A day in the life of a veterinary student

It's about time...

2009-07-15T21:21:00.007-04:00

It's been a long time since I posted an update about life here at Ross.... to begin with, I got the opportunity to go to the SAVMA Symposium in Ohio this past October. It was very cool. SAVMA Symposium is put on by the hosting school (this time OSU) for SAVMA delegates and other vet students. The lectures and evening activites are geared towards us. I met some great people, heard some amazing lectures and got to get off the rock for a few days. I also go the chance to meet Dr Fitzgerald (of Emergency Vet fame) We talked about him coming to Ross for a few days, and said we would speak in the future.

After that, I finished third semester (YAY!) and spent about a week at home remembering my friends and lamenting leaving (though happy to get back to work).

This semester I moved into the Royal St Kitts hotel (whi isn't nearly as cool as it sounds, even though...) it includes a gym, 2 pools and 2 areas to eat/purchase food.

A few weeks into the semester I decided it was time to run for SAAVMA (our student government, dictated to by the AVMA, which is the umbrella government that covers all licensed veterinarians) vice president. After a pretty decent speech, and a few votes in my favor, I won. I step into the shoes of SAAVMA Vice President, week one next semester. In addition to that, I have maintained my position as class representive for SAAVMA. With both of those in my favor, I got the chance to attend the AVMA convention in Seattle this past week.

The AVMA convention was another great chance to network and see new speakers. I also got to see Dr fitzgerald again, and this time we had lunch. We talked about many things, but the main meeting point was to discuss him coming to St Kitts. We decided on January, with him lecturing on many issues. I'm super excited becuase he is a cool hippie emergency vet, who knows everything about, just about, everything... In addition I got to go (minor) sightseeing, and taste a few of the local microbrews. After 6 flights in 4.5 days I finally got back here to st Kitts and took a pharm exam. Though it wasn't my best grade here at Ross, I'm not too worried, plus of any exam for any reason, this was the reason I would want a low grade to occur (not that I ever want a low grade but you get it) lol...

Pike's Market (At least someone is looking out for you folks! Kidding kidding lol)

The original Starbucks

Me and Brenden

Anyway, life here has been up and down, but lately it has been a few really high peaks with only minimal lower moments. I'm completely excited to get back to NY in August and can't wait to get another hit of the states :)

Finally got a camera!

2009-01-20T13:57:00.006-04:00

While I was home (more so right before I left to come back to St Kitts) I "borrowed" my mom's camera. Thankfully she is letting me keep it :) Anyway, now that i have a camera I can share some pictures from the very special rock that I call home.

First, we'll start with my car. I have a 1994 Toyota Camry. When I bought her, she had some cosmetic issues, but nothing too bad. Over the last 6 months however, my drivers side window shattered, the gas attendant guy ripped the gas cover off, and someone backed into me. She still runs well (that is AFTER I bought a new battery, because apparently you need to "water" your battery to keep it running. Who knew?) but she's getting uglier by the day!

But what's not so bad, is my apartment! I'll give you the quick view of the view right outside my house, my kitchen, living room, and then balcony out back :)

And last but not least, for my birthday my roomates drew me a card and stuck it on the fridge

And that's all she wrote (for now)

:)

Back to the grind...

2009-01-14T16:17:00.003-04:00

Hello all... I know it's been a while since I had the chance to update this, so I apologize to all of my faithful readers (that means you mom) :)

Third semester is off to a slow start, but at least it's a start. I think I just wasn't ready to begin classes again. The break was too short, and the time spent in NY was priceless. I got the chance to remember why I was sad when I left, and got back to St Kitts before I could remember the reasons I needed to leave that life. I should have some pictures soon, but we all know how that goes!

Well, I dont really have anything too interesting to share, so I may as well do some dishes before my roomates come home and beat me up because of my plate thats been in the sink for the last few days!

Where's my coffee... WHO MOVED MY COFFEE!!!

2008-12-06T17:07:00.001-04:00

Today we salute you Mr. Stressed Out Vet Student during finals week. As you sit in your lonely cubicle in the library, doped up on Red Bull and adderall, you think to yourself, will I ever really to need to know this stuff in real life? The distractions are tempting and you have just diagnosed yourself with ADD, advanced delusional schizophrenia ... Read Moreand involuntary narcissistic rage. By now you know exactly what everyone else is doing because you have checked your Facebook 800 times. Break is just days away, and your Prozac prescription will be in tomorrow. So crack open an ice cold Carib you academic warrior, because you’ll be spending break in rehab.

Thanksgiving... St Kitts style

2008-12-02T21:20:00.002-04:00

So my roomates and I scrapped plans for a small thanksgiving and proceeded to get uber stuffed at Amanda's house. It was a potluck dinner, so basically we had more food then we knew what to do with...

Needless to say, we ate, and ate and ate....
(dont worry, thats what I took home lol)

Dessert was just as tasty

but after all that food I felt like I was going to explode!!!

