I've taking a TEFL(teaching English as a foreign language) course at the moment. Its quite tough- not cos of the subject matter but I have a month of lessons from Monday to Friday for 3 hrs everyday. Its starting to get a bit of a pain considering I have also started studying Physiology for September.
Today was a very tough and boring lesson cos we were doing pronunciation, and we were also doing phonetic symbols. I had never done anything like it before. Basically now I know what those symbols you get near a word when you look it up in a dictionary mean- well I should do, but I dont!!! I suppose it just needs a bit of practise really!
Anyways me off to bed cos I'm dead tired.....Current Mood:  tired |
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Aug. 3rd, 2005 @ 09:25 pm
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Today was basically a waste of time. I was at sanc and we finished the mornings work really really early, and we could have done a hell of a lot of the extra work that needs to be done but sadly we never have the time for due to the lack of volunteers. Basically what happened is that 3 of the dogs that were let out on a run didnt come back so we spent an hour and a half looking for them, then only 2 of them came back. We immediately thought the worse as usually dogs go and come as a group. Basically all 5 of us dropped everything and went on a 5 hr hunt for Patch. I got scratched to slithers with all the plant matter I squeezed through, then I almost went sliding into a storey high ditch and was saved just in time by Nadia. The sun was really hot and now I'm feeling its effects on me. Thank God we found the dog though. I was beginning to think she'd fell somewhere and couldnt get out.
The weather was really strange today. I mean in the end it was your typical Maltese summer's day- ie very very very hot and sticky. However this morning I felt I was playing a part in The Wizard of Oz. Either that or Hurricane Emily finally arrived in Malta. When I woke up there was dust flying everywhere and gale force winds too. Then as I was biking up to sanctuary I got soaked cos it started raining- strange!!!!
Anyway the sun has taken its toll on me today so I'm off to bed.
Tomorrow I study...Current Mood: tired |
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Jun. 25th, 2005 @ 05:18 pm
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First day of summer holidays..... ahhhhh BLISS!!!
Have nothing else to say- partly because I'm just sitting here enjoying the sun, and I cant be bothered to think about anything!Current Mood:  blank |
Flight changed- me go home tomorrow- *cue EXTREME happiness*Current Mood:  chipper |
So I'm not doing physiology any more- I decided there isnt time to prepare it properly, so I thought I'd give it a miss for July and prepare it properly for September. Its an important subject, a useful one, and it is very very vast, and the lecturer had every right to say that it needs to be prepared well, so basically now tomorrow I'll fone and change my flight, and I'll have to make a sacrifice and study this exam in the summer- but its a nice exam so it shouldnt be that bad......*cue more positive thinking*
Oh well looks like summer holidays officially started about an hour ago... so I get to go home and relax a bit, see all my friends, my other special friend, and all my animals, and of course my family... and my animals... and my other special friend... and my animals.
So it looks like my first year abroad is officially over. Bring on the next four!Current Mood:  amused |
| » I'm a physiophylic! |
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Studying is going well- Physiology is quite a nice subject!! Not that hard either once you've picked up the concept. Then again so far I'm just doing the easy stuff. I wonder if I'll feel the same when I come to do the pathways in the brain? Sadly I think not!
Jun. 20th, 2005 @ 11:56 am
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| » Cecco Sprint does it again! |
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I am very very upset right now. I fucked up this exam basically. Yesterday I had topographic and I didnt do well- not cos I wasnt prepared, cos I did well up to the last question- which was unluckily enough the vascolarisation of the foot, which I didnt know very well- and basically as almost all the people before me hadnt done very well, he got really angry, and gave me a 22, which I most definetely did NOT deserve, cos other than that one question I did really really well.
Anyway this morning I did brilliantly- even though I say it myself- I just started talking and I didnt stop and he didnt interrupt me once- which obviously means I did very well. Anyway whereas with the others he didnt look at the mark for topographic, and gave them a mark based on their performance today, with me he looked at the mark, and instead of giving me a 26 or a 27 which I most definetely deserved, granted that in todays exam I got a 30 and it was 8 credits, whereas yesterday was 22 in 4 credits, he gave me a 24, and I feel really upset about it. The exact average is a 27, and so he should have given me at least a 26.
