If you're not into slightly gory details, this post probably isn't for you. Just some passing comments on our donkey dissection in anatomy lab.
Our first unit in anatomy 2 is the horse. Instead of dissecting horses, we're dissecting donkeys. They're smaller and more manageable (I imagine it's easier to get them to the island too?). They're also supposed to be remarkably similar to the horse, although I cannot confirm that this is true because I've never dissected a horse!
I am actually liking anatomy better this semester (shocking!!!). I still have that distaste from last semester keeping me biased, but so far it has been more enjoyable. I really like my (large) lab group, and I really like only having lab twice a week. Having lecture 4 times a week is not quite as fun, but I'll deal.
Anyhow, we're dissecting the donkey until midterms, which are roughly 4 weeks from now (wow that's scary to say!). Unlike our dog last semester, we seem to be flying through each section! It is unbelievable how much better and quicker we've become from last semester's tentativeness and tediousness. We started with the neck, moved on to the thorax, then the abdomen, and will be starting the pelvis on Monday. My favorite parts of the dog were the thorax and abdomen. The thorax was slightly boring this time around, but the abdomen held lots of surprises and goodies for us. This is mainly because the equine/donkey GI tract is very different from that of a dog. So we spent part of yesterday and most of today exploring the intestines, looking at all of the differences, and feeling all of the different parts (curious? run a search for equine GI tract and I'm sure you'll find lots of good stuff). The colon is massive! Not only in relation to the dog, but in diameter, length, everything! It was really quite beautiful and amazing to look at and manipulate.
Another thing we did today was remove both kidneys and check them out. The left kidney is shaped like a "6" while the right kidney is more heart shaped. Cutting them open was much more satisfying than the dog. Much to my extreme disappointment, our dog kidneys had very little internal detail. I'm used to seeing them on ultrasound where they are quite pretty. The donkey kidney, however, was full of lovely detail and we could pick out all of the different parts quite nicely! The kidney is my favorite abdominal organ, the lungs are my favorite thoracic organ.
To end the day, we had our thoracic cavity completely removed! Much to my surprise, the only bits we're left with now are the head/neck and the pelvis/hind limbs! All of the rest has been properly stored in other containers. I could go into detail about how the donkey was dismembered, but I think perhaps I'll spare you! It was quite a sight to see though!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Laundry Fun and a Physiology Exam
I think it's time for a little update on laundry in Grenada, now that I live in a new dorm. I actually literally live in a new dorm, it just opened in August haha-but that wasn't the point.
Anyhow, if you'll remember for a moment the rules from last semester: open from 5p Friday to 8am Monday morning, and then randomly during the week from 5p-8a in our dorm until the end of the semester when security got wise and started just cutting the power to all of the laundry rooms rather than just locking the laundry room doors.
Yes, being constrained to doing laundry on only a couple days can be annoying, but it's mostly just because you then have to compete with others for facilities and not so much the time inconvenience. When we were initially limited to weekends, I discovered very quickly that the WORST day to try and wash anything was Sunday. Invariably, everyone else in the building had also waited until the last day and then there was major competition involved and a lot of laundry stalking. This is why I vowed never to do laundry on Sundays. Too much of hassle! That and I'm usually around on a Friday or Saturday night to do it when everyone else is out (not that I don't occasionally go out, I'm just not gone all night).
Okay, so that leads us to this semester. I've done laundry twice now. The first was on a Thursday evening when the room was open, and the second time was yesterday. A Sunday. Oops. Yes, it was indeed a gigantic pain. I don't remember my exact reasons for putting it off-something about being forgetful, lazy, and our laundry room door being locked (see too lazy to call security and have them unlock it). So by the time yesterday afternoon rolled around, the ENTIRE building seemed to have an urgent need for clean clothes. Wonderful. Vet school roomie and I at least decided to save ourselves a little bit by combining loads, but I essentially had to go to "laundry war" to get my clothes clean and dry. It doesn't help that our "fancy" machines take FOREVER to wash and dry a load. More buttons does not equal better.
Being at "laundry war" essentially means you have to be strategic. Out smart the enemy. Be tricky. Occasionally be slightly rude. This equates to using laundry rooms on other floors, tossing peoples completed clothes out of machines (nicely!), and even moving between floors to complete a load (i.e. wash on one floor, steal a dryer on another). Yes, that's how my laundry got done yesterday. I'm not terribly proud of the tactics used, but I do now have clean clothing.
The moral of the story is don't do laundry on Sundays. EVER. Lesson reinforced and remembered!!!
Today we had our first exam of the semester in physiology. Despite being at 8am, it wasn't too bad. In fact, we even got a question given back to us leading me to get an A! I was very pleased! Sadly, I've heard this is the easiest test and the rest get substantially worse, but I'll take my small victories when I can. Immediately after this exam, we had a 50 minute lecture on the penis of the horse. It was a long 50 minutes.
Next up is an anatomy exam on Friday. I really don't know what to expect, so again, I am just going to do the best I can and try not to worry too much. After all, it's only anatomy. What veterinarian could ever possibly need anatomy?? : D
Anyhow, if you'll remember for a moment the rules from last semester: open from 5p Friday to 8am Monday morning, and then randomly during the week from 5p-8a in our dorm until the end of the semester when security got wise and started just cutting the power to all of the laundry rooms rather than just locking the laundry room doors.
Yes, being constrained to doing laundry on only a couple days can be annoying, but it's mostly just because you then have to compete with others for facilities and not so much the time inconvenience. When we were initially limited to weekends, I discovered very quickly that the WORST day to try and wash anything was Sunday. Invariably, everyone else in the building had also waited until the last day and then there was major competition involved and a lot of laundry stalking. This is why I vowed never to do laundry on Sundays. Too much of hassle! That and I'm usually around on a Friday or Saturday night to do it when everyone else is out (not that I don't occasionally go out, I'm just not gone all night).
Okay, so that leads us to this semester. I've done laundry twice now. The first was on a Thursday evening when the room was open, and the second time was yesterday. A Sunday. Oops. Yes, it was indeed a gigantic pain. I don't remember my exact reasons for putting it off-something about being forgetful, lazy, and our laundry room door being locked (see too lazy to call security and have them unlock it). So by the time yesterday afternoon rolled around, the ENTIRE building seemed to have an urgent need for clean clothes. Wonderful. Vet school roomie and I at least decided to save ourselves a little bit by combining loads, but I essentially had to go to "laundry war" to get my clothes clean and dry. It doesn't help that our "fancy" machines take FOREVER to wash and dry a load. More buttons does not equal better.
Being at "laundry war" essentially means you have to be strategic. Out smart the enemy. Be tricky. Occasionally be slightly rude. This equates to using laundry rooms on other floors, tossing peoples completed clothes out of machines (nicely!), and even moving between floors to complete a load (i.e. wash on one floor, steal a dryer on another). Yes, that's how my laundry got done yesterday. I'm not terribly proud of the tactics used, but I do now have clean clothing.
The moral of the story is don't do laundry on Sundays. EVER. Lesson reinforced and remembered!!!
Today we had our first exam of the semester in physiology. Despite being at 8am, it wasn't too bad. In fact, we even got a question given back to us leading me to get an A! I was very pleased! Sadly, I've heard this is the easiest test and the rest get substantially worse, but I'll take my small victories when I can. Immediately after this exam, we had a 50 minute lecture on the penis of the horse. It was a long 50 minutes.
Next up is an anatomy exam on Friday. I really don't know what to expect, so again, I am just going to do the best I can and try not to worry too much. After all, it's only anatomy. What veterinarian could ever possibly need anatomy?? : D
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Lazy Study Day
Although yesterday my brain was having a hard time believing I have a physiology exam on Monday, today it decided that perhaps some studying would be in order. I spent the day kind of just lounging around and reviewing my notes and study objectives in detail. I'm not terribly concerned about this exam. Partly because I feel like I have a decent handle on the material, and partly because it's the first exam and I don't really know what to expect. Since this is the case, I can do one of two things: panic about not knowing how it will go, or do the very best I can to prepare myself and let the rest be as it will. Much to my delight I'm opting to go with the latter. Much less stressful that way!
