Be Excited: Beyond the Nostalgia of Winter Break and the Dread of Deadlines

Taking_a_Break_with_Classmates

Taking a break from classes and deadlines with classmates last semester at a Duke Medical Orchestra concert, where DGHI professor Liz Turner played the violin. Yolande is second from right (Liz is wearing the Santa hat!).

Published January 22, 2018 under Voices of DGHI

By Yolande Pokam Tchuisseu, 1st-Year MSc-GH Student

Now that the winter break after my first semester into the MSc-GH program is over, I’d say my winter break this year was the about the right length. 

It was long enough for me to see family, catch up with my four siblings and meet up with some close high school and college friends and short enough for me to escape from my almost daily routine of washing dishes, cleaning and cooking. Perhaps if I had traveled to, let’s say, Cancun or the Bahamas, I would probably assert that winter break was indeed short, as I used to say during undergrad. 

But now that I am back, winter break seems long gone. Classes have started. Syllabi and expectations have been reviewed. Familiar faces of classmates, old TAs, new TAs, old professors and new professors (including professors you haven’t had yet, but might have later on) all roam around the corridors of Trent Hall. Guest lectures with lunch provided have resumed (food and knowledge are a great combination in academic settings, but especially in grad school!). And the most exciting of all: deadlines are also back in town. 

Yes, indeed, deadlines are back. On the bright side (relatively speaking), we saw them coming. Second years, as they prepare to leave, are cracking down on their theses and preparing for their defense, while us first-years have just handed in drafts of our thesis proposals and have been informed of deadlines for future submission (budget, final thesis proposal, etc.). 

Although these deadlines and the new expectations we have of ourselves and expectations that professors have of us can seem daunting, I think it’s very easy to forget to also “be excited.”  

One striking thing about this program is its focus on skills and application. While some classes can seem didactic in nature, professors and staff are very invested in helping us hone the skills we need to become efficient and effective global health practioners. Of course, I do not expect to know everything about global health or to be a perfect data analyst, but I am excited to continue building on the skills I learned last semester and gaining new ones. 

But besides these, I am even more excited to spend ten weeks in a country I have never been for my fieldwork project. I am excited to meet individuals I do not know yet, learn about this country’s healthcare system and learn about how their culture differs and/or resembles mine. 

In a nutshell, I am content with the time I spent at home this past winter break and my worry-free nights. I definitely think this semester will be as challenging as the last one, but in a different way. Yes, I still think our deadlines are a bit daunting, but, thankfully, we have each other to complain to and staff members to assist us along the way. 

And finally, I think we ought to be excited for the lessons and experiences we will gain this semester and through our fieldwork project. At least, I think I should. 

Happy New Year to all!

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