I just cant understand what the hell I have to do to get the good marks. In the beginning, ok it was to be expected that the mark would reflect the language barrier, but now that that has changed, my marks still lie in the low range. I dont know- when I'm at home and I repeat to myself I manage to remember all that I studied, and I feel really prepared for it, then I'm always given such marks.
Well anyway, now I'm going to rest a bit- all my friends say I should go out and celebrate, but I dont feel like celebrating, espescially when there is nothing whatsoever to celebrate. Tomorrow I start studying for physiology. Laura( the maltese girl in 2nd yr) said that it is doable to study for this exam in 3 weeks- but then again Laura is a genius. I'm beginning to have second thoughts about doing it to be honest, but on the other hand- my flight is booked back on the 9th July, and what the hell will I do for 3 weeks? So I'll start studying for it, but this is a lecturer that doesnt want us to do this exam in July, she wants us to come directly in September to do it, cos she says its impossible to study physiology in 3 weeks. So anyway, she interrogates really strictly, and apparently, if you merit a 22 or lower, she wont give it to you, cos she feels that her subject is important and so you need to know it well.
Anyway I'm gonna do my best to pass it, cos if I dont I'm gonna have to come back in September, and that would mean having my birthday over here again, and also spending half the time I have in Malta studying. Anyway, I'm off to bed, cos I only slept 3 hrs last night revising!
Jun. 17th, 2005 @ 02:20 pm
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| » Arrivederci Malta! Ci rivediamo in 26 giorni! |
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So I'm back in this prison they call Perugia. Ufff 26 days left till summer! So near yet so far!! The flight back was ok, although mum practically had to push me on it cos I realy really didnt want to come back!!!
Anyway this morning I went to uni to have a look at the slides I'm supposed to be able to recognize Friday. That was a bad idea, cos it kinda put me in a panic, cos I wasnt able to recognize hardly anything. Basically I was ok when I knew what organ the slide was of, ie if I'd read the label, cos I could apply the theory, but if I just picked one up at random and tried to nominate the organ I hit a standstill. I'm really panicked now cos basically on Friday I'm gonna be put in front of 3 microscopes and if I'm not able to recognize 2 organs out of 3 I'm finished. AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO!!! AIUTO!!!!!!
I sorta finished studying today. I took a big risk and decided not to do the innervation of the legs very well- basically I just know the principal nerves and not much else. In part I dont have time to do them, cos tomorrow I have to do a LOT of revision, and in part cos basically my notes for those lessons are absolute shit. I remember the lecturer had done those lessons as if he had a pack of wolves hot on his tail- that is to say he started at a rapid enough pace and finished at supersonic speed... and I didnt manage to write anything decent. I'm hoping that if I am unlucky enough to be asked that one thing I dont know, just knowing the main nerves will scrape me through- fingers crossed! Cos thats basically it with this exam- there are quite a few things I know perfectly, and well if I'm asked the right things, I could easily be looking at a 30, but if not- well basically its goodbye to all my hopes of a long summer in Malta!
Anyway now I'll be off cos a few friends just came by for a chat, then I go and eat whatever 3-week-old culinary delight lies in my cupboard, then maybe I revise a bit.
So its goodbye from my prison cell... for now! 26 days!
Jun. 14th, 2005 @ 09:59 pm
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| » U che cazzo!!! |
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Well sorry I havent been updating much lately. I've been really busy studying. Im studying anatomy- I cant believe what a massive subject it is! Anyway this is just to say that I'm still alive, only just. I'm finding it really hard to study at home( I came to Malta a couple of weeks ago, I had to sign some things for the scholarship I got). I was finding it hard to study anyway in Perugia cos for one the weather is just lovely, and 2 I'm just fed up with studying this year, its been one exam after the other, with no break at all. Now I just have 2 exams left- Anatomy next week( 16 June) and Physiology on the 7th July. I have my flight booked back on the 9th July. Hopefully after that I'll be staying til October, but I'm not getting my hopes up, cos the Physiology teacher has got it into her head that if we study her subject in the 3 weeks between anatomy and her exam, we wont study well, and basically we'll just forget the stuff as soon as the exam's over, so she suggests studying all summer( yea right!!!) and comin in September to do it. Yea sure!!!Anyway that ones gonna be a bit of a gamble, cos I aint got enough time to study it, and I cant be bothered with studying in this weather, plus she expects very detailed stuff, so we'll just see. I really dont want to have to come up in September, cos chances are I wont be able to come back down and I dont want to spend another birthday in Perugia! Last one was depressing enough for me!
