Out of my Comfort Zone

I am on my 3rd week of nursing school, so far so good. I am truly amazed on how time just briefly passes by. In a blink of an eye, Februrary is almost over. That's what I like with being occupied over something whether it be school or work. In my case, family and school keeps me on my toes.

Ok. School's good. I've been reading like there's no tomorrow just to keep up with the reading assignments. Pretty much everyone in our class complains about the enormous load of work. I, on the other hand, pretend to feel the same way but in reality I know that the load of work are the very foundations on which our career will be based upon. How are you expected to become a professional and effective nurse if your classes weren't taken seriously? But I admit that during my college days in the Philippines, I didn't really care. I just wanted to pass, then graduate...that's it. But now I get it. Learning is not a punishment anymore. It's a privilege and a great advantage.

Enough of the self-reflection. Our class is a lively one. I usually go with the filipino group and fail to mingle with the rest of the class. Right now there's only one pinoy in our class so I had to do some major mingling coz I didn't want to be the loner. I like it when I have to step out of my comfort zone and force myself to speak more. As of our third week, I seem to be getting along with everybody. And everyone as well seems to be comfortable with chatting with pretty much anyone. We're finally a group.

Our instructor is cool. She's in her late 60's to early 70's. I admire her sharp memory and dedication to teaching. A bit disorganized and forgetful at times but all in all she's a great teacher. For some reason though, she tends to be so fond of me. I totally have no clue why. I rarely speak during class discussion. She praised three of the questions I answered, which I HAD to answer because it was directly addressed to me. I'm just not used to being favored by a teacher. Back in the Philippines, I do not recall anyone being that nice to me, mainly because I never participate in class discussions. I'm a good student but don't expect me to willingly and actively participate. Yesterday, we were asked to show her our progress report regarding our immunizations, malpractice insurance, paperworks etc.. Everyone had a minor comment but when it came to me, she's like "Now this is how it should be is done". She called the attention of the whole class to show how I did the report although I knew that I too had the same minor things to tweak. I felt slightly embarassed because I always feel uncomfortable with so much attention even if were a positive one.

I'm such a pessimist. I should be glad that instead of loathing me, she happens to actually like me. It's not really a matter of liking or disliking, I think. But I am just so good at being invisible. I'm fine if they don't remember my name as long as I get an A. Because I think the grades count more and are visible in the transcripts. But you know, it's all about stepping out of my comfort zone. I'm slowly changing that habit to be more well-rounded. Baby steps....