AcuPunk in Training @acupunkschool - Tumblr Blog

For the Chinese, a pattern or a diagnosis is mainly an emblematic category that allows for an exchange of words. It is not meant as a label for people. It has no existence as an abstract “truth” that exists independent of the patient.

Ted Kaptchuk, "The Web That Has No Weaver"

You irregularly scheduled update

School has continued into third quarter in some sort of strange blur. I passed second quarter somehow. By grace. Third quarter thus far has seemed simple enough. I would just like to be able to sit still for awhile. Most classes are western medicine based and it feels like a mini-med school. I have microbiology with a lab component. I have now seen my own cells. There is also a pathology class and more anatomy. The only Chinese medicine based class is a diagnostics and methodologies, which is proving (once again) that the difference between Eastern and Western is light years apart.

If you pursue TCM, it’s a bumpy road.

If all else fails, blow bubbles or spit.

Survival tips from my A&P teacher

Breath is the pump of Qi.

No, please. Tell me more.

Strangely, sir, I do not have a hard time differentiating between the cervical spine and the cervix. Not a hard time at all.

"Gallbladder 22, which is Yuanye, which sounds like Kanye. 22. Taylor Swift had that song. Taylor Swift and Kanye have a feud. Kanye's music is an abysmal armpit. You're welcome."

- how a classmate is remembering points and locations. 😂

I think I just took the hardest test of my life on the meridians. The structure of the questions alone... I have no words. As my classmates and I turned in our tests, we just mouthed a lot of "what the fuck?!" at each other. I was recounting to my oldest niece and nephew about the structure of some of the tests in my classes and they were like, "yup. That's like our AP classes." My brain is dead from this test. How do these kids do this all the time?

One quarter and some weeks later...

We are approaching about a month into the second quarter of acupuncture school. Man.

I passed the first quarter in an amazing show of what felt like absolute borderline breakdown craze. I managed to somehow pull off a reasonable GPA and not entirely lose my brain. The week of finals, though... I was also handling the last OHRD bout of the home season and the two things together made me think my brain was going to full on explode. It felt like waytoomuchwhatthefuckamidoing?!?

But here I am. Second quarter. I am passing classes. I am on top of clinic observation hours. I am still totally drawing a whole lot of blanks on acupoints that I am supposed to know, but faking it until I make it.

Last week, I got an email from the school president that I had been nominated for the Student Ambassador program. It requires a certain GPA, faculty nomination, and the ability to help students if they need it. I said yes. It isn't super intense time-wise, maybe I’ll get to help a human or two, AND it will force me to keep my GPA up (not that I was planning to start failing things).

So. Here I am. Somehow managing to make it happen. Two more years left.

One of my classmates dropped out the other day after a few weeks of waffling back and forth about it. I am very sad that she isn’t continuing because I liked her very much.

The situation made me realize that I actually have no idea what I would do if I stopped school. No clue. I recently quit my side retail job, so I could not fall back on that. My office job will be ending in the next couple months, I think. Nothing to work out there. But it’s not only the lack of proper job to catch me. I actually have NO IDEA what I would do with my life if I did not continue down this path. I have no desire to go back to working for other people. I do not want to be on anyone else’s schedule in the way other jobs are. I want my life to be what I create from the ground up. I want to help people. So I guess it’s pretty good that I’m making this work so far... Ha!

Yesterday was the first day of second quarter. Clearly that requires more terrible acupoints drawings.

According to... Ancient philosophers, life and death themselves are nothing but an aggregation and dispersal of Qi.

- Giaovanni Maciocia, "The Foundations of Chinese Medicine"

Ugh: a brain dump.

To be honest, I feel pretty weighted down. Financially, I'm strapped to the brink. I've also never had so many responsibilities and things that are taking up my time. This morning, I went to one job at 7am before having to come to school at 9am. That was after being up until after 11p studying and trying to do things for my mindfulness coaching clients. And this is all with another head injury. I did okay on a quiz yesterday and felt pretty good. I spent time in the clinic last night, which I always appreciate. The quiz I just took, however, not as good. I have another one later also, which I am not prepared for. The weight of finances and time is just heavy. Plus, that whole not understanding time because I've had too many concussions things really doesn't help. I'm also supposed to be preparing for a market in Canada this week, which is really making me feel stressed. Too much today. Just a little too much.

If you want to hit someone, always make sure you have a femur.

Bio teacher

I took a lot of selfies with a skeleton today. Best friends.

Winnie the Pooh was a girl... Dropping the mic."

Biology teacher, on topic

I'm gonna take this like a man and bomb this shit.

- classmate, on an anatomy exam

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