It was right around this time last year that I made my very first trip ever to St. Louis. I was in the midst of figuring out what to do with my life. My options were a couple of drastically different directions. Long story short, I could play it safe and stay on the east coast (where I was born and raised), or I could spread my wings and try living in a new city. Needless to say, I was beyond torn. I wanted to stay close to my family and my friends, but I also wanted to gain some life experience by living in a city and exploring a different part of the country.

My parents and I flew into St. Louis for a two-day visit. One day consisted of my interview at Fontbonne and one day consisted of tourism and sight seeing. I remember my initial drive into St. Louis. I looked to the right and to the left. Saying something along the lines of “what’s with all the brick houses?” I slumped down in my seat to adjust the radio dial. I look back and think of myself as a bungee jumper. I was standing on the ledge, gripping onto my bungee with white knuckles. Looking down, I could only see how far the jump was and how jagged the rocks below appeared. Over the course of the next two days, I dominated my interview, ate some delicious BBQ, meandered my way through Forest Park, dipped my toes in the Mississippi River (that’s a big deal for an East Coaster!), and stood below the Gateway to the West. The bungee jumper in me began to embrace the cool breeze on my face, the beauty of the view, and the exhilaration of the moment. I realized that St. Louis has charm, beauty, history, pride, and culture. As my eyes slowly came into focus, I noticed that the trees throughout the city were magnificently exploding in pink and purple flowers. The brick architecture that I once mocked suddenly seemed to play a role in the distinct flavor of the city. After those two days, I became hooked–my inner bungee jumper took a fateful leap.

I am falling in love with St. Louis, particularly in the spring. Whenever I walk beneath the flowering trees, I am reminded of the decision I made around this time last year. I’m grateful to be here, and I’m grateful for my surroundings. I always try to slow my pace and absorb not only the beauty of the trees, but to also take note of the message that they so naturally emanate: I am exactly where I want to be.

Hi out there,

It’s been kind of a crazy week in the graduate SLP program. But then again, so what else is new? With spring break right around the corner, my to-do list has grown to (literally) two pages in length. Bleh. But it’s so worth it! I don’t want to do a lick of work for the entire week, so I’m in overdrive trying to get ahead. I’ll be spending a good part of the week at home in Maine, but I’m making it a point to back in the Lou in time for a concert that following weekend. There is an awesome venue on the Loop that I’ve been meaning to check out. It just so happens that one of my favorite bands will be playing there over spring break! I can’t wait. Every now and again I have to remember to embrace the city and really take advantage of my surroundings. I get lost in the shuffle of my responsibilities, so even seven months into being a St. Louisan, I am always finding new and exciting things to do. It helps that I have a friend who works for the River Front Times, the local paper that specifically highlights events going on in St. Louis. She just filled me in on Ironfork, which is a chef competition and restaurant showcase. Considering my “wish-list” on Urban Spoon is about twenty or so restaurants long, this will be a great way to get out there and try some samples! Man oh man, I sure do love eating my way through St. Louis It’s a GREAT city for foodies!

Hi all!

This weekend’s post is being brought to you by late-night weekend babysitting. As a busy graduate student, finding time for a part-time job is limited. Between classes and clinic, my availability to work is nonexistent. However, I tend to spend money on brain food, coffee when I find myself camping out in Starbucks for an entire day, and I won’t lie… the occasional pedicure for stress relief. Babysitting is the perfect little gig to fund those needs for survival. It’s funny to think that someday relatively soon I will actually get paid during my actual 9-5 day, doing what I love to do. Believe it or not, I lose sight of that thought sometimes. I get so caught up in the moment that I forget about what my life will be like long-term when I’m out in the “real world.” It’s crazy to consider how different my future would look if I wasn’t at Fontbonne right now. Yeah, life is a little hectic at the moment, but it’s worth it. Finding a job in this day and age is difficult enough—finding one that you are head over heels in love with is another story. Somehow I’ve managed to get myself on a pretty decent track! First thing first: making it through this crazy semester…

-Meredith

Something that has been really throwing me for a loop in Saint Louis is the ever-changing weather pattern. It has been snowy and cold, rainy and dreary, sunny and beautiful all in one week. It’s so different from what I’m used to—New England winter is one thing above all else: cold. It might be cold and snowy, or cold and sunny, or cold and windy, but you can pretty much rest-assured that you need to wear seven layers of clothes and boots for a solid four-five months. I was comfortable outside in just a t-shirt today! In February! And I wasn’t on a tropical vacation! What?! That might be a first for me.

I’m gearing up for my first Saint Louis Mardi Gras tomorrow. People in this town sure do love Mardi Gras- it has been the buzzword for the last week. A couple of the girls in my program and I are headed down to catch the parade and enjoy the sunshine—I hear it’s going to be great weather!

