Long Time

It's been a long, busy few months! I passed the first semester, and am now onto Dominica. I leave with Kurt on Dec 31st. We are also engaged :-) He asked me in Chicago after we attended the musical Wicked. We are setting a date for September 29th, 2012.

1/3rd Done

Hey Everyone.

I figured it should be time to update this. I had my first exam results posted today. I did over 30% above the class average, and I am so happy/relieved. I made a few stupid mistakes and ran out of time for the last 2 questions, but overall, I am impressed with my score.

1/3rd of the semester is officially over. With 70 days left until I am home, I am counting down the days so excited.

Kurt came for a week and it was the best week so far. We went snorkeling, and saw the beautiful ocean life. We saw a lion fish, sting ray, tons of jellyfish, a variety of fish and amazing views of the various corals. My eyes were burning from the salt but it was worth it. Kurt, my classmates, and I were the only people at the beach.

I had to drop Kurt off at the airport today, and spent much of the day in tears, but I realized that this is just one more step to coming home.

5 weeks till Exam 2!

Rocked It!

So quiz 1 is done, and I pretty much rocked it. I got 100% in Biochemistry, Histology, Anatomy, 80% in Physiology (which is the hardest class here) and a not so good grade in Microbiology but I've vamping that area up as we speak. Thus far, I have an 85% overall. If I keep at this average, I will be considered for the honors Pace program in Dominica. That would be awesome.

Other than that, it's still hot, but it's getting better. There was actually a breeze this morning!

Well, back to studying! Another quiz next Wednesday!

Immunology, what?

Today started our first in depth Immunology class....all I can say is holy crap! This will be one hard class to survive, but thankfully all our lectures are recorded so we can watch them from home again. About halfway through the class, I just started zoning out. I'm currently taking a break and then after lunch I will review physiology and immunology for the rest of the night and pray for some kind of understanding. Our first quiz is Wednesday, and I just want to get it over with!

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful weekend. Half studying/half random things. I can't wait though, less than 3 weeks Kurt will be here for 4 days! We plan on going snorkeling, to the beach, to Toni Macaroni (the best conch place in the Bahamas) and just relax. I need some relaxation and to de-stress after my first exam.

Welcome to My Life

Here I am, in the middle of the Bahamas, and I'm attending Ross University School of Medicine. As I embark on possibly the hardest journey of my life, I'm a country away from my friends, family, and boyfriend. I've completed two weeks of school thus far. My days consist of class from 8 am to 12 pm, followed by a walk back to my apartment in 90 to 100 degree sunlight, followed by 8 to 9 hours of studying. My current classes are Immunology, Microbioloy, Anatomy, Physiology, Histology and Clinical Foundations. I never thought it would be easy, but it's quite an adjustment from undergraduate level classes.

My teachers and classmates are very down-to-Earth and helpful. There is 61 of us at this campus, and we are from all parts of the Earth. From Canada, the East Coast, the West Coast and the South, we all are here in the same struggle: surviving Medical School.

I am starting to adjust to living in a different country. The customs are different but that was expected. Food is expensive, and the Bahamian culture seems to be very laid back and never in a rush (which isn't always a great thing). Overall, it is a nice area, but it does have its, let's say, "ghetto" areas. On Friday nights, all the students usually travel to Port Lucaya (a tourist spot/marketplace/casino area) to relax and unwind before the 12 hour study days on the weekends. I can see it getting very old, very fast.

I hope to keep up with this blog a few times a week so you all know how I'm doing down here.

Back to studying....