It's crazy to think that I have been away from university for so long! It's been five months now, which is mad! In that time I have felt such an array of emotions including confusion, anxiety and joy. I have delved in new hobbies such as embroidery and also spent 5 hours trying to figure out how to use a sewing machine.
I have also spent a long time studying for and sitting exams, and an even longer time organising my notes. I have been deprived of socialising with humans but have befriended a cat, who came by daily.
I think it is safe to say I am ready to return to uni- but what lies in store? I've felt so long out of clinic that there is a cloud of dubiousness above me. Will I have retained my skills? Can I remember how to do a crown? Can I remember how to do an exam?! At the same time I can not wait to sink my teeth back into molar endos, seeing my colleagues, friends and tutors and treating my poor patients that have been left with temporary crowns and edentate ridges during this pandemic.
However, things would have surely changed. I won't be seeing patients for a while yet, and will have to work on phantom head. Thus my targets and assessments would have also changed to compensate for this and the loss of time. This coupled with the looming fear of SJT's and final year hecticness in my head is just a melting pot of fear of the unknown.
Yet, I will find a way to turn this into excitement.
Because, I must! I have to recognise that I am not alone- students from all over the country are feeling the same way, and will be under the same stresses. Why be fearful, when I can be excited? I can't change what has happened and what is in place, but I can grasp any opportunities that lie before me.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” -Albert Einstein
At the end of the day, you can only try, and you never know what opportunities will appear.
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