In other news, my boyfriend was visiting this week for Valentine’s Day. He lives in Maine, so it was quite the trek for him to come for the holiday—Lucky gal, right here! We got to try out some great restaurants that I’d been meaning to check out for months; Vin de Set in Soulard was my favorite. If you’re big on atmosphere, then Vin de Set is the place to be. This place was emanating the perfect vibe for a Valentine date night. Tim is back home in Maine now, but I’m looking forward to seeing him next month for my Spring Break.

I’m working on homework stuff tonight- the most challenging thing about my program is that once you get your clinic stuff in order (meaning treatment plans, weekly therapy plans, other miscellaneous reports), it’s time to start cranking out school work. Classes tend to sneak up on me, which can be a drag for a self-proclaimed Type A personality. I’m working on a new color coding system in my daily planner that will hopefully nip my problem in the bud. That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing about my decision to be a Fontbonne graduate student. Sure it’s a challenge, but I do well when I’m presented with a challenge. It’s how I operate—I just do things like color-code my planner. Not to mention… I love what I do! I am so excited to have found one of the best jobs on the planet. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it keeps my brain conditioned. The cool thing about grad school is that you get to put what you’re learning into practice with help from seasoned professionals who can really help to steer your development. As much as I look forward to graduating, I’m also trying to absorb as much of “the process” as I can. I feel like I’m learning some invaluable lessons these days, all of which will make me a better clinician when my time here is up.

That’s all for now, folks. Have a good weekend!

PS: I wrote about how excited I was for the Oscars last week only to find out (after submitting my blog, of course) that the Oscars weren’t for three more weeks. Oops! Sorry if I got you revved up for the big night too early! Academia is frying my internal TV guide. I did tune in for the Grammy’s and here is what I have to say about that:
1. Paul! Paul! Paul! He was the highlight of my night.
2. Nicki…Nicki…Nicki… Lowlight of my night.
3. Whitney, I will always love you….
4. Who is that Adele chick, anyway? Just kidding- very impressive clean sweep!

Hello all–Happy Friday! The good thing about being in a challenging, fast-paced program is that the weeks fly by! This weekend is going to be particularly awesome in my household come Sunday evening—it’s the Oscars! My roommate and I are both movie buffs so we’re scrambling to watch all of the Best Pic nominees before the big day. I’m not a huge Woody Allen fan, but so far Midnight in Paris has been my favorite. We’ll see! (Although… I’m bad luck lately. I was rooting for the Pats last week. So… sorry if I just doomed you, Woody.)

For as much as I love having the opportunity to spread my wings and live independently in St. Louis while my loved ones are home in Maine, it can also be really hard sometimes. Something that does not make things easier is the hour time change. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but my mom always forgets and texts me when she gets up in the morning, because at home we get up around the same time. I’m the twenty-first century girl who sleeps with her cell phone by her head, so when I occasionally forget to turn the sound off… I get a five or six AM wake up call. Or then there’s the flip side, when I go to Skype my boyfriend back home in Maine before bed. If I’m getting into bed around 10:30 or so, it’s 11:30 his time, and he’s wiped. It’s crazy how one little hour can mess with sleep schedules and daily routines so much!

It’s all about adapting though, because this transition is SO worth it. I love my life here in the Lou! I love being independent, I love being in a new place, I love that I’ve made a smart career choice, and I love making new friends with similar interests. I had job offers last year and I had other graduate programs that I was looking at… but coming to Fontbonne ended up being a no brainer. For anybody out there who is reading this and is contemplating the SLP graduate program… it’s a really, really well-rounded program where you will learn the ins and the outs of being a great clinician. And, added bonus, there is funding available for people interested in committing to specific areas of professional development such as deafness, AAC, becoming a graduate assistant, or working in the developmental language group. I’m a deaf emphasis scholar, which is an awesome opportunity — especially in St. Louis. There are lots of renowned schools for the deaf here, and I can’t wait to experience one or two out on my practicum rotations in the coming year.

Okay, I’m off! Happy weekending ☺

Hello Fontbonne friends, in St. Louis and beyond!

I’m new to the blog, so let me introduce myself. My name is Meredith and I’m a first year graduate student studying speech-language pathology with an emphasis in deafness. When I told the girls in my program that I’m taking up blogging with Fontbonne, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at me like I had two heads. Time is kind of at a premium in our program; in fact, I’m currently taking a break from reviewing client files and writing up the rationale for my treatment methods this semester… And it’s a Friday night. *sigh* Blogging about my week is a welcome distraction!

Back to my story: I’m a transplant not only to STL but to the entire midwest region. I’d never lived outside of New England up until about 6 months ago (go Patriots!). I packed up everything I could fit into my car last August and drove 24 hours straight so I could relocate to St. Louis with nobody but me, myself, and I. This whole experience is proving to be quite the little adventure, and I’m looking forward to sharing the trials and triumphs with you all.

Okay… now back to work I go!