Good thing Thanksgiving is only once a year!!! (so what that I had another dinner the next night at a different house)

Maybe this is why Dallas keeps female cheerleaders...

2008-12-01T21:47:00.004-04:00

As you know, Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and football. Not to miss any traditions from back home, Ross had a powderpuff football game. Basically powderpuff football is where the girls play, and the guys cheer. Below there are two links to some videos of the boys... watch and enjoy. And yes, this is what we do in vet school (after almost 9 hours of studying)

Oh, and the guy in Orange is one of my roomates. My other roomie is in there too, but he blends in with a grey shirt

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=539165547&k=5ZEXX6524V5MZFFCVGZUS
That ones longer, but it's the whole routine

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=539165547&k=XXGY36WSW2VMZFFCVGZUS
Shorter routine

1 year down, 2.5 to go

2008-11-24T08:35:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure you can tell by the lack of blogs recently, it's beeen a busy few weeks! It's been a seemingly endless barrage of exams, drinks, and drama. I was given the oppertunity to attend an alumni event at Reggae Beach which was very nice. The food was good, and the new faces were refreshing. I've also been chipping away at getting a new position for the Bayer Corp. The powers that be are scheduling interviews via webcam/phone during December/January. I've already emailed about mine so we'll see how it goes.

Second semester is slowly coming to an end. As of today, we have this week, next week, and then finals the week after. This semester has been a steady rotation of waking up, feeling like crap, going to class, studying, meetings, and going to bed. Wash rinse repeat. It has become such a routine that the semester (though it felt like it dragged) truley flew by.

It blows my mind that I have been here coming up on a year. It seems like just a few days ago I got off that plane. In fact, when I come back from NY, I'll be flying in on the one year anniversary of my arrival in St Kitts.

What's most trippy about life here recently is the sudden and almost ever present Christmas theme. Since about Halloween the radio stations have begun playing all the regular rotations of holiday music! It's freakish to be in 85+ degree weather and be thinking about Christmas. This place truly is a bubble. If not for the music I probably wouldn't even know Christmas is coming.

That being said, my roomates and I are having a small thanksgiving here at the apt. I'm not sure when we'll have the time to cook, but I think it will be nice to spend some non-school time with the people that have become family.

Anyway, the countdown has begun and only 2.5 weeks till I'm back in NY. Get your party pants on because Rachel will be coming to town!

Autumn in the Caribbean is hot!

2008-11-01T07:17:00.001-04:00

It's barely 7am, and I already feel bad about not taking this time to study... Second semester has crept into every aspect of my life, including my sleep! Such is life though for a vet student here at Ross (and I'm sure anywhere else also). I told someone recently that I spent so much time and energy getting in to vet school, I never really thought about it's potential difficulty. Thanks to my 3 exams in Anatomy II this week, and then Physio II to top it off, it's been duely noted. :)

Not that I mind, in all honesty, thats what I came down here to do. Besides, everyonce in a while I get to leave the compound and go out for a night! We had a Halloween party last week, and it was quite the show. Faries, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were everywhere! There was a girl dressed as a transformer, and cupid tried to shoot me with an arrow. We even had an anatomy specimen walk in (with all of his limbs!) Good times were had by all!

In case you are wondering about hurricane Omar, we survived with little issue, though most of the caribbean side of the island was pounded pretty bad. Many of the beach bars down Timothy beach were literally buried in sand. The bar owners (with a little help from anxious students) dug out the establishments and almost all is well in the world again. There are some issues with the reefs surrounding St Kitts, but hopefully we can work something out to help the corals, fish and sea turtles that call this island home.

You can click these to make them bigger...

I was a Crue groupie and Amanda was a Lime (Soco wasn't available for the picture) ;)

Transformers...

Robots in disguise!!

I'm a sucker for a guy in diapers lol

At least George isn't dipped in Formalin!

Oh James..

Hurricane pictures to follow :)

Hurricane Omar

2008-10-15T18:17:00.000-04:00

We were let out of school to take precaution against Omar. I've been sitting on my balcony waiting for it to roll in. I've never been through a hurricane (and it just got increased to a catetorgy 3) and St Kitts hasn't had one hit from the carribbean side in a number of years. Needless to say, it's nifty to have a front row seat from my home.

Update - How the begining of the hurricane looks - The horizon has started to vanish. Slowly the view of Nevis is dissappearing, and the penninsula is quickly following. This hurricane moving in from the Carribbean side obscures any view I once had. The wind picked up, but nothing too bad. I must admit though, I'm glad our palm trees were recently cleaned up and all the coconuts were removed. Those things are like rockets with the right wind.

For now, the power is on, so I am going to take advantage of it and get some studying done. Catch you on the other side of this storm.