I'm going back to Perugia on Monday, hopefully I'll be able to finish by then, and then I need to do a LOT of revision cos its a VERY vast subject! I'm off to do the intestines- What fun!
Jun. 9th, 2005 @ 03:20 pm
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| » meme |
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Nicked off Chelle:
What Your Dreams Mean... |
Your dreams seem to show that you're a very well adjusted and happy person.
Overall, you are very content in your life.
You tend to be a very productive thinker.
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May. 15th, 2005 @ 05:27 pm
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| » (No Subject) |
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stolen from the_penumbra
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| » Now I know where I got it from! |
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What kind of disease are you?
goldmink: | goldmink is caused by monkeys.
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goldmink disease turns you into a slug
To cure goldmink infection, keep a live squirrel in your underpants for a week. | |
May. 5th, 2005 @ 02:01 pm
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| » Assisi day |
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So I spent the day in Assisi- the birthplace of St Francis- the protector saint of animals and of course veterinarians!!! That includes veterinary students as well! It was fun- its nice to be surrounded by friends. It was actually the second time I've been to Assisi, but I actually saw a different Assisi to the one I saw in September. When I went in September I went with Keith and his mum and his aunt who's a nun, so obviously I was dragged into every single church, chapel and any smither of a place that has any religious connotation. Today I went with my friends and I got to see Assisi from a teenager's point of view; ie we went into the main churches then spent the rest of the time going in and out of souvenir shops, eating icecream, joking around, and then for the grand finale we decided to climb up Mount Subasio- which is this really high mountain where St Francis decided to go off to and live life as a hermit. We only got halfway then sat down till it was time to go- it was way too hot. I couldnt believe it- its like the middle of summer here! Then as a reward for all the hard work we put in with the walking, we decided to go off to Mcdonalds to replace all the calories we had burned off!
Anyway, I'm back now, and I'm just gonna take myself off to bed, cos I'm knackered, and I cant feel my legs anymore.
May. 1st, 2005 @ 09:42 pm
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| » Still here!!! |
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So Ive sorta neglected my LJ recently. Dont really know why- it was one of those things that happen I suppose. I've been sorta busy. I had a marathon of a study trying to finish studying biochemistry in time. I sorta managed it- not very well but I did finish everything. Then I have no idea what happened but I just blanked the day of the exam. It didnt help that my exam was postponed by a day so I ended up having my exam the day I was supposed to be flying to England. I woke up really panicked cos I knew I wasnt prepared enough, and then the lecturers came late as usual. They waltzed in at 11am and I was supposed to catch my train to Rome at 12 noon. Worrying about missing my flight didnt do me much good either! I was first up, and as soon as I sat in front of the lecturer I knew it was gonna be a disaster- I couldnt focus on anything. All I could think of was the way this woman had destroyed me in my first biochemistry exam when I was as prepared as anything, and I kept thinking what would she do to me now when she had all the ammunition she needed to put me away for good!? So everything was stacked up on my mind and then all of a sudden it was panic stations up, and I just totally blanked out. In the end I passed the exam but only just. I'm really upset about that but anyway shit happens.
At least I got to have a short holiday in England. Cos 4 days is really short! But I had four jam-packed days. I even got to go see Fame at the Birmingham Hippodrome. That was quite good- it wasnt as good as the other musicals Ive seen but anything theatrical is ok by me- I just get swept away by the acting. I love the theatre life- I think if it wasnt for the fact that Ive always been drawn by veterinary medicine I woulda become an actress most probably! Well ot that I'd be that good at acting- I'm way too self conscious for that.
So now its back to the nit and grit of daily life in Perugia. Ive had almost a week off of studying to try andf clear my head- not very successfully considering I caught a cold in the process and now everything I eat tastes of paper. Anyway tomorrow I'm off to Assisi for the day, then Monday I start studying seriously for anatomy- I want a 30 in that( ie full marks) cos thats the only thing that will make me feel better about my failure in biochemistry.
