Sounds very similar to my experience. I took biology and chemistry to start with in high school. It wasn't until I took physics that I understood where the maths came into play. That's not to say that chemistry doesn't have some math involvement, but physics is VERY math heavy.
When I "get" something, I go full-bore into it, and once I "got" math and physics, I became a devotee. Despite my having degrees in English, I use math every day in computer programming, network pathing, and even home remodeling. I recently built an archway into a room after taking out a door and had to use trig to figure out how to make it work. I now have a beautiful archway into another room, and my wife has delegated me as the official math teacher for our yet-to-be-born homeschooled children.
“...where the maths came into play...”
A little British lingo, for those of you in Rio Linda.