The Blackout of 2008

2008-10-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

Today is day 5 of varying power. There was a fire in the power plant that supplies the island... welcome to St Kitts... so power on the island has been out for most of the day, everyday. It's not too bad though, I've been lucky and my section of the country has been getting power during the evening hours.

Other then that, life has been a steady pace of exams, SAAVMA meetings, and visiting Hanleys the local mechanic. My poor car is falling apart slowly, but I'm still okay because she gets me from point A to point B.

(update 10/7/08 - I brought my car to hanleys and got my inspection up to date. Involved in this "inspection" was turning on and off my lights, pressing on my brakes to demonstrate break lights, and putting on my windsheild wipers. Needless to say, I passed. Not 20 minutes later, driving home, my breaks decide to just barely keep working. I couldnt stop laughing about how I PASSED my inspection 20 minutes prior to my brakes giving out. I brought my car this morning to get new brake pads and rotors... all while driving very slowly lol. But all is okay, I have survived and I'll have new brakes by tomorrow afternoon)

Well, back to the books before the power goes back out.

Welcome to Hell Week

2008-09-22T17:20:00.000-04:00

I'm officially all moved in to my apartment. It's been a long time coming and a relatively difficult road to try to navigate. The place was trashed when we first got here, but after almost a week of hardcore cleaning, and a few chilled out nights of dinner with the roomates, its worthy of being called home. we even just got a grill so we have begun bbqing dinner. It's a nice end to the day to just be able to chill out with good people, have some good grub, and maybe a stag or two.

As far as school goes, this semester is shaping up to be a difficult one, but it is much more interesting then last semester. Physio II and Parasitology have become (dare I say) enjoyable. Having the background of Delhi really helped, because at least I've seen this info before, and I can enjoy it.

As far as the difficult part goes, the days are pretty long. As second semester, we are responsible for walking the dogs on campus, twice a day. We have split the class up into groups, so we only have to do it for one week per group. This past week was my groups week. So the daily schedule was

520 get up
600 get out of the apt
620 get to school and walk the dogs til about 745
800 Class til 1500 or 1700 (depending on the day)
1600 or 1700 Walk dogs
As soon as that's over head off to the SAAVMA meeting/study a bit

It's a packed schedule, but at least it has gotten me up early for hell week which has officially started this morning. It's called hell week because we have 4 exams in 5 days and then one more the following Monday

Monday - Physio II 650am
Wednesday - Parasit 650am
Thursday - Anatomy Lab 8am
Friday - Anatomy Palpation 8am
Monday - Anatomy Lecture 4pm

It's okay though... It's just another step in paying my dues here at Ross.

Well, I guess I should stop procrastinating and clean my room before the wireless guy shows up (and maybe study)

:)

Gustav's got nothing on us!

2008-08-30T21:52:00.001-04:00

After a long and bumpy flight the day yesterday, I wanted to have some beach time, and was texted by some friends to head down to timothy beach at 1pm to play some volleyball. I happily made my way down on the overcast, but still nice day. After about 20 minutes, the heavens opened and we had to cease volleyball. We all ran for cover at Ziggys and laughed for about an hour. The rain hadn't yet stopped when someone suggested we go swimming. At first I was hesistant. Hurricane Gustavo was pounding surroung countries and our match was ended due to the bad weather. After some coersion, about 10 of us headed for the water. The waves were big and the rain was beating on us, but we joked some more and rolled with the passing storm. Seeing all of these "professionals" accting like children and smiling as we hadnt done in months made my heart warm.

We all battled the water and swam back to shore successfully. More laughter ensued. After a bit longer, we all decided to give mother nature the finger, and went back to our volleyball game. Lucky for us, she finally relented and the sun came out. Good vibes and a playful nature ensued.

(Hey now, we all have our moments... and we are all swimmers and it wasn't THAT bad )

:)

The curse of the Ross-mobile

2008-08-09T22:11:00.000-04:00

After a long day of studying today, I decided to get some chinese food for dinner. I havent really gone grocery shopping in a while because i know I'm leaving the island, and this apartment, and I dont feel like spending too much on food i'm going to have to throw away... anyway... so I drive over to Kings Palace and pick up the very yummy hot and sour soup. As I drive back to campus, I get within 2 miles and all of a sudden my car stops. Yes, it stops... completely. Midmotion, in drive, at 830pm, on a poorly lit road.

Somehow she's got just enough juice/momentum to roll onto the side of the (one lane) road. I put her in park (not that she was going anywhere because the engine seized, and the breaks locked) and did what anyone would do. I called Amanda. Now, Amanda for those that don't know, if one of my friends here. She knows nothing about cars at all. She is, however, a reassuring voice, and I know she's gotten stuck before so she would know what to do. She tells me to call Ross security and they should be able to help. It's a few minutes before they reach me, but it felt like forever. Hello, middle of a dark road, at night, alone, in a broken down car. This is how bad movies start. Locals all slow down to check out whats going on, and a few honk at me like I'm just sitting there for the fun of it.