Tonite we're having friends over- Danilo's cooking gnocchi for us. If asked to explain what gnocchi are Id have no idea- they are kinda pasta, kinda bread- theyre made with potatoes and theyre served with tomato sauce just like pasta. Anyway theyre very nice.
So thats it from me....... for now!
Apr. 30th, 2005 @ 05:50 pm
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| » Kewl! |
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I think I'm gonna be able to go down to England for 4 days at the end of April. We got a week off school for the exam then after we got 4 days off and I think I'll be goin down to England then, cos mum's gonna be there for a week too. I found a flight on Thursday 21 and I come back on Tue 26 April. There is a slight problem though. My exam is on the 21st in the morning, then my flight is at 17:55 in the evening. I dont know whether I can make it in time to get to Rome from here. Tomorrow I have to go check at the train station. I think I'll be finished from my exam around 12. I'll ask if they can interview me first. Then if there is a train about 13:00 or at the latest 14:00, I should get to Rome in time. We'll see about it. I dont want to go down on the Friday cos mum leaves on Sun morning and I want to be able to spend a couple of days with her. Then I have two days with nan then back here in time for my dissection lesson Tuesday afternoon.
Oh, yea by the way, Tuesdays we're gonna start dissecting stuff. I absolutely cant wait!!! I hope that the lecturers will allow us to do the cutting. It wont be as much fun if they do all the work. But they said that they'd provide gloves so I'm assuming that means we'll be doing the operating. Apparently the smell is enough to turn your stomach, but that doesnt bother me! Thats what I'm really missing over here. Back home half of the lessons were practical. We were nearly always in the laboratory and they used to let us do whatever the hell we wanted. To me that was the way to learn. In the so-called practicals we have over here, all we do is watch the lecturer do stuff. BORING!!!!
Thursday I had my first contact with animals since I came over here to study to be a vet. They took us to the faculty farm where we stuck a pipe down a cow's throat and took a sample of her stomach contents. By sample I mean about 2 litres. Then we went to the sheep pen where we learned how to take blood. The poor sheep had to sit there while she was jabbed in the neck not once, but on the other side as well. But she didnt seem too bothered about it.
On another note, I LOVE this course!!!
Apr. 10th, 2005 @ 09:50 pm
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| » Some odd rantin |
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I'm not updating much at the moment. I apologize, but Ive been studying ( for once!). I have biochemistry. AGAIN! The second part this time. But on the bright side- should I pass it I wont EVER have to look at this odious subject EVER AGAIN!!!
Its not as hard as the first part, the only problem is that it is a bit of a hassle to study , cos the information is in about 5 different books and its spread about all over the place in little snippets here and there! Its an absolute nightmare to study!!!
Its a pity I didnt get to go to Rome to see the pope. It woulda been nice to go down during the week, or today for the funeral. I mean I'm 2 hrs away, its a real shame that I didnt get to go. We didnt even get a day off school to watch it on tv! I cant believe it- we had 3 days off last week cos there wer some local elections going on. But on the day of the pope's funeral we dont get any time off.
Its gonna be strange to have a new pope now. I dont know whether I'm gonna be able to get used to it. I've lived all my life knowing one pope. To me John Paul II is THE pope. Its gonna be hard to find someone who'll make even half the impact he has over the years. He was the pope of the younger generation- he will be sadly missed!!
Apr. 9th, 2005 @ 12:07 am
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| » I'm back |
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I'm back.
I'm back in this bloody place.
I'm bloody well back!
Maybe its not that bad. BUT, I do feel like I didnt get the Malta fix I really needed. I was home for too short a time this time. I dont feel I have the sprint I need to do another 3 month stretch here.
Then again I should be ok this time cos at least I'm used to the place by now, plus I'm gonna be studying half the time anyway. Usually time flies when you're studying, which is funny really, cos the saying goes that time flies when you're having fun! Something's wrong somewhere!
Well if everything goes well I'll be going down for about 5 days for my cousin's wedding on the 21st May, so thats not so bad.
My holiday was great- I was hardly ever at home. I was busy rushing from one place to the other like there's no tomorrow! Which was nice while it lasted! The point is it didnt last!
