Student Selected Component (SSC)

I finally gather enough strength to start my SSC. I emailed Dr Hollingsworth the week before saying that I already have an outline and I'd like to see him to discuss the plan. In fact, I was lying. I didn't have a plan. I wanted to make an appointment to see him on a set date so that it would push me to get something done. The topic for my SSC sounds quite simple: How can coughing be reduced by drugs? To my surprise, coughing is not a simple matter at all. There're all kinds of receptors in the airway involved, transmiting impulses via various afferant fibres, then to other second order relay neorons and finally to the medulla. In the medulla, there are about five other parts of the brain which can influence the medullary activity. After the interpretation of impulses in the brain, electrical signals are sent to various motoneurons which target expiratory muscles in the thorax and abdomen for the coughing action. Drugs can act on anywhere along this pathway to suppress cough. There were huge amount of information to be understood, absorbed and properly organized in my head. I was actually quite surprise that I manage to come up with an outline on Thursday morning.

The meeting with Dr Hollingsworth was especially pleasant. To start with, I really appreciated the fact that he said he was impressed by my outline. Totally didn't expect that. Rather, I thought my outline was so crappy that I was prepared to have him telling me off for wasting his time... He asked me a number of really useful questions that led me to the direction which I'm suppose to head. In the process of describing to him what I've understood thus far, it helped me reorganize the messy chunks of information I've read from various textbooks and review articles. After the discussion about SSC, he asked me things about how am I coping as international student. He was the very first academic staff who talked to me about the PBL method from international students' perspective, which I had much to say about. And from our discussion, it became apparent that I'm actually one of the very few international student who manage to adapt really well in every aspect of a new life here, from PBL to the way of life. (Really, the only thing I can't stand is the weather), and I'm really proud of myself because of that!

Last week was quite a hectic week for me. I spent quite a huge amount of time facing the computer reading electronic journals for the SSC. I went for Judo training on Monday and Wednesday evening. On Tuesday, I spent the whole evening donating my blood. On Wednesday evening, I went to St Pauls' High School to teach CPR (What an experience seeing the kids getting so fascinated watching Annie's chest rise as we blow air into it's mouth..). Right after the meeting with Dr Hollingsworth on Thursday, I went to mentor the Somali kids with After School Club in Green Hayers Adult Education Centre. I was quite exhausted last week, but I'm entirely satisfied with my life now. I've always wanted my life to be very eventful, and now I've got what I wanted.

Also, i just want to mention that I answered a question in Dr Christine Bundy's lecture. It was just a quick and simple one, but that just added a sense of achievement for myself. It was only my second time speaking up in a theatre event... what a loser. But now everything's changed. I'm slowly but surely building up my self esteem and I am never going to be a loser ever!