Finally security comes and he tries to jump my battery. Um, dude, my car started and drove for a while... it's not the battery. Anywhoo we can't get it going so he decides to tow me to campus. He ties a small rope, yes a rope, to our respective cars to pull me back to campus. The swirling lights are drawing more local attention, but at least now I wasn't alone. We get moving and we go about 10 feet when the rope snaps (surprise surprise). Now, we arent going fast, but my breaks aren't exactly working so I narrowly miss crunching into his freshly cleaned security car. I smash on the brakes as hard as my feet can push and manage a stop as I turn the wheel and barely miss his car.

He pulls out a longer nylon looking tether and we try again, and proceed to fail miserably. Apparently it got caught under my tire as we were moving and burned straight through, leaving my car freely moving. At least this time I knew to pound the breaks. Finally he ties that nylon thing to another rope and we start on our merry way back to campus. We make it this time, but not before his siren/lights blind me and I almost steered us off the road. 2 miles is a long way when it's hilly, dark, and you are being towed!

Upon reaching campus, my battery goes out due to my lights being on the entire time, as well as the multiple start attempts. This is fine though because that's nothing but a simple jump and a little rest.

So, now I'm in my room, waiting for tomorrow morning, when a friend of mine's friend (6 degrees much?) can look at my car. Damn these ross-mobiles!!

At least after getting back to my dorm my friend made me a cup of hot chocolate after hearing my chinese food turmoil!

Kathy's On De Beach

2008-07-28T22:59:00.000-04:00

I had my first fish today. Well, no, I've had fish before but this was my first whole one. I'm talking head, fins, eyes, the whole nine yards. The only thing it didn't have were scales. It was a red snapper, and let me tell you, it was GREAT! Once you can get past the fact that it has eyes, and may very well be looking at you, you are in store for an awesome treat, nevermind the fact that it comes with rice, corn, and a healthy serving of veggies.
At this point at my time here, I've eaten of some of the nicer resturants, and though good, for a fraction of the price you get possibly double the food and all (if not more) flavor. I couldn't finish it all, so I ate the fish and saved the other goodness for another meal. 40EC never tasted so good.

I'm still alive

2008-07-26T13:53:00.001-04:00

It's been some time since I've updated this blog, for no other reason then not much is going on. The semester is slowly coming to an end, and I am definetly ready for a bit of down time. I've pretty much been on the go since I got here. I'll be very happy to have a few days after finals to just veg on the beach with nothing to worry about besides the temperature of my pina colada ;) I'm looking forward to heading back to NY for a few days. I can't wait to see Brianna's new tattoo, and catching up with the old crew for a night or two. And most of all, I am excited to see my folks again.

The lease has been signed for my apartment, and the majority of questions have been answered. Moving off campus has been a long time coming, and I am looking forward to living with 2 of my buddies for the remainder of my time here.

Well, I'm thinking that's about it for now, and anatomy beckons...

A few pics from the wedding :)

2008-07-19T12:06:00.001-04:00

The dates on the pictures are off... the wedding was June 21st

Sometimes it's just going to be hard...

2008-07-02T20:29:00.001-04:00

It has been a long and taxing few weeks here in St Kitts.

It started before mid semester break (which consists of one day tacked onto a weekend, so in essence it is a midsemester 3 day weekend). The particular round of exams just before break seemed harder then usual, but that could just be due to that fact that everyone was tired and ready for a day of non-school related activities.

I hopped on a plane Thursday night (yes I missed class Friday) to head home to NY for the weekend. I was completely psyched to see the family and friends I had left behind nearly 6 months prior.

After a bunch of delays I landed in NY around 3am Friday morning, and my mom came to pick me up. Friday was pretty uneventful. I tooled around the house a bit and ended up meeting up with some good friends for a few drinks at Sullivans. Good times were had by all.

Saturday rolled around and off to NJ for my cousin Kristopher's wedding. It was SPECTACULAR. Gloria (his bride) look beautiful, as did the rest of my family. It was nice to see my cousins (mostly Steve, as Kris was obviously pre-occupied) and reinforce the new bond we are trying to cultivate.

A few hazy hours later it was Sunday. My mom and Dad packed us in the car and we were on the road back to NY.

Upon returning home, I turned on my computer (as all good nerds do) and was signed in to AIM. I was immediately IM'ed by a friend Chas who was still in St Kitts. After some menial small talk he dropped a bomb on me. A friend of mine, Matt, had gotten into a fatal car accident the night before on the main road near school. I all but lost my composure.

Not wanting to believe a word of it, I began packing my things for my flights the next morning back to St Kitts. The rest of my time home passed without much interaction from me.

I boarded my two planes back to the island on Monday morning, and while going to my apartment, I saw my first sign that life would never be the same. Someone had erected a cross where Matt lost his life. It was truly a reality, he was gone.

