Let the countdowns begin!

5 days until break, 11 days until Thanksgiving, 19 days till Finals begin, 26 days till the end of the semester, and 37 days till Christmas!!! With so many countdowns in the near future it is sometimes hard to concentrate on what is at hand. It is also hard to believe that my junior year is almost halfway completed! Where has the time gone? It seems like just a few days ago I started writing these blogs unsure of what I would be able to write about from week to week.

Tick tock!

Looking back, I can see that I have grown better at writing my blogs and while doing so have gained an immense amount of knowledge about epidemiology over the last 13 weeks or so. Before taking the class, I did not even know what epidemiology was, let alone all the different facets it encompasses.  This class has been eye opening and I have found interest in several aspects of health that I had not considered interesting before which is also refreshing. Looking back on the semester, I have gained a better knowledge of different topics such as the flu of 1918, how case studies are done based on the type of disease, the different types of tests and surveys that are done to study diseases (especially graphs and charts), how diseases are spread from animals to humans, how bad traffic injury is in India and Africa, how infant mortality is directly linked to a country’s overall health, how to compare different statistics and so much more!

I will be taking away more from this class, than I think I originally "signed up" for on MyMadison last spring, and I could not be more thrilled.  So many of my friends have asked me about epidemiology and what it all entails and I love that I am now able to inform them correctly.

Finally, as these countdowns all come spiraling down quickly, I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to being united with family and friends back in my hometown, Hampton, VA. I also look forward to my mom's home cooked meals (even though JMU's dining is awesome), spending time with my boyfriend and his family, and going shopping and baking holiday treats. And once we get back from Thanksgiving break, we only have two short weeks until Winter break, which is always my favorite time of the year! With that being said...On your mark, get set, go...! Let us begin counting down the days!!