I still have a long list of things to do and study in addition to physiology this weekend, hopefully I'll make more progress tomorrow! I have been working really hard this semester to try and stay on top of all of the material at the same time, but we'll see how long it lasts (hopefully the whole semester!). The two subjects I haven't done a very good job with so far are anatomy (no surprise there I'm sure) and bacteriology. I'm still working on figuring out study strategies for both classes (although I think I've finally figured out to attack anatomy-yay!). Anatomy is anatomy, but the main problem with bacteriology is that the material isn't presented very well or clearly. Luckily, we only have that class 3-4 times a week (3 times last week) so it shouldn't be too bad trying to get back on top of it all.
At the end of the week I have my first anatomy exam. Unlike last semester, the exams do not include a laboratory portion. I don't really care either way, but it certainly takes the pressure off the two semester exams a bit! I'm sure it will come back to bite me on the midterm and final though! Then next week starts with bacteriology on Monday and Immunology on Thursday. They certainly plan to keep us very busy all semester! The entire semester basically looks like this-two exams per week. Some times two exams is substituted for a midterm exam or a final, but other than that, they're keeping us in line! Makes it feel less like week 3 and more like the middle of the semester!
I still have a long list of things to do and study in addition to physiology this weekend, hopefully I'll make more progress tomorrow! I have been working really hard this semester to try and stay on top of all of the material at the same time, but we'll see how long it lasts (hopefully the whole semester!). The two subjects I haven't done a very good job with so far are anatomy (no surprise there I'm sure) and bacteriology. I'm still working on figuring out study strategies for both classes (although I think I've finally figured out to attack anatomy-yay!). Anatomy is anatomy, but the main problem with bacteriology is that the material isn't presented very well or clearly. Luckily, we only have that class 3-4 times a week (3 times last week) so it shouldn't be too bad trying to get back on top of it all.
At the end of the week I have my first anatomy exam. Unlike last semester, the exams do not include a laboratory portion. I don't really care either way, but it certainly takes the pressure off the two semester exams a bit! I'm sure it will come back to bite me on the midterm and final though! Then next week starts with bacteriology on Monday and Immunology on Thursday. They certainly plan to keep us very busy all semester! The entire semester basically looks like this-two exams per week. Some times two exams is substituted for a midterm exam or a final, but other than that, they're keeping us in line! Makes it feel less like week 3 and more like the middle of the semester!
Friday, January 27, 2012
National Chocolate Cake Day
It's Friday!! Yay!!!! I am very excited, mostly because it means I can finally sleep in tomorrow morning. : D.
Anyhow, this evening as I was procrastinating studying for my physiology exam (which just so happens to be on Monday at 8am...), I discovered this wonderful article on CNN.com proclaiming that today is national chocolate cake day. I happen to be in that majority category for people who love cake. Especially chocolate cake! So does my vet school roomie. Upon this discovery, we immediately set to work trying to figure out how we were going to procure chocolate cake for this lovely holiday. The only thing we really needed was cocoa powder, because we already have an awesome stockpile of other miscellaneous baking supplies. Unfortunately, it would have been far to lengthy and time consuming to go all the way to the grocery store (it was 7:30p at that point and with unreliable buses...eh). Fortunately, there happens to be a tiny convenience store on campus. Knowing it was a long shot but keeping our fingers crossed anyway, we came down off our mountain in hopes that cocoa powder could be found at this little store.
Well, they didn't have cocoa powder, but they did have a chocolate cake mix! Even better! They didn't happen to have frosting, but we figured we could figure something out with a good Google search (still lacking in the chocolate department and no confectioners sugar). We decided for good measure to puchase a couple of milk chocolate bars in case we could melt and use them.
The cake making went well. Keeping with tradition, I made a nice sturdy pan our of aluminum foil for the toaster oven. It baked pretty well (the top burned a little just because of the small space, but nothing we couldn't shave off). Vet school roomie found a recipe online for buttercream frosting and we decided to give it a shot. It actually turned out pretty well!
So that is the story of how I ended up with DELICIOUS chocolate cake on national chocolate cake day. Turns out, every day of the year is a food holiday-http://www.tfdutch.com/foodh.htm. Kinda cool! Med school roomie hovered during the entire baking process as she was fascinated by the art of baking a cake. Apparently she's not had much kitchen exposure in her life time and is very excited to learn about it all this semester.
So, it's not the prettiest cake ever. But it was made in a foil pan, in a toaster oven, in a third world country. So cut us a little slack haha. It's also two pieces, as we couldn't get all of the batter into one pan. The second one was a mini loaf pan we have, we just decided to stick them together for storage purposes. On top is milk chocolate shavings. This was an excellent cake. Extremely moist, just as the box promised. Although I've never heard of the brand before (Promos), I look forward to eating the rest of this cake and buying more of their mixes in the future!!
Anyhow, this evening as I was procrastinating studying for my physiology exam (which just so happens to be on Monday at 8am...), I discovered this wonderful article on CNN.com proclaiming that today is national chocolate cake day. I happen to be in that majority category for people who love cake. Especially chocolate cake! So does my vet school roomie. Upon this discovery, we immediately set to work trying to figure out how we were going to procure chocolate cake for this lovely holiday. The only thing we really needed was cocoa powder, because we already have an awesome stockpile of other miscellaneous baking supplies. Unfortunately, it would have been far to lengthy and time consuming to go all the way to the grocery store (it was 7:30p at that point and with unreliable buses...eh). Fortunately, there happens to be a tiny convenience store on campus. Knowing it was a long shot but keeping our fingers crossed anyway, we came down off our mountain in hopes that cocoa powder could be found at this little store.
Well, they didn't have cocoa powder, but they did have a chocolate cake mix! Even better! They didn't happen to have frosting, but we figured we could figure something out with a good Google search (still lacking in the chocolate department and no confectioners sugar). We decided for good measure to puchase a couple of milk chocolate bars in case we could melt and use them.
The cake making went well. Keeping with tradition, I made a nice sturdy pan our of aluminum foil for the toaster oven. It baked pretty well (the top burned a little just because of the small space, but nothing we couldn't shave off). Vet school roomie found a recipe online for buttercream frosting and we decided to give it a shot. It actually turned out pretty well!
So that is the story of how I ended up with DELICIOUS chocolate cake on national chocolate cake day. Turns out, every day of the year is a food holiday-http://www.tfdutch.com/foodh.htm. Kinda cool! Med school roomie hovered during the entire baking process as she was fascinated by the art of baking a cake. Apparently she's not had much kitchen exposure in her life time and is very excited to learn about it all this semester.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Patience
I know I've said it before, but living in Grenada is truly a lesson in patience. Patience because the culture is different. Patience because things are much slower and more laid back here. Patience because Grenadian standards rarely match American standards (for better or for worse). Patience because things rarely run on time. Patience because you are a guest in their country. And many more.
While it takes some getting used to, it is definitely important to keep an open mind, and ultimately likely turns you into a better person. I noticed that while I was home, the little things didn't irritate me nearly as much as they used to. Traffic? Oh well, I have nothing better to do. Waiting for a parking spot? Meh, what's a few more minutes. Out to eat? The food will come eventually. Things like that. I do have to remind myself though from time to time to have a little more patience with things here.
I was reminded of all this tonight when I was waiting for a bus to go to the grocery store. Instead of waiting the 5ish minutes I should have waited, I ended up waiting 25 minutes because the previous bus just never showed up. Irritating? Certainly! BUT! There's nothing you can do in that situation. It is best to remain calm and relaxed and realize that there's nothing you can change. And while it would certainly be nice to not be waiting around in that time, it also wasn't the end of the world. After all, I was only rushing back to study (and who on earth wants that?!).
While it takes some getting used to, it is definitely important to keep an open mind, and ultimately likely turns you into a better person. I noticed that while I was home, the little things didn't irritate me nearly as much as they used to. Traffic? Oh well, I have nothing better to do. Waiting for a parking spot? Meh, what's a few more minutes. Out to eat? The food will come eventually. Things like that. I do have to remind myself though from time to time to have a little more patience with things here.