Ross University was visibly shaken to it's core, as Matt had been a wonderful and integral part of the community. Life however for the veterinary student slows for no one, even the departed. With a histology exam approaching on that Wednesday (the "break" ended Monday, the day I landed) I had no choice but to throw myself into the books and force myself to stare at slides of skin.

In addition to the exams, as a TA (teacher assist, which is basically a tutor) for 2 classes, I had to prepare my notes and exercises for that weeks sessions. On top of TA'ing and my impending exam, being one of the class representatives puts me at the center of people's attention when something goes wrong. not that I am complaining, because I am not... seriously, I'm not. I love the things I do on campus, and I wouldn't change a thing.... but for that moment I felt like my head and heart were going to explode.

Wednesday morning came, and the exam was taken. Wednesday afternoon quickly followed, and with that came Matt's memorial service. The rest of the week was spent mourning, studying and trying to regroup.

It's now the next week, and still, life has not slowed. Exams are always lurking around the corner, tutoring sessions aer always being held. The void that is present is obvious at certain moments, and less at others. Each day things get a little easier. Ross U is rebuilding itself.

Anyway, my point being that life here, as it is anywhere in the world, isn't all peaches and puppies. Matt will be missed forever, as my wonderful memories from the weekend will not be forgotten...

"love the life you lead, lead the life you love"

I knew drivers-ed would come in handy!

2008-05-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

As of tomorrow I am making the largest purchase (besides vet school loans) that I have ever made. I am buying a car. Yes, you read correctly. After all these years of having a license and no car to drive I have officially caved in and will be purchasing a Toyota Camry. She's hunter green colored. I have no idea how old she is though. She was made in the 90's at some point, but here on the island, it's a good deal if a car is made later then 1988.

She (and I have just in this moment while typing this have decided that it must be a a she) is a right hand drive automatic with amazing AC and and a bitchin' stereo. AC here in St Kitts is an amazing commodity, and I'm pretty psyched about it. I mean, I'm an open window kind of person, but sometimes it's just too humid for that.

The passenger door (left side) doesnt open from the outside, and she's got a few cosmetic issues, but all and all, she's not too bad. I can drive her easily up some of the biggest hills we have here (and we have quite a few of them lol) and I'll be able to get out to the other side of the pennisula with no problem (of course to and from school as well)

Pictures to come soon

(but for now some random pictures of life on the island)

poking at the beach

Dancing with Mike at the new club across from the Marriott

Now THIS is why I go to school in the Caribbean

The white coat makes it official!

2008-05-05T19:15:00.000-04:00

I got my white coat today! I guess I dont have much to say about it besides it feels good to know that I'm on my way down a road I've always wanted to travel. Watch out world, in 3 years Dr Fuentes will be out on the streets!

It's always a vacation when you live in the Carribbean!

2008-04-30T17:47:00.000-04:00

This is the first time in 2 weeks that my room is silent. I just dropped Eran off at the airport and my solitude has offically been regained. I did quite a bit of exploring with Nneka and Eran while they were here. Nneka and I found this tiny black sand beach just off of campus, while Eran and I trekked through Nevis, finding the botanical gardens and having some amazing lobster pizza! It was an adventure every day of the week.

During Nneka's visit we hung out a lot at the Marriott and Reggae beach. I was borrowing my friends car for the 2 week break, so we had some transportation (not to worry, after my first driving experience all went well) After showing her around campus and finding the Wandering Jew plant (yes that is the REAL name!) we went down to the stairway by the sea. We hopped off the dock and started wandering along the rocks. About 1/2 a mile down we could see a bare area, so we kept walking. After we hopped along the rocks a bit more, we came to (my very first) black sand beach. St Kitts and Nevis, along with the surrounding countries, are volcanicly active so thats where our black sand comes from. We hung out a bit and wished that we brought lunch with us. It was a very chill kind of afternoon and it was amazing to find this beautiful secluded area with my best friend.

One of the days, I took her through town and around the port. Downtown Basetterre is a bit of a culture shock so it took her a little bit to get used to it, but after just a short while all was well in the world.

On her last full day here, Nneka treated me to the most decadent gift I've ever recieved. A spa exerience. We got aroma body balm wraps, and face/neck/head massages. We also used the spa's steam room, sauna, and whirlpool. It was amazing... note to anyone reading this... if you dont know what to get me for some sort of occassion, spa anything will be juuuuussst fine! :)

After bidding Nneka a sad goodbye, I picked Eran up just a few hours later. After his enormous flight to St kitts (Israel to london. London to NYC. NYC to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico to St Kitts) we just smoked some hookah and went to bed. The next day I took him immediately to Reggae beach, which is my favorite beach, and he got to meet Wilbur the 300+ pound pig! Good thing he doesnt keep kosher!! lol

After a few more beach days, we decided to head over to Nevis which is St kitts sister island. We drove around absorbing as much culture as possible. We checked out the (obviously closed) slave market, a few churches and even a jewish cemetery. We also went to the botanical gardens which were beautiful! After a long day of exploring Nevis, we were starved. We decided on a small pizza place outside of town that sounded delicious. We decided on the lobster pizza. Yes, you read correctly, lobster pizza! I figured I would give it a shot, seeing as who knows when I'll eat lobster pizza again lol. It was actually quite good. Nice and mild and tasty!

