames
Bottom Middle: Building near Hotel/MCAT testing site
Bottom Right: Picture of Soccer Team
Ultimately, I am relieved my MCAT is over. It gives me much more time to focus on schoolwork, traveling, and trying to enjoy my time abroad. However, I still feel very anxious. I know I will need to retake the test and need to keep studying. I do not enjoy sitting down or having the relief from doing work. This seems to be one of the biggest differences between me and most people my age. I just never seem to want to relax. I want to learn more about medicine, work more on the things that need to be done, and apply myself to school the most I can. This is a cultural difference too. I have not met any British students that are motivated to succeed in school. People just seem to drift through their lives content. I definitely have more to learn about British culture and myself to reconcile these differences.
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