I was reminded of all this tonight when I was waiting for a bus to go to the grocery store. Instead of waiting the 5ish minutes I should have waited, I ended up waiting 25 minutes because the previous bus just never showed up. Irritating? Certainly! BUT! There's nothing you can do in that situation. It is best to remain calm and relaxed and realize that there's nothing you can change. And while it would certainly be nice to not be waiting around in that time, it also wasn't the end of the world. After all, I was only rushing back to study (and who on earth wants that?!).
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Run Down of the Day
I'm blanking on any fun stories I may have to share, so you're stuck with a run down of my day-sorry!
Still not digging this 8am stuff. Rough times and I can't wait for 3rd term because it means I'll be back to having class in the afternoon!! Although I am currently enjoying having a few afternoons off, I would rather have class in the afternoon and have the morning to be lazy, I just function better that way. I'm not really going to get anything accomplished until the evening hits either way.
Anyhow, we had 4 classes this morning-pharmacology, anatomy, bacteriology, and physiology. Nothing overly special. SCAVMA had a lunchtime lecture today that involved free pizza, so I definitely went to that (free lunch!!!). They have several visiting Class of 2010 alumni on the island currently so it was just a nice little Q and A session for current students to pick the brains of newish grads. I enjoyed it (and the food) and felt that it was informative.
Next up was some idle studying. I really wanted to watch a show on my computer (White Collar) but the internet has been VERY slow lately and refused to load for me. I did some coloring in my anatomy book and decided it was relax/brief nap time. Which inevitably lasted way longer than I wanted, but oh well. I enjoyed the nap and pleasure reading. I kind of wanted to go to the beach on my afternoon off, but I am currently ever so slightly sick and decided it just wasn't worth the effort.
Next up was a SVECCS meeting. It was basically just an info meeting about how the club works and schedule sign ups for on call shifts. I'm bummed that I can't do as many this semester because of 8am Monday morning exams. It would be a bit of a disaster to get called in overnight if I had an exam the next morning and no chance to sleep it off (3 more classes, then 3 hours of lab and another class in the afternoon). Oh well. I'll be busy for sure!
I stuck around for our Exotics and Wildlife Society meeting. Although they seem like really cool people, it's just not a club I think I'll find myself actively involved in (a conclusion I reached last semester too). My heart does not lie in exotic animal medicine although I think it is very neat. It's the kind of stuff I'd like to have to opportunity to do once or twice just for the experience, but not something I want to do for the rest of my life.
The rest of the evening was devoted to studying and procrastinating. I finally go my show to load so I watched that too : D. Now I am looking forward to clearing all of the books and notes off of my bed and going to sleep! Another 8am morning awaits!
Still not digging this 8am stuff. Rough times and I can't wait for 3rd term because it means I'll be back to having class in the afternoon!! Although I am currently enjoying having a few afternoons off, I would rather have class in the afternoon and have the morning to be lazy, I just function better that way. I'm not really going to get anything accomplished until the evening hits either way.
Anyhow, we had 4 classes this morning-pharmacology, anatomy, bacteriology, and physiology. Nothing overly special. SCAVMA had a lunchtime lecture today that involved free pizza, so I definitely went to that (free lunch!!!). They have several visiting Class of 2010 alumni on the island currently so it was just a nice little Q and A session for current students to pick the brains of newish grads. I enjoyed it (and the food) and felt that it was informative.
Next up was some idle studying. I really wanted to watch a show on my computer (White Collar) but the internet has been VERY slow lately and refused to load for me. I did some coloring in my anatomy book and decided it was relax/brief nap time. Which inevitably lasted way longer than I wanted, but oh well. I enjoyed the nap and pleasure reading. I kind of wanted to go to the beach on my afternoon off, but I am currently ever so slightly sick and decided it just wasn't worth the effort.
Next up was a SVECCS meeting. It was basically just an info meeting about how the club works and schedule sign ups for on call shifts. I'm bummed that I can't do as many this semester because of 8am Monday morning exams. It would be a bit of a disaster to get called in overnight if I had an exam the next morning and no chance to sleep it off (3 more classes, then 3 hours of lab and another class in the afternoon). Oh well. I'll be busy for sure!
I stuck around for our Exotics and Wildlife Society meeting. Although they seem like really cool people, it's just not a club I think I'll find myself actively involved in (a conclusion I reached last semester too). My heart does not lie in exotic animal medicine although I think it is very neat. It's the kind of stuff I'd like to have to opportunity to do once or twice just for the experience, but not something I want to do for the rest of my life.
The rest of the evening was devoted to studying and procrastinating. I finally go my show to load so I watched that too : D. Now I am looking forward to clearing all of the books and notes off of my bed and going to sleep! Another 8am morning awaits!
Naps
Naps have a tendency to be absolutely wonderful...and very evil. A vicious cycle is easily formed. Not enough sleep-->nap to make up for it-->hard time falling asleep-->not enough sleep again, and so on. Annoying! The real solution here would be to teach my body to enjoy life on only 5-6 hours of sleep, but I have had little success in this so far in life!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Longest Day Ever!
Okay, so it really wasn't the longest day ever, but it sure seemed like it this morning! My alarm went off and all I could think was UGHHHH. It's a good thing I like my first class every day (pharmacology and immunology) because I'm pretty sure I'd never actually make it to my first class if it were something terrible like anatomy. And since anatomy is second, I'd probably theoretically skip till 10a if I didn't like the first class (maybe even just come for physio because I haven't figured out what I'm learning in bacteriology yet). So yeah, it could be real disaster, but fortunately it's not.
Anyhow, as classes dragged on this morning, I swear it felt like the day was never going to end. Even at lunch time it was still pretty daunting since I knew I had 4 hours left to go (3 being anatomy lab-ugh!). I also really wanted a nap at lunch, but alas I don't really have enough time any more so I actually ate lunch (something that became quite rare last semester!).
So I headed off to anatomy lab dreading 2.5 hours with stinky, rotting donkey flesh, and then something magical happened! I actually became involved and interested in what was going on with the dissection (and it didn't smell too awful at first) and before I knew it, it was time to clean up! Yup, that's right, I managed to make it an entire 2.5 hours without once looking at the clock! Crazy!!! I am definitely hoping to keep up with this trend in the next 25 labs (yes, I am still counting down how many I have left haha).
Physical diagnosis wasn't too bad either. Although kind of dull, it held my attention enough to make the class period go by quickly. We talked about writing a SOAP (medical record stuff) and taking a good history.
Although at dinner it felt like 2 days worth of activities had happened, I am very glad that the afternoon went by quickly and even the evening passed pretty fast. After all, I'm currently wondering how it is 11:15p! Almost time for bed so I can get up and do it all over again!
Anyhow, as classes dragged on this morning, I swear it felt like the day was never going to end. Even at lunch time it was still pretty daunting since I knew I had 4 hours left to go (3 being anatomy lab-ugh!). I also really wanted a nap at lunch, but alas I don't really have enough time any more so I actually ate lunch (something that became quite rare last semester!).
So I headed off to anatomy lab dreading 2.5 hours with stinky, rotting donkey flesh, and then something magical happened! I actually became involved and interested in what was going on with the dissection (and it didn't smell too awful at first) and before I knew it, it was time to clean up! Yup, that's right, I managed to make it an entire 2.5 hours without once looking at the clock! Crazy!!! I am definitely hoping to keep up with this trend in the next 25 labs (yes, I am still counting down how many I have left haha).
Physical diagnosis wasn't too bad either. Although kind of dull, it held my attention enough to make the class period go by quickly. We talked about writing a SOAP (medical record stuff) and taking a good history.