Eran during his time here celebrated his 22nd birthday. I took him out to La Cucina at the Marriott. I'm not big on Italian, but it was wonderful! After those festivites, and for teh next night as well we hung mainly on timothy beach and the surrounding bars. I introuduced him all around and we all had celebratory birthday drinks.

And that brings me to where I am now. In my empty room wondering what to do with the remaining few days before school starts. I'm thinking I'll sleep ;)

When it hits, it hits hard...

2008-04-21T17:39:00.000-04:00

This has been a week of instense ups and downs. I am broken inside about Elliot. (for those of you that dont know, I lost a good friend of mine last week in a unfortunate accident. I am not okay with it) I am estatic that I make it through my semester. I was nervous about nneka's visit, and wanting everything to be perfect. I'm now sad that she's gone, and glad that she knows how to handle my crazy, and deals with my sometimes bipolar nature. I'm excited to see Eran, but tired emotionally from this week... which leads me to be stressed about wanting things to be nice for him seeing as he is flying from Israel to see me.

I'm not quite sure how to handle it all besides push it to the back of my head and pray that it doesnt surface at an in-oppertune moment.

I am staying positive for the most part and trying to keep my head up in the face of all things evil and unplesant right now. I assume it's all I can do at this point...

He's got Island Fever, shes got Island Fever...

2008-04-12T09:51:00.000-04:00

Life here in St Kitts has become a bit nutty. At this point, the semester is rapidly coming to an end, and people have begun to catch what we call "Island Fever" It's nothing bad, but it seems like the world is out of whack. Admin installed a projector in our room that messes with our chi. People are getting together with people that they normally wouldnt. There was a minor earthquake. Staff is getting looney. There have been a huge number of cane field fires. Everyones biorythyms are crazy. I'm talking biblical stuff. Any more craziness and the lion is going to sleep with the lamb! The whole island is an LSD tab away from being clinically insane!!

The VECCS conference has only fueled the insanity. Though the lectures were great, and it was wonderful to meet new people in the field, the vets I met at the conference were just as out of their minds! One Dr leaned over to me and told me to guess what was in her conference bag. I had no idea, so she opened it, and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels! During the lectures!

Madness, madness I tell you!

These are some pics of the cane field fires... and how close they are to the street!

It was actually quite amazing to see... but thats for another post :)

Stay off the road, Rachel is driving!

2008-03-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

Stay off the streets... Rachel is getting behind the wheel...

So drove on St kitts for the first time. It was quite possibly one of the most nerve wracking experiences ive had in the recent past. i have to say though, i only almost killed us once :)

to be completely honest, I had no intention of driving that night night. I was handed the keys and told to go. Not that it really makes a difference I guess. I'm thinking I may have been better off driving during the day though, not at 9pm in a place where there are very few lights.

Mistake #1 i tried getting in on the wrong side of the car. Here, the drivers side is on the right. note to self, getting into a car on the wrong sign doesnt look good... especially when your sober.

Mistake #2 I tried to put the car in reverse and reached out with my right hand. Note to self, center console is in the center, not outside the door.

So Now I'm off and running, so to speak. I'm doing my best to stay on the left side of the narrow road without falling into the huge ghauts that drain the water. for a while I get the hang of it. things were twisty and turny and dark, but not too bad.

Mistake #3 I attempt to put on my directional/blinker and I promtly turn on the windshield wipers instead. Note to self - have we noticed a trend here yet, everything is reversed!

Mistake #4 I go to make an easy right, and slip into NY mode. I make my right without looking.... bad move. Oncoming traffic is on the right side of the road, and for just a moment I blanked on it and reverted (again) back to driving in the US. Luckily I hit the gas and sped out of the way.

All and all, we got to the Marriott safe and sound. I was fully convinced that I wuld never be allowed to drive again. My friend said that she'll change the oil before she lends the car to me next week. Sweet deal!

I blew on what?

2008-03-12T19:41:00.000-04:00

I have made a stunning development in Carribbean living over the past few days.. I have learned how to sound/blow a conch. It really is as simple as putting your lips together and blowing.... but is actually pretty difficult to master. I liken it to playing the trumpet (not that I ever have) or possibly a zerbert (or razzberry)on someones belly. It was kind cool to finally get it to make some noise other then what sounded like a dying giraffe (insert southpark joke here). My bud Jason taught me how. I promptly went out this weekend and found a (already empty) conch to bring home. Just so you know, this whole bringing big shells home is much more gross than you would think. My whole apt smells like dying algea and bleach. It's pretty grody, but in a day or two I will have a clean conch! I dont know if I'll cut off the end or not (so that people can make sounds out of it) but I'm pretty happy I have one, even if it is just for show.

