Hello~ Classes have started for me, and I am now in the second week of lectures. Things are not too crazy so far, first week was very chill, just a lot of readings, although I suspect that things will start picking up very soon. I have an assignment due this Thursday. My first assignment in graduate school! Yay~! (there's a little bit of sarcasm in my tone, but just a dash). I am taking five public health classes this summer. Wow... now that I think about it, that's a lot . But one of them doesn't start until May 29th, which is probably why I'm not too overwhelmed yet. I like being back in school~ I think I've said this before but I really like being a student. I really like my school too. The classes are small, and the professors are great. Because the class sizes are around 20-40, the level of student-professor interaction is great. And the school itself is really small. There's one main building with classrooms and lecture halls, two administrative building, and a library. I feel like I'm in high school all over again~!

Learning about public health has been very interesting. I've been learning about health disparities, how the level of healthcare given can be so different across the social and economic spectra in the US. I'm also taking a class on health services administration, and another on program evaluation. I still don't know much about these topics apart from their titles... but based on the readings I've done so far, it seems like our current healthcare system is pretty complex and convoluted, and pretty wasteful. Our country spends so much on healthcare, but that money is not very effective in going towards actually treating patients. And the reasons why things are the way they are is pretty compicated and convoluted as well. I guess I'll be learning more about how this system works, as well as what needs to be done to change it. You know, as I read about the different problems in healthcare, I try to imagine what i could do to change it. And so far, the only thing that comes to mind is that I should serve in underserved communities. It seems like it's a small drop in a large bucket that needs to be filled in order to take out the flames of health disparity. But who knows~ But it's not what I can do that's important, rather how God will use me to do his work. I hope I will be sensitive to his leading. I need to trust.

Recently I read Numbers chapter 9, about how the cloud of the Lord stayed over the tabernacle as Israel journeyed through the dessert, and how the Israelites would only move when the cloud moved. If it stayed, they stayed. If it moved, they moved. Although I don't exactly have a cloud over my head that lets me know which way God is leading, I hope that I will only move when he leads me to move. And not move when he does not want me to. Interestingly, this was also one of the messages that I got while watching The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian when the four kids and the surviving Narnians were trying to think of whether to attack the evil Talmarines, or to fortify their defenses before they get attacked themselves. No matter which they chose, their chances seemed bleak. But the youngest one Lucy (she's my favorite, I love her childlike faith) points out that instead, they should be waiting until Aslan shows them what to do. What a great movie~ makes me want to read the books all over again!

Well I should be getting to bed now... till next time~

It's been a long time,

Well, for the past few months, I've just been tutoring, volunteering, and waiting for medical school letters. Other than that, I've been spending time with my mom and sisters, going to Palm Springs and to Las Vegas to celebrate my mom's birthday. How lucky I am! I've been having a great time with my family. In Palm Springs, I got to see snow up in the mountains! We made a snowman and just walked around on the snow ^^. In Las Vegas, we saw the show "Ka" by Cirque de Solei. It was amazingly well made and I really recommend it. The coreography was awesome, and the stage sets were crazy because they moved and spun around while the performers did crazy acrobatics on and off the stage. It was very worth the money, even though my sister paid for me .

Anyways, I have been praying and thinking about whether I should go to the osteopathic medical school up north over the past few weeks, and I have come to the decision. Yes! I want to go! I wasn't sure whether I should wait for the other california schools to see if I'll get an interview, but now I my heart is at peace with my decision . I was hoping that UCLA, USC, or Loma Linda would give me interviews, but it seems like the Lord is steering me towards Touro University. The main reason why I want to go to this school is because they're offering a dual degree program for DO/MPH (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master of Public Health). When I interviewed at the school, the chairman of admissions told us about the dual degree program and said that there were still a few spots available, so I jumped at the chance! I never would have thought about doing a dual degree program if I went to any MD school. But once I heard about it, I thought that this degree could help me a lot in the future, especially since I want to do medicine as a ministry in other countries some day. As I think more and more, I think that this was a golden opportunity for me, and I have no doubt that it has all been thanks to God. Even though I really wanted to stay in southern California for medical school, over the past few weeks I have been changing my mind. A change in environment wouldn't be a bad thing either ^^.

So.... this is where I'll be for the next four years! As I am typing this entry, I am sitting in a hotel in Vallejo as I am looking for apartments to lease for once school starts! Oh, I forgot to mention, I have the option of starting school in May to get a head start on the DO/MPH program. This means that I'll be taking 12 public health units before I start medical school in August. Cool, huh? So, I'm looking to move by around April... wow... so soon! It's crazy thinking how soon and how fast things are going to change in my life. Although thinking about leaving LA is very sad... I feel that God is leading, so I will follow. Anyways, four years is not too long. I mean, college felt like it was over and done with before I could say "Bachelors in Biochemistry!" Haha. But seriously, I hope that I'll be able to spend some time with everyone I've gotten to know over the past few years before I get to go. Aww, but just thinking about the though of leaving is making me sad already

I gotta go and rest now. Bye everyone! ^^