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!
Showing posts with label How I'm feeling right now. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How I'm feeling right now. Show all posts
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Sometimes it's just going to be hard...
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"
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"
Monday, April 21, 2008
When it hits, it hits hard...
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...
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...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
He's got Island Fever, shes got Island Fever...
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 :)
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 :)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Ride the wave...
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!
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!
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