In addition to my conch blowing (ha ha make you your jokes now, this is my last reference to conchs and my blowing of them...) I finally got a few pictures with Wilbur. He is the friendly pig that lives on the beach. When i say friendly pig, I mean friendly 300 pound beast that is bacon-olicious.

mmmmmmm I <3 ham

:)

Random update

2008-03-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

I think I am finally carving my niche here in St Kitts. I am fully satisfied with my core group of friends, and at the same time i am excited to meet new people from other semesters. People have been very good to me, in accepting me fully into their lives.

I have found my roomate for next semester, David. We are in the same class, and in the same lab groups. We are already pretty close and comfortable with eachother. It is even better because we have zero romantic interest in eachother. We bicker, and make up. I tell him I am going to shank him in anatomy, and he tells me thats fine (of course I never would...lol). He's become family. He deals with my crazy well. I deal with his pretty well too, as we all have our moments. in addition to finding someone I can actually live with (and I really believe we can coexist) which is difficult, I am also secretly happy about that fact that i'll have a male roommate. I hate to say it like that, but it really is a safer situation.

I have a whole bunch of exams monday, and I have been living in the lab and 24 hour reading room for the past few days. I feel pretty secure in them, but I'm not about to get cocky. I can always study more. In fact, i should probably stop procrastinating and go look at some slides for histo. :)

Cat Trip to Nevis

2008-02-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago me and a few of the girls went on a catamaran trip to Nevis... not much to really write about, but here are a few pictures of it :)

Ride the wave...

2008-02-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

So, to give you a timeline, I am just about at the halfway mark through my first semester here on St Kitts. My class has survived the first half, of the second round of block exams. We have this monday off for a "mid semester break" which means we have no class monday. Yeah... a midsemester break is a whopping one day lol. Its better then nothing i guess.

Life is good these days, today especially. i spent teh afternoon with 2 classmates just walking around, eating and drinking our way through the streets of St Kitts. We had some saltfish on Johnny cakes, curry chicken, and stewed chicken. We each had a few Caribs and a few laughs. i did a small amount of shopping, and we all met some cool people. all and all, it was a very chill, but important day. We are slowly getting more comfortable with our surroundings and embracing it. Many students here will go there 2.5 years without knowing the actual St. Kitts, so I feel lucky to have people around me who want to explore and see what this country truly has to offer.

In addition to that, I found out today that my friend Eran is coming to St Kitts to visit me. now, i dont know if you know the depth of that, but Eran is from Israel... yes, thats right. he is flying all the way from ISRAEL to come to St Kitts for a week! I am still in a state of disbelief. In addition to THAT I found out that nneka will probably come see me the week before he comes! This means that I have my best friend, and my long distance friend visiting me, mere days from eachother!

Oh, I also found out I got an A on 2 exams and a B (boo I could have done better) on the third. I'm sure I got an A on the fourth, so all and all... things today are looking pretty awesome.

Cheers to the good days!

I've survived so far...

2008-01-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

I have offically made it through my first month here on St Kitts. In honor of not failing out, I'm going to post some nifty pictures for everyone :) (you have to click them to see the whole thing)

Our hike in Nevis

I swear they were trying to kill us

But when we got to the "source" it was all worth it

Me and Mike busting a move on NYE

This may be my favorite picture from NYE... Me and Eli

Chilling at shipwreck

My buds

At Blackrock

I do live in paradise

I know it doesnt look like it, but I swear I study... a ton more then I would like sometimes!! But hey, everyone needs some down time ;)

I will try to get some more pics up soon!!

Because formalin makes me feel sexy

2008-01-17T19:48:00.001-04:00

1/17/08

It is near the end of my second week here, and already the anatomy lab is becoming a second home. I was there until about 9pm last night, and today till almost 8. Lets backtrack a bit... I've been skinning a dog for the last two days. Well no, it took me all of 20 minutes to "skin" the dog, but it has taken me the last day and a half to clean off most of the fat and fascia. It's terribly painstaking, because every time you think you have made substantial progress someone comes around and lets you know you are no where near close.

The stench when you walk into the humongoid freezer is a bit overwhelming at first, but your only in there long enough to grab your specimen from a rack of other dogs, a few sheep and a goat. After leaving the freezer, the lab isnt so bad. It's always worse when there are more bodies around, but that doesnt matter much after you have been hunched over a frozen formalin filled carcass, only inches from its muscle, slowly peeling back and cutting away layers of fat and fascia for a few hours. By the time you leave you can barely be bothered to think about the smell, as youve already singed all your nose hairs... that is, until you get home.

I have showered, washed my hands, hair, and other important places; but I still have eau de death lingering. It's a good thing I used an entire seasoning packet in my dinner. Scooping in each bite isnt so bad when all you can smell is artificial beef seasoning... hey, it's better than the hanging chemical scent.

