Welcome, one and all

Hello there world,

Welcome to my first inaugural posting on my very first blog. Yay me!! Ironically enough, my first blog would be based on a course that I do not favour significantly, the Dreaded Biochemistry!!!!!

However, I am getting ahead of myself. Let us begin with some introductory information. My name is Nicole Khan and I am currently enrolled in The University of the West Indies pursuing a BSc in Psychology. I can already anticipate the question, what is a psych student doing in a Biochemistry class? Well, one simple answer, because I wanted to take this Biochemistry course. I am a professional student, in that I have been a student for approximately 90% of my life and I anticipate that I might be a student for some more years to come. I guess that you only stop learning when you are dead.

I have the typical hobbies: reading, baking, and sewing, light construction, gardening, nature observing and watching television. However, I have always been interested in Medical Sciences, in particular, Forensic Pathology and Psychiatry. My fascination with the human mind and body has its origins in my childhood experiences. I mean, I am not interested in the helping people and curing the ill, rather in the physiology and anatomy of the human. Nothing is more intriguing than exploring the mechanisms of actions in the body that drive behaviour and functioning. Hence, Biochemistry is the ‘light’ that illuminates this world. Without Biochemistry, one cannot fully comprehend the complexities that enable us to function effectively.

But, that is enough about me for the time being. As you will soon realize, there was another hobby that I failed to list above, and that is, Talking! I have been known to exercise my jaw muscles frequently daily. My intentions for this blog is to present to you some of the many interesting ways in which Biochemistry has influenced the thinking  and understanding of our lives as we know it. This is a major task, but hopefully I may present things that whet your appetite and increase your acceptance and admiration for a challenging avenue of life sciences.

Now back to my thoughts on the Dreaded Biochemistry!!!! Biol 1362 is not my first Biochemistry class and therefore, my opinions and expectations coming into this course were of apprehension, negativity and dislike. My prior experiences left me scarred with confusion, frustration and low self-efficacy. Even though, I fully understood the importance of Biochemistry, I could not for the life of me figure out the course material. No matter the effort or the different approaches I applied in learning the material, I still could not get it to stick. I had resigned myself to thinking that Biochemistry is one of those things that my brain is not meant to retain. Nevertheless, I still had a small hope that eventually with systematic desensitization, I would grow to love and appreciate Biochemistry.

After four sessions with Mr Jason Matthews and having experienced a quiz and tutorial, I am very confident that my misconceptions about Biochemistry are diminishing. The various resources available to utilize coupled with dynamic and interactive lecture sessions have facilitated greater recall of the material and growing understanding of what is being presented.

Thus, my future followers, I thank you for joining me on a hopefully informative and intriguing ride through the stimulating pathways and mechanisms that Biochemistry has infiltrated.

Stay tuned,

Relax and enjoy the journey,

Thanks again.

Nicole.