Although at dinner it felt like 2 days worth of activities had happened, I am very glad that the afternoon went by quickly and even the evening passed pretty fast. After all, I'm currently wondering how it is 11:15p! Almost time for bed so I can get up and do it all over again!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Beach Time
It of course had to get cloudy pretty much the instant we arrived. Very disappointing, but not enough to keep us out of the water. The temperatures have been slightly cooler this semester so far (with the exception of last Friday) and it's been pretty windy and somewhat rainy. These three things coupled together don't make for awesome swimming weather, particularly if it's cloudy, but we decided to take advantage of the pretty blue waters anyway.
It went from being cloudy, to ugly with sprinkles, to sunny, to looking like rain again over the course of about an hour. We swam around and saw some fish and feather coral, and I found a small rock containing a HUGE piece of fan coral (which we played for a bit before returning). Sadly, the pictures didn't turn out well (very disappointed!) so I can't share any water photos, but I do have some beach pictures for the end of the post.
When it started getting cloudy the second time, we decided to call it quits (and to quit pushing our luck). Good thing we got out when we did! The rain held off for about 5 minutes (enough to let us dry off some but not quite as much as I had hoped). We walked over to Umbrellas, a local beach side restaurant, for some ice cream (it was also a convenient escape from the rain-sort of). Since it had begun raining, the inside dining area was full, but we were able to get a pick nick table with a large umbrella under a tree that looked more protected. It worked out well for the most part-one can only be so picky when it is pouring rain (joke from bacteriology professor: what should you do when it's raining cats and dogs? ... avoid stepping on the poodles!). The ice cream was delicious (is it ever not??) and a nice treat before heading back to campus for endless studying.
It went from being cloudy, to ugly with sprinkles, to sunny, to looking like rain again over the course of about an hour. We swam around and saw some fish and feather coral, and I found a small rock containing a HUGE piece of fan coral (which we played for a bit before returning). Sadly, the pictures didn't turn out well (very disappointed!) so I can't share any water photos, but I do have some beach pictures for the end of the post.
When it started getting cloudy the second time, we decided to call it quits (and to quit pushing our luck). Good thing we got out when we did! The rain held off for about 5 minutes (enough to let us dry off some but not quite as much as I had hoped). We walked over to Umbrellas, a local beach side restaurant, for some ice cream (it was also a convenient escape from the rain-sort of). Since it had begun raining, the inside dining area was full, but we were able to get a pick nick table with a large umbrella under a tree that looked more protected. It worked out well for the most part-one can only be so picky when it is pouring rain (joke from bacteriology professor: what should you do when it's raining cats and dogs? ... avoid stepping on the poodles!). The ice cream was delicious (is it ever not??) and a nice treat before heading back to campus for endless studying.
Quick Musings
I'm headed off to Grand Anse beach in a few minutes, but rather than use my time wisely and get a few minutes of study time in before I go, I've decided to post here.
Med school roomie still has some sort of nasty illness. Other vet roomie and I are TERRIFIED of catching what ever it is that has the poor girl coughing and sputtering and feeling super lousy. She also has two final exams this week-no fun!! Anyhow, this relates back to me because although I really don't believe in it, I bought Airborne back before I came to the island. The idea was to load up on it before and during my plane rides (since illness, planes, and me seem to go hand in hand), but I was accidentally stupid and put it in my checked luggage. Pat on the back to me. So now I have this bottle of vitamin tablets. I decided today that it really couldn't hurt to give them a try considering all of the sickness that I am currently in such close proximity to. They're chewable. And berry flavored. How bad could they possibly be?? AWFUL! EW. I tried one, it was disgusting. Sickeningly sweet and tart while having that disgusting vitamin taste. I really don't know what made me think chewable would be a good idea. EW.
I have also managed to get both of my feet into my mouth (metaphorically) since this month has started. And although January is winding down, I am really hoping there isn't room for a fist or two while I'm at it. I'm stressed out enough as it is over these situations, please don't let me add more to the pile! And school is going to be picking up soon too, so that will just add so much more fun to the mix. I have my first two exams next week! Eek!
I was on call last night at our animal hospital. It was a quiet night. The only call we received turned out to be a pocket dial. We had one semi high maintenance patient that was mine last night, but it was really mostly because we were monitoring sky high blood pressure every two hours and there was usually a drug or two to go with each round. No calls over night, and the person I worked with last night took the phone home (major yay!!!). I was really hoping not to have to come down off my mountain at 8am (have I mentioned how much I dislike the mountain yet?? ugh, mandatory exercise!). Oh and the most amazing part of last night? Dr. Delgado was magically able to get my thermometer to go back to being set in Fahrenheit!!! Some time last semester a magical combination of buttons was pushed in my pocket that made it switch to Celsius. Annoying, but I figured I'd just look up how to switch it back. So I did. Well, I was able to figure out how to switch it to F each time it was turned on, but could not for the life of me get it to stay that way! Every time you turned it off, it went back to being in C. Which is just plain annoying! I mentioned it last night and he played around with it and now it's back to always being in F and I am so excited!!!!!
Med school roomie still has some sort of nasty illness. Other vet roomie and I are TERRIFIED of catching what ever it is that has the poor girl coughing and sputtering and feeling super lousy. She also has two final exams this week-no fun!! Anyhow, this relates back to me because although I really don't believe in it, I bought Airborne back before I came to the island. The idea was to load up on it before and during my plane rides (since illness, planes, and me seem to go hand in hand), but I was accidentally stupid and put it in my checked luggage. Pat on the back to me. So now I have this bottle of vitamin tablets. I decided today that it really couldn't hurt to give them a try considering all of the sickness that I am currently in such close proximity to. They're chewable. And berry flavored. How bad could they possibly be?? AWFUL! EW. I tried one, it was disgusting. Sickeningly sweet and tart while having that disgusting vitamin taste. I really don't know what made me think chewable would be a good idea. EW.
I have also managed to get both of my feet into my mouth (metaphorically) since this month has started. And although January is winding down, I am really hoping there isn't room for a fist or two while I'm at it. I'm stressed out enough as it is over these situations, please don't let me add more to the pile! And school is going to be picking up soon too, so that will just add so much more fun to the mix. I have my first two exams next week! Eek!
I was on call last night at our animal hospital. It was a quiet night. The only call we received turned out to be a pocket dial. We had one semi high maintenance patient that was mine last night, but it was really mostly because we were monitoring sky high blood pressure every two hours and there was usually a drug or two to go with each round. No calls over night, and the person I worked with last night took the phone home (major yay!!!). I was really hoping not to have to come down off my mountain at 8am (have I mentioned how much I dislike the mountain yet?? ugh, mandatory exercise!). Oh and the most amazing part of last night? Dr. Delgado was magically able to get my thermometer to go back to being set in Fahrenheit!!! Some time last semester a magical combination of buttons was pushed in my pocket that made it switch to Celsius. Annoying, but I figured I'd just look up how to switch it back. So I did. Well, I was able to figure out how to switch it to F each time it was turned on, but could not for the life of me get it to stay that way! Every time you turned it off, it went back to being in C. Which is just plain annoying! I mentioned it last night and he played around with it and now it's back to always being in F and I am so excited!!!!!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Mosquito Angst
Okay, okay, I know it's really cold in most parts of the world and I should be grateful to have this nice warm tropical weather, but I do not appreciate being the local snack bar!!! This was my fault for not thinking to wear bug spray to the grocery store, but I don't like all the itching :(. After all, it's only been one week! The good news is that this semester I was smart enough to bring anti-itch cream (and aloe!). Boo bugs :(.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Sleepiness, Reefs, and Get Togethers
Now that I'm in second term, I have all of my classes at 8am. Usually 8a-12p and then labs in the afternoon. And I have to say, I'm really not a fan! I rather liked being able to be a zombie during labs last semester and then alert and able to focus in lectures in the afternoon. I find now that I am good for the first and last class of the morning, but classes 2 and 3 are a real struggle, particularly #2 (maybe because it's anatomy??). I don't like it! I don't like being so groggy and dozing off. I've tried making sure I get enough sleep the night before, eating breakfast, bringing something else to distract me a little bit and help keep me awake, nothing's working! Caffeine makes me a bit nervous and I don't drink coffee. Unfortunately, with 14 more weeks of class left (and 2 weeks of exams), I am going to have to find something that works or else this is going to drive me crazy!