Best part of vet schol? My ramen skills are vastly improved. I even cut up some scallions for tonights masterpiece. All of the noodley goodness is pretty tasty, though I'm sure it's screwing up my sodium levels lol

I'm chugging along pretty uneventfully in Histo, Math, Vet Term, and Micro. Physio is pretty interesting so far, but its a lot of volume for a teeny amount of time. After I finish my noodles, I'm going to crack the textbook and do some studying before bed. Tomorrow is Anatomy lab (the actual learning lab class and not just clean the dead dog session) and Histo lab. After that beach volleyball starts down on Timothy beach. i'll probably sit it out seeing as I have a hike on Nevis Saturday morning. I'm pretty excited for the hike... there have been some very cool plants in these rainforests. Plus it gets me out of my room and away from my books for a few hours. (nevermind the fact that I'm getting off the island completely for the day) I'll try to grab some pics from some other people and post them up here :) Well I'm going to cut this here, so that I can study a bit before I nod off

Another sunset another day...

2008-01-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

School is moving along... it's almost the end of the first week and I am up on my info and hopefully i can maintain this trend. I'm trying to form some good study habits by re-enforcing my class notes, by going over them immediately. Today after class I studied for a few hours then made dinner. Speaking of dinner, I made my first REAL meal. I cooked chicken fajitas (sans tortillas, but I used lime tostitos instead, being the resourceful student I am) with tomato, avocado, as well as peppers and onions. I fed my "roomies" down the hall, and apparently knocked their socks off. One even went as far as to say that he's never had a meal like that, and he would never get one like that in Wisconsin. Kudos to mom for showing me the ease of chicken fajitas. now if only I could figure out something else without burning my apartment down.

Tomorrow starts the "Class Olympics". Each semester competes against the other in football, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball. The semester that wins get a free catamaran trip for the entire class. needless to say some of the upperclassmen are getting very into the competitive spirit. They picked colors, and assigned us (the first semesters) pink. I think that's fine, because then they can wave at our pink butts as we sail away on our catamaran cruise ;)

Well, back to anatomy the maybe a nightcap with my roomies.

day one

2008-01-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

Classes have officially started and so far so good. Today I had Histology, Anatomy, and Microbiology. not too bad. The volume is a big large, but overall, not too terrible. It definetly helps that I have such a strong background. Getting that degree in Veterinary science and becoming an LVT is proving very useful. Granted I know I have a ton to learn, I'm glad I've got a little boost behind me. Tomorrow is more Histology, Physiology, and Math.

Tomorrow is also the club fair. I was nominated to become our class rep, and was going to accept it, but there was a more enthusiastic girl that wanted it, so i told her to take the position. I told her I would be her back up if she needs help, or has to miss a meeting. I think they have an emergency medicine club (it's kind of wierd to me to have a medicine club, but I guess thats what vet school is for) and I dig emergency and critical care medicine so I may check them out.

I found out today that we have "block exams" which basically is when you take all of your exams from all of your classes on one day. Block exams from 8am-1pm on pre-sheduled mondays.... can't wait lol

Well, I think I'm going to start organizing my notes so that I'm all set up for class tomorrow. No need to be disorganized when I have the time to put my things together :)

So I'm offically here!

2007-12-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

So I have made it to my new home. i am safe and sound on the island of St Kitts. This is some trippy stuff. We just got back from the beach, which was great. Part of me wants to get on the next cruise ship out of here though. It still seems like this is still vacation and I'll be leaving in a few days. I'm sure that feeling will be all but gone next week when school starts.Downtown Bassiterre is a bit of a culture shock for me. It is no new york. It's not any town in the states really. Its a bit like Puerto Rico, but not as sophistocated yet (not that PR is that far ahead of the times, but you know what i mean). My mom pegged it when she called it Puerto Rico of the 60's. It's one main paved road that will take you from one end of the island to the other. There are cows and goats wandering the streets, and sugar cane lines the roads. I expected more of a lush landscape, but on most parts of the island so far, it is desolate and quasi arrid. I dont have much of a view fom my room. i live on the first floor near a new construction site. If I stand all the way to the right of room I can see the carribbean sea, otherwise it is brown dirt, a lamp post, and a little bit of road. Thats okay though I guess. I have a baby palm tree not too far, so we'll grow together I guess.Everyone so far seems pretty cool. You can tell people personalities pretty well. I guess at this point everyone here is past the pretending phase. It's kind of strange sitting and talking to an entire group of like minded people. Even though we've been trying to avoid work talk, it always comes back to some sort of animal science. Thats okay... I dont mind. It's a comfort I guess. We are all kind of nerdy, but hell, we are all in teh carribbean studying so we've got some balls and personality to come out here.Overall... so far, so good.

Well, I'm off to bed