I still havent got used to the idea that my life has changed so drastically. Everything I've experienced so far in life has changed- The next 5 yrs are always going to be like this- living two seperate lives, loving both of them- but never actually satisfied. At Christmas I didnt feel it, but now at Easter I really felt the loss of Italy deep down. What the hell is wrong with me?
Anyway betta get cracking!!!
Apr. 4th, 2005 @ 01:35 pm
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| » Problems problems |
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So today has been a bit of a hard day. While I was at the sanctuary a woman phoned up to report her neighbour who is in the habit of picking up stray dogs from the street and letting them loose with his fighting dog as a way to train him. The dogs have no chance against the fighting dog- their fate is to die a horrible agonizing death by being torn into bloody shreds.
It makes me sick to hear such things. What makes it worse is that this is not an isolated case. You hear of such extreme cases of senseless cruelty to animals almost daily here, and the laws regarding such cases are so inadequate that the most any offender can expect is a slap on the wrist, literally!
Its not the first time the volunteers at the Island Sanctuary( www.islandsanctuary.org) have had to deal with such cruelty cases. Having worked at the sanctuary for the last 5 yrs, I have seen my fair share of what the human race is capable of. Over the years I have seen dogs come and go with a variety of ailments- almost all due to cruel irresponsible people's twisted idea of fun. Have you ever seen a dog with no skin on its back cos some fuck decided to throw acid, or boiling water all over it? I have. How about finding a box of newborn puppies still with their eyes closed, sometimes still with the placenta attached, with absolutely no hope of surviving without their mother's milk. What about dogs being thrown out of moving cars onto a main road for the sole reason so as to be run over and killed and thus disposed of quickly and easily?
Almost daily we receive phone calls off people reporting animal cruelty to us. Perhaps the worst one I've ever handled personally was a couple of years ago when some distraught woman phoned to say that the neighbourhood stray had just collapsed on her doorstep and died- it had been doused in petrol and set on fire. The culprits were later caught- two kids- one 13, the other 15. Unbelievable! The dog apparently was well known and loved in the neighbourhood- they had absolutely no reason for their extreme sadism. You may ask what these shitheads got for their troubles. A prison sentence? A fine? Community work? No fuckin way man! They got off absolutely scot free!!!! Its a joke!
Malta is a terrible place to be if you're an animal lover. Dont get me wrong, there are a few people who are dedicated to try and change this for the better. Unfortunately they are few and far between. Working together we manage in some small way to make animals' lives that little bit better. We take in strays from the streets and try our hardest to find them good loving homes. Every home found is a life saved. We spay and neuter strays from the streets so that at least we can help to lessen the problem. We try to educate people as to the fact the animals do not exist for us to abuse. But the size of the problem means that our efforts often seem as meaningless as a drop of water in the ocean. But its a start...
Mar. 30th, 2005 @ 08:31 pm
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| » Happy Easter guys! |
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It seems like ages since I last updated properly. Ive had a very busy week. I have hardly been home, and it seems most of the time I'm at some sort of work. The kennels I used to voluteer for is short of volunteers( for once), the vet clinic is a vet short and very very busy, and of course its Easter week so my dad's confectionery shop is very busy too. So I seem to be going from one place to the other but I'm not complaining cos I love the work. I'm not so keen on the shop work but at least like that I get to get complimented all the time by the customers! Its like how's the Italian? How's the course? Ooh you're so brave to leave your family for 5 yrs!!!And I'm like yea, isnt it just!!!!
Its good to be home. I love this country. However I find myself rearing to go back- not like Christmas when I was seriously considering not going back at all. I miss my life there and all my friends- Ive made some really close friends. And I miss them. It seems like I can't be satisfied anymore! If I'm in Perugia I miss Malta and my Maltese friends, and if I'm here I miss Italy!!! Its a no win situation!
Well my motto is- Live for the moment. So thats what I'm doing!
So thats it from Malta- Happy Easter guys! Dont eat too much chocolate!
Mar. 27th, 2005 @ 09:22 pm
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| » I'm home |
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I'm hooooooooooooooooome!!!!!
Malta is sweeter than I remember it.
Mar. 20th, 2005 @ 11:47 pm
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