After finals and clinic, ICO second years are practically begging for a break. Our summer break is only one week long, but it’s still a rare break that doesn’t have classes, labs, or even clinic. How does one soak up some fun in the sun in the middle of May? You go to Florida and visit Universal Studios with fellow students, of course!
After a year of difficult exams, practicals, and working with our own patients, it was a well deserved treat before jumping into third year. The two main attractions were hanging out by the pool and visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.
If you have never been to Universal or Harry Potter World, you must go. The rides are no longer just basic rollercoasters, tilt-a-whirls, etc. The new rides incorporate rollercoasters and simulators with real elements like water and fire. The Gringotts and Hogwarts rides give you a tour of the buildings while waiting in line. They even use monocular and binocular cues to trick you into thinking things are coming straight out to you!
If rides aren’t for you, then go shopping and eating at some of the stores Harry Potter went to. The butter beer, which tastes like butterscotch root beer, is divine. You must go get yourself a chocolate frog (just be sure to eat the hind legs first, so it cannot jump away!) We ate at the Leaky Cauldron, where the duck and beef stew was amazing.
The trip was a blast. It gave everyone a chance to ignore e-mails and forget studying. Some decided to play water volleyball, some decided to have tube races, and I decided to read Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead. I realized how much I miss reading for fun.
Universal Studios gave us a break from acting like adults, and gave us a chance to act like a kid. The whole trip was refreshing. It was the mental break we needed before we start seeing patients by ourselves!