We went swimming again today. This time we went from the shoreline out to some islands rather than off the cliffs. Needless to say, it went much better this time. The cliffs just make me really nervous. They're large, steep, rough, dangerous...but the swimming part is awesome. However, I am definitely looking to avoid the panicking situation again!
Anyhow, there are lots of coral rocks around the little islands and there is lots of sea life hanging around. Tons of different fish, urchins, snails, and the occasional unique find. The water is still pretty rough, so we had to be careful about the rocks and shallow spots, but not nearly as bad as the other day which was just exhausting. A few scrapes, a bruise, and some scratched hands, but it's always totally worth it! I love exploring it all! I'm not sure what's up with the camera unfortunately, so for now it will be hanging out on my desk sadly. One of my friends has her own underwater camera though, so hopefully I can steal some of her pictures for here!
Lastly, we had a SCAVMA get together tonight at the black sand beach. It happens once a semester as a little social for new students to get to know each other and other upper termers as well as for the upper termers to socialize. Food and fun times. Two things I enjoy! We all hung out for a few hours before calling it quits for things such as studying and partying for some.
We went swimming again today. This time we went from the shoreline out to some islands rather than off the cliffs. Needless to say, it went much better this time. The cliffs just make me really nervous. They're large, steep, rough, dangerous...but the swimming part is awesome. However, I am definitely looking to avoid the panicking situation again!
Anyhow, there are lots of coral rocks around the little islands and there is lots of sea life hanging around. Tons of different fish, urchins, snails, and the occasional unique find. The water is still pretty rough, so we had to be careful about the rocks and shallow spots, but not nearly as bad as the other day which was just exhausting. A few scrapes, a bruise, and some scratched hands, but it's always totally worth it! I love exploring it all! I'm not sure what's up with the camera unfortunately, so for now it will be hanging out on my desk sadly. One of my friends has her own underwater camera though, so hopefully I can steal some of her pictures for here!
Lastly, we had a SCAVMA get together tonight at the black sand beach. It happens once a semester as a little social for new students to get to know each other and other upper termers as well as for the upper termers to socialize. Food and fun times. Two things I enjoy! We all hung out for a few hours before calling it quits for things such as studying and partying for some.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Dates
So I've mastered the whole "it's 2012" thing, but now that I'm back in Grenada, I swear all I want to write on my papers is "September." It was funny the first day, and mildly amusing the second, but now it's just down right annoying.
Why am I stuck on it being September? I have no clue! My only answer is that perhaps my brain is associating this term with last, knows that it isn't summer but that it's still warm out, and figures that September must be the next best thing to August? Like I said, I'm not sure. However, 4+ classes day, for 5 days, I have to pause before writing the month on my notes. And at this point, I'm pretty sure that just as soon as I figure out that it's January, it will actually be February, and the battle will begin all over again!
Why am I stuck on it being September? I have no clue! My only answer is that perhaps my brain is associating this term with last, knows that it isn't summer but that it's still warm out, and figures that September must be the next best thing to August? Like I said, I'm not sure. However, 4+ classes day, for 5 days, I have to pause before writing the month on my notes. And at this point, I'm pretty sure that just as soon as I figure out that it's January, it will actually be February, and the battle will begin all over again!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Hazards of Swimming in the Ocean
Well, this is kind of an amusing and embarrassing post.
For just a couple of weeks, we second termers have Wednesday and Friday afternoons free from labs. Not sure why there's a delay in getting started, but I'll certainly take it! Four morning classes was killer. It is such a struggle to stay awake sometimes! I am going to have to figure out some sort of method to keep me awake, that's for sure!
A few of my friends and I decided to go cliff jumping this afternoon as a nice little break from school. The ocean has been much rougher lately than it was before break. The water is not nearly as crystal clear (although it is still a gorgeous turquoise). The best time to go swimming at this spot is when the tide is high and the seas aren't too rough. When it's low tide, the water is rough, or both, it is much harder to get back out.
Today we decided to make a go at swimming with rough seas and low tide. Rougher water just meant constant swimming, which we did for the better part of an hour and a half or two. That's a lot of swimming for me! Two of my friends have basically grown up in the water, have been lifeguards for year, and just can't ever seem to get enough of the water. The other four of us are just mediocre. If you are mediocre, I don't recommend swimming in rough seas for nearly two hours and then having to use remaining strength to hoist yourself out of the water onto a rock ledge. It just isn't likely to end well.
I already happen to be pretty terrible at getting out of the water at this spot. It's mostly because I have no upper body strength-it's all in my legs. Add a little (or a lot) of movement to the water and I become pretty darn useless. The guys in our group are excellent at helping us (mainly me haha) out as needed, but today ended up being a "fun" exception. By the time we were getting out, I was spent. I had spent everything I had fighting the currents to the point where all I could do was swim in place (this was no small effort, as the tide was constantly trying to suck me out a bit). Combine this with my fear of everything, and we get crummy results. The guys tried relentless and very patiently to try and rescue me out of the water, but it was just too much. I think they would have been successful if panic on my part hadn't set in. That was great. Nothing quite like panicking in the middle of the ocean. It's not that I thought something bad was going to happen to me, I was simply just too exhausted and anxious to keep it together. I really just wanted out but couldn't see how that was going to happen. Eventually my one friend called it quits and we made our way around the peninsula to the beach (not a short distance unfortunately).
As amazing as my friends were, I think I'm going to avoid swimming off the cliff for a while haha. I'm not eager to be in that position again any time soon. I think I will instead stick to the beach where all I have to do is walk to get out. No climbing or hoisting or panicking for me for awhile please!
P.S. I wasn't ever in any danger today, so don't worry!
For just a couple of weeks, we second termers have Wednesday and Friday afternoons free from labs. Not sure why there's a delay in getting started, but I'll certainly take it! Four morning classes was killer. It is such a struggle to stay awake sometimes! I am going to have to figure out some sort of method to keep me awake, that's for sure!
A few of my friends and I decided to go cliff jumping this afternoon as a nice little break from school. The ocean has been much rougher lately than it was before break. The water is not nearly as crystal clear (although it is still a gorgeous turquoise). The best time to go swimming at this spot is when the tide is high and the seas aren't too rough. When it's low tide, the water is rough, or both, it is much harder to get back out.
Today we decided to make a go at swimming with rough seas and low tide. Rougher water just meant constant swimming, which we did for the better part of an hour and a half or two. That's a lot of swimming for me! Two of my friends have basically grown up in the water, have been lifeguards for year, and just can't ever seem to get enough of the water. The other four of us are just mediocre. If you are mediocre, I don't recommend swimming in rough seas for nearly two hours and then having to use remaining strength to hoist yourself out of the water onto a rock ledge. It just isn't likely to end well.
I already happen to be pretty terrible at getting out of the water at this spot. It's mostly because I have no upper body strength-it's all in my legs. Add a little (or a lot) of movement to the water and I become pretty darn useless. The guys in our group are excellent at helping us (mainly me haha) out as needed, but today ended up being a "fun" exception. By the time we were getting out, I was spent. I had spent everything I had fighting the currents to the point where all I could do was swim in place (this was no small effort, as the tide was constantly trying to suck me out a bit). Combine this with my fear of everything, and we get crummy results. The guys tried relentless and very patiently to try and rescue me out of the water, but it was just too much. I think they would have been successful if panic on my part hadn't set in. That was great. Nothing quite like panicking in the middle of the ocean. It's not that I thought something bad was going to happen to me, I was simply just too exhausted and anxious to keep it together. I really just wanted out but couldn't see how that was going to happen. Eventually my one friend called it quits and we made our way around the peninsula to the beach (not a short distance unfortunately).
As amazing as my friends were, I think I'm going to avoid swimming off the cliff for a while haha. I'm not eager to be in that position again any time soon. I think I will instead stick to the beach where all I have to do is walk to get out. No climbing or hoisting or panicking for me for awhile please!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Day 2
I have to retract a couple of statements from the previous post.
1. After today's class, I'm pretty sure I will never catch more than 5 words per 50 minute lecture in bacteriology. Yesterday I had hope that perhaps there would be an accent learning curve, today I have none. I have, however, come up with a study plan. Because he gives us course notes in addition to the power point slides, I think I will read the course notes and take notes on them during class (and use my textbook as needed). Upper termers have sworn it'll be fine. We shall see.
2. Donkey stinks. He absolutely reeks of rotting flesh. Bummer. I knew it had to be too good to be true! Oh well. I'd prefer the formalin/dead things stink to the maloderousness coming from our donkey. I am *so* glad that we only have lab twice a week!
Okay, that's all I have to say about yesterday's post. On to today.
The only new class I had today was immunology. Which went well. I think I am going to like the class (but probably find it a bit challenging). We were supposed to also have radiology, but it mysteriously got cancelled (unbeknownst to us, but they did manage to tell the professor who taught at 10 to come at 9 so I guess it's all good). I was very happy to have an extra hour off : D. Should have spent it being productive, or even just relaxing, but instead I opted for a nap haha.
Anatomy lab is...going. Not really sure what to think at this point. 13 students hacking away at rotting, smelly donkey flesh. With a lab manual that stinks (metaphorically). We're all just a bit confused about it all right now. I am hoping that a few days off from it all will give me time to figure out what's going on. We shall see!
The 1st termers had their white coat ceremony tonight. I went along with several classmates. My roommate and her friends/fellow colleagues all received their white coats and were quite excited. It seems that one must be nervous and not good at public speaking to get the job of MC for the white coat ceremonies (both tonight's and last fall's had both unfortunate traits). The main speaker came from UPEI. We're still not sure what he wanted us to take away from his speech. He divided his time 50/50 (and I'm pretty sure stole an extra 10 minutes from the program) between and informational session about UPEI's vet school and the 5 shifts in the veterinary profession. Students walked away scratching their heads wondering why they had gotten a recruitment lecture, and wondering how those 40 minutes were meant to be inspirational. In lieu of an inspirational message from the ceremony, I shall end with this for the new January class of 2012: Congratulations! Welcome to the SGU family and veterinary profession! These next few years are going to be filled with many amazing and trying moments. Remember that you are never alone in this journey, even when it feels that way. You'll be surprised to realize just how many people are thinking and feeling the same things as you are-take comfort in that. Everyone at this university wants you to succeed, so don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it! Because you all come from different backgrounds, be sure to utilize your unique strengths to help each other out. This is key! You are now classmates, colleagues, family, and friends. Do your best-that's all you can ask of yourself. Good luck!
1. After today's class, I'm pretty sure I will never catch more than 5 words per 50 minute lecture in bacteriology. Yesterday I had hope that perhaps there would be an accent learning curve, today I have none. I have, however, come up with a study plan. Because he gives us course notes in addition to the power point slides, I think I will read the course notes and take notes on them during class (and use my textbook as needed). Upper termers have sworn it'll be fine. We shall see.
2. Donkey stinks. He absolutely reeks of rotting flesh. Bummer. I knew it had to be too good to be true! Oh well. I'd prefer the formalin/dead things stink to the maloderousness coming from our donkey. I am *so* glad that we only have lab twice a week!
Okay, that's all I have to say about yesterday's post. On to today.
The only new class I had today was immunology. Which went well. I think I am going to like the class (but probably find it a bit challenging). We were supposed to also have radiology, but it mysteriously got cancelled (unbeknownst to us, but they did manage to tell the professor who taught at 10 to come at 9 so I guess it's all good). I was very happy to have an extra hour off : D. Should have spent it being productive, or even just relaxing, but instead I opted for a nap haha.
Anatomy lab is...going. Not really sure what to think at this point. 13 students hacking away at rotting, smelly donkey flesh. With a lab manual that stinks (metaphorically). We're all just a bit confused about it all right now. I am hoping that a few days off from it all will give me time to figure out what's going on. We shall see!
The 1st termers had their white coat ceremony tonight. I went along with several classmates. My roommate and her friends/fellow colleagues all received their white coats and were quite excited. It seems that one must be nervous and not good at public speaking to get the job of MC for the white coat ceremonies (both tonight's and last fall's had both unfortunate traits). The main speaker came from UPEI. We're still not sure what he wanted us to take away from his speech. He divided his time 50/50 (and I'm pretty sure stole an extra 10 minutes from the program) between and informational session about UPEI's vet school and the 5 shifts in the veterinary profession. Students walked away scratching their heads wondering why they had gotten a recruitment lecture, and wondering how those 40 minutes were meant to be inspirational. In lieu of an inspirational message from the ceremony, I shall end with this for the new January class of 2012: Congratulations! Welcome to the SGU family and veterinary profession! These next few years are going to be filled with many amazing and trying moments. Remember that you are never alone in this journey, even when it feels that way. You'll be surprised to realize just how many people are thinking and feeling the same things as you are-take comfort in that. Everyone at this university wants you to succeed, so don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it! Because you all come from different backgrounds, be sure to utilize your unique strengths to help each other out. This is key! You are now classmates, colleagues, family, and friends. Do your best-that's all you can ask of yourself. Good luck!
Term 2 Begins
*This was supposed to be posted last night. But I came back from class this afternoon and found the error screen, so I guess it's just going to have to be a bit late!
Well, we have officially started classes for term 2! 8am seemed awfully early this morning though...and to think i get to do that 5 days a week for the next 4 months! I know many of you are probably laughing at me for hating 8am so much, but considering I never managed to make it to bed before 1:30a last semester, 8am could prove to be a real problem! I guess I'll just have to do a better job at studying for the entire evening and not getting distracted (fat chance haha)!
Because the 1st term students are currently completing vet school orientation, our classes have been moved to another building on campus. Formerly Bell Hall, the wide open space contains a split level with lots of tables. It was designed to be a group study space, not a classroom. Oh yeah, and the AC sounds like a freight train when it's on and cools to subarctic temperatures when running. When it's off? You're instantly peeling off layers wondering how the temperature could possibly fluctuate so much in such a short period of time!
We started with pharmacology. Apparently although we were notified of the location change, the professors weren't! How kind of the vet school (and not terribly surprising actually). In addition to leaving the professors out of the secret, no AV person was told to come to Bell to help with the lecture screens and microphone. Unlike any other smart classroom I've ever been in, these ones are designed to only work when the hired personnel are around to assist (I think it was to create Grenadian jobs). It's all well and good...until you're short an AV person! So our professor had to go without. He did his best. Thankfully it's syllabus day so not too much important learning happened.
Next up was anatomy 2. Ugh. I kind of doubt my feelings for anatomy will ever change. We start by getting a GIGANTIC notes packet for section 1 (of 4). Our AV issues had some what been resolved as we now had a microphone and notes on tv screens. However, either the microphone stopped working, or the professor decided he didn't care for it, because about 20 minutes in, he just suddenly stopped using it. Initially I thought the battery had died, but he spontaneously used it for a few minutes several other times during the lecture...so now I'm not so certain. The issue with him not using a microphone is that he is impossible to hear and understand without it. It's definitely going to be a fun semester in that category.
Class #3 was bacteriology/mycology. Lots and lots more notes for that class (and they decided to pass out immunology at that time too). Dr. Harry Hariharan will be teaching us this semester. I dare you to say his name 5 times fast! He is also a bit difficult to understand, but I have a feeling that once I get the hang of his accent and style, I'll be fine. We also have plenty of supplemental resources to aid with understanding.
Class #4 was physiology 2. Physiology makes me smile. I really enjoy it. I know, I'm weird! To make things even better, we started with hematology. Very interesting stuff! Oddly enough, despite this being a class I am very interested in, I have little to say about it at this point.
Finally it was lunch time. I hurried home to scarf down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, relax for a few minutes, and then head off to anatomy lab for fun times take two.
When we arrived in the lab, we discovered that our donkeys were already out and waiting for us. Yayyyy... We formed lab groups of 13, divided our groups in half, and got to work. We are currently dissecting the neck. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. The donkeys are "fresh" (whatever that means), and don't seem to smell nearly as bad as the dogs and cats did surprisingly. Either that, or I'm just sadly quite used to the smell of preserved flesh. It really could be either. Or both. Who knows. We utilized all of the toys I added to my dissection kit over break (hemostats, scapel blades, and rat-toothed forceps) which made me happy.
The last class of the day involved a quick change out of scrubs into normal clothes (classroom rule) before hand. Lucky for me, physical diagnosis lecture happens to be on top of the hill (more like mountain!) that I live on, so I was spared another trip down and up that beast. Introductions were made and off we went reviewing dog and cat physical exam techniques. I definitely expect to learn a lot (more) in that class! Time flew by quite quickly much to my excitement. I like it when you look up and suddenly it's time to go!
So. That's an overview of my first five classes, immunology and radiology come tomorrow. I also get to repeat my fun times in Bell Hall and add in a third lecture and anatomy lab to my schedule. At least it looks like it won't be nearly as hectic as today!
Well, we have officially started classes for term 2! 8am seemed awfully early this morning though...and to think i get to do that 5 days a week for the next 4 months! I know many of you are probably laughing at me for hating 8am so much, but considering I never managed to make it to bed before 1:30a last semester, 8am could prove to be a real problem! I guess I'll just have to do a better job at studying for the entire evening and not getting distracted (fat chance haha)!
Because the 1st term students are currently completing vet school orientation, our classes have been moved to another building on campus. Formerly Bell Hall, the wide open space contains a split level with lots of tables. It was designed to be a group study space, not a classroom. Oh yeah, and the AC sounds like a freight train when it's on and cools to subarctic temperatures when running. When it's off? You're instantly peeling off layers wondering how the temperature could possibly fluctuate so much in such a short period of time!
We started with pharmacology. Apparently although we were notified of the location change, the professors weren't! How kind of the vet school (and not terribly surprising actually). In addition to leaving the professors out of the secret, no AV person was told to come to Bell to help with the lecture screens and microphone. Unlike any other smart classroom I've ever been in, these ones are designed to only work when the hired personnel are around to assist (I think it was to create Grenadian jobs). It's all well and good...until you're short an AV person! So our professor had to go without. He did his best. Thankfully it's syllabus day so not too much important learning happened.
Next up was anatomy 2. Ugh. I kind of doubt my feelings for anatomy will ever change. We start by getting a GIGANTIC notes packet for section 1 (of 4). Our AV issues had some what been resolved as we now had a microphone and notes on tv screens. However, either the microphone stopped working, or the professor decided he didn't care for it, because about 20 minutes in, he just suddenly stopped using it. Initially I thought the battery had died, but he spontaneously used it for a few minutes several other times during the lecture...so now I'm not so certain. The issue with him not using a microphone is that he is impossible to hear and understand without it. It's definitely going to be a fun semester in that category.
Class #3 was bacteriology/mycology. Lots and lots more notes for that class (and they decided to pass out immunology at that time too). Dr. Harry Hariharan will be teaching us this semester. I dare you to say his name 5 times fast! He is also a bit difficult to understand, but I have a feeling that once I get the hang of his accent and style, I'll be fine. We also have plenty of supplemental resources to aid with understanding.
Class #4 was physiology 2. Physiology makes me smile. I really enjoy it. I know, I'm weird! To make things even better, we started with hematology. Very interesting stuff! Oddly enough, despite this being a class I am very interested in, I have little to say about it at this point.
Finally it was lunch time. I hurried home to scarf down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, relax for a few minutes, and then head off to anatomy lab for fun times take two.
When we arrived in the lab, we discovered that our donkeys were already out and waiting for us. Yayyyy... We formed lab groups of 13, divided our groups in half, and got to work. We are currently dissecting the neck. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. The donkeys are "fresh" (whatever that means), and don't seem to smell nearly as bad as the dogs and cats did surprisingly. Either that, or I'm just sadly quite used to the smell of preserved flesh. It really could be either. Or both. Who knows. We utilized all of the toys I added to my dissection kit over break (hemostats, scapel blades, and rat-toothed forceps) which made me happy.
The last class of the day involved a quick change out of scrubs into normal clothes (classroom rule) before hand. Lucky for me, physical diagnosis lecture happens to be on top of the hill (more like mountain!) that I live on, so I was spared another trip down and up that beast. Introductions were made and off we went reviewing dog and cat physical exam techniques. I definitely expect to learn a lot (more) in that class! Time flew by quite quickly much to my excitement. I like it when you look up and suddenly it's time to go!
So. That's an overview of my first five classes, immunology and radiology come tomorrow. I also get to repeat my fun times in Bell Hall and add in a third lecture and anatomy lab to my schedule. At least it looks like it won't be nearly as hectic as today!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Unpacking and Going Out and About
I am exhausted. Classes haven't even started yet! Not a good sign ;). I finished unpacking, getting things settled, and decorating my room today. It looks very nice! Way more home-y than last term. I bought a curtain for my window yesterday while we were out because much to my surprise and dismay, there is a very bright fluorescent street lamp located right outside. I (unfortunately) have gotten VERY used to sleeping in total darkness over the last several years, so my immediate thoughts included "uh that's going to be a huge problem" and "I am not going to get any sleep this semester without better window shades!" In addition to having this lovely light outside my window, the shade is rather sheer allowing most of the light in at night. Since I'm at street level, this also seemed like a privacy problem too! So I invested in a nice curtain.
I have lots of pictures of friends and family scattered around my room, a set of pretty mirror stickers, and lots of green and silver dry erase dots. They are very cool! they are a foot in diameter and you can write on them with dry erase markers!
Yesterday afternoon we went to the bank, both grocery stores, the linen store, the hardware store, the grocery store, and rounded the trip off with the most delicious smoothies ever. I had banana and it was simply amazing! Carrying all of our groceries up this humongous hill was incredibly painful (as expected). I joked that I was going to have to learn not to eat anything this semester because going to the grocery store was too much effort! Mandatory exercise...yay...
After that nice, hot, and sweaty trip to all of those stores, my roommate and I opted to go snorkeling on campus. The coast has changed a bit since I was last here! The tide was substantially lower than I had ever seen it, the black sand patch was gone (booo that was my favorite!!), and the water was much shallower with fewer shells. The shallow water was also extremely cloudy. You couldn't really see much further than 1.5-2 feet in front of your face much to my surprise. I've never seen the water so yucky looking, usually it is crystal clear! Didn't make for particularly good snorkeling, but we were able to find some fun invertebrates hanging out on the rocks which made us plenty happy. Veterinary students: torturing Grenadian wildlife since 1999!
Today was a more laid back day. It rained quite a bit (2 for 2 and thrilled to have waterproof shoes!) in the morning/early afternoon. We had our footsteps buddies meeting before the bazaar and I got to meet my buddy face to face. Every incoming student is assigned an upper term student to help the new student transition into the program. This includes passing along information, old notes, wisdom, answering questions, hanging out, and anything else the students come up with. The meeting introduces all of the clubs and drug/company representatives at SGU. The school hosts a bazaar in the late afternoon at which clubs have booths, local restaurants sell food, live music is played, and Grenadian trinkets can be purchased. Basically, it is a lot of fun!
I am now plenty ready for bed even though it is not quite 10:30p yet! Up early for classes and a very long day of classes at that! We are scheduled from 8-12 and 1-5 tomorrow so it is going to be a long day!
I have lots of pictures of friends and family scattered around my room, a set of pretty mirror stickers, and lots of green and silver dry erase dots. They are very cool! they are a foot in diameter and you can write on them with dry erase markers!
After that nice, hot, and sweaty trip to all of those stores, my roommate and I opted to go snorkeling on campus. The coast has changed a bit since I was last here! The tide was substantially lower than I had ever seen it, the black sand patch was gone (booo that was my favorite!!), and the water was much shallower with fewer shells. The shallow water was also extremely cloudy. You couldn't really see much further than 1.5-2 feet in front of your face much to my surprise. I've never seen the water so yucky looking, usually it is crystal clear! Didn't make for particularly good snorkeling, but we were able to find some fun invertebrates hanging out on the rocks which made us plenty happy. Veterinary students: torturing Grenadian wildlife since 1999!
I am now plenty ready for bed even though it is not quite 10:30p yet! Up early for classes and a very long day of classes at that! We are scheduled from 8-12 and 1-5 tomorrow so it is going to be a long day!
Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
Sounds delicious, right? Definitely! My vet* roommate really wanted to do some baking yesterday, so she whipped out a favorite recipe of hers and got to work! I was really quite impressed (although I admit that I'm easily impressed). All you need is a toaster oven and a little bit of creativity to survive life in the Caribbean. That was seriously such a good investment on my part! I bought a small metal pan for it while I was home for break.
Anyhow, the muffins were amazing! She filled them with grape jelly, just adding to their deliciousness! This looks identical to the recipe she used, except that she added the jelly filling: yum.
*I have two roommates this semester. One is a 1st term veterinary student, the other is a second term medical student. I will refer to them as my vet and med roommates for their privacy :).
Anyhow, the muffins were amazing! She filled them with grape jelly, just adding to their deliciousness! This looks identical to the recipe she used, except that she added the jelly filling: yum.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Kitty Cats and Waterproof Shoes
Well, I made it! I am back in Grenada for the start of term 2! I spent all of yesterday in airports and on planes to get here, but my journey here is not nearly as long as some of my classmates. Many people have multi-day travel plans that involve over night stays in airports, several connecting flights, and passing through other countries before arriving at the Grenadian destination. Just one of the many hurdles to jump on the path to becoming a veterinarian!
On my first flight yesterday, I was sitting next to another vet student (friend). The last people on the plane happened to be in front of us and when the husband arrived first, he brought two cat carriers. Being vet students, we were instantly cooing with the kitties who were less than pleased to find themselves in carriers in a place with many strange smells. As we were oogling the cats (and explaining that we were vet students, not creepy people), the man held up his arm, sighed, and began attending to a very large bleeding gash. Apparently he had tried to give the cats benedryl to help on the flight (per their veterinarian's instruction-always ask your vet first!!!), but it hadn't gone so well. We volunteered to pill the cats for him. Looking very relieved, he happily accepted our offer. Either he did something terribly irritating when trying to shove pills down their throats, or they were just subdued with anxiety, because that was probably the easiest pilling job I've ever had. He and his wife were thrilled that the cats had their drugs, and my friend and I were extremely pleased to have been able to put our skills to use! After all, how often does someone ask for a veterinarian on an airplane?!
Arriving in Grenada was as hot and humid as I had expected. This time I brought shorts to change into on the plane (very smart move on my part!). The airport was much faster and easier than it had been last time. Immigration and customs took a fraction of the time thankfully!
My new room/suite is much nicer than my old one (to be expected, this dorm is brand new as of last fall). I can actually see ocean from my window! My room is very tiny and a disaster right now. I'll put pictures up in a few days when I actually get things settled in.
I was able to register and get my books this morning, which made me very happy. Much to my amusement, as soon as I got to the book distribution spot, it began POURING rain. There's no escape in the tropics! I am very pleased to have waterproof shoes now. No more wet toes! I bought a pair of waterproof Merrells a couple of weeks ago so that I wouldn't have to worry about wet feet in the rain (an annoyance that I've been putting up with for years). I waited until it was only lightly sprinkling before heading back to my room, but the ground was certainly still very wet and full of puddles!
On my first flight yesterday, I was sitting next to another vet student (friend). The last people on the plane happened to be in front of us and when the husband arrived first, he brought two cat carriers. Being vet students, we were instantly cooing with the kitties who were less than pleased to find themselves in carriers in a place with many strange smells. As we were oogling the cats (and explaining that we were vet students, not creepy people), the man held up his arm, sighed, and began attending to a very large bleeding gash. Apparently he had tried to give the cats benedryl to help on the flight (per their veterinarian's instruction-always ask your vet first!!!), but it hadn't gone so well. We volunteered to pill the cats for him. Looking very relieved, he happily accepted our offer. Either he did something terribly irritating when trying to shove pills down their throats, or they were just subdued with anxiety, because that was probably the easiest pilling job I've ever had. He and his wife were thrilled that the cats had their drugs, and my friend and I were extremely pleased to have been able to put our skills to use! After all, how often does someone ask for a veterinarian on an airplane?!
Arriving in Grenada was as hot and humid as I had expected. This time I brought shorts to change into on the plane (very smart move on my part!). The airport was much faster and easier than it had been last time. Immigration and customs took a fraction of the time thankfully!
My new room/suite is much nicer than my old one (to be expected, this dorm is brand new as of last fall). I can actually see ocean from my window! My room is very tiny and a disaster right now. I'll put pictures up in a few days when I actually get things settled in.
I was able to register and get my books this morning, which made me very happy. Much to my amusement, as soon as I got to the book distribution spot, it began POURING rain. There's no escape in the tropics! I am very pleased to have waterproof shoes now. No more wet toes! I bought a pair of waterproof Merrells a couple of weeks ago so that I wouldn't have to worry about wet feet in the rain (an annoyance that I've been putting up with for years). I waited until it was only lightly sprinkling before heading back to my room, but the ground was certainly still very wet and full of puddles!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Packing Take 2
Well I decided to do more than idly throw things into my suitcase this evening to see what would happen. One bag with most things in it weighs 53 lbs. I consider this a huge success! I can potentially check a second smaller bag with up to 50 lbs in it. I have yet to pack my few clothes or any food, so I'm really considering the 2 checked bags thing haha. It's just so much easier and cheaper to buy certain food items up here! Remember way back in August when I struggled so much?!?
It is almost time to head back-crazy!! I am definitely ready (and in need of) a change of scenery. I am also looking forward to only have room in my brain for thoughts about school. The wandering random deep thoughts can go away for a few months until I have time for them haha. I will miss my pets at home for sure! Particularly Penny, poor little pig. She'd better not break any teeth while I'm gone! The next time I see Lacey, she'll be mostly full grown! Lance...will still be the same, just 4 months older!
It is almost time to head back-crazy!! I am definitely ready (and in need of) a change of scenery. I am also looking forward to only have room in my brain for thoughts about school. The wandering random deep thoughts can go away for a few months until I have time for them haha. I will miss my pets at home for sure! Particularly Penny, poor little pig. She'd better not break any teeth while I'm gone! The next time I see Lacey, she'll be mostly full grown! Lance...will still be the same, just 4 months older!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Dentist, Lunch, Snow, and Doctor
It's been a busy day! I think this is going to be the trend for the next 4ish months! I really need to seriously start working on packing, ugh. Last minute errands and appointments dot the week as well.
Today's busyness included a trip to the dentist and the human doctor. My favorites. Particularly the part about the dentist. I'm just not a fan of anything to do with oral cavities and teeth. Not even in animals. This trip to the dentist was actually nearly as bad as they usually are, and it also was really quick! It's not that I have bad teeth or anything, just that I in general hate the dentist. Oh well. My quick trip to the doctor's office turned into a very long ordeal. Apparently everyone is getting sick these days (stay away! I only want healthiness for Grenada and this week!!!!) so they were running quite behind. Made me glad I was just there for a quick recheck!
I met a friend for lunch today in between my two appointments-we went to California Pizza Kitchen. American pizza, how I will miss you while I am gone!! It was delicious. No nutmeg or sweet sauce, just the way pizza is supposed to be! I enjoyed long girly conversations with my friend, hopefully we'll get to catch up throughout the semester too!
Throughout lunch it was flurrying out, the big, clumpy flakes that are pretty to watch as they fall. When we left lunch, I had an hour and thirty minutes to go about 17 miles to my next appointment. When I left I wondered what I was going to do to kill the time in between, but the traffic I encountered answered that question pretty quickly. As a matter of fact, it took the entire hour and thirty five minutes to go the 17 miles!! Between the (not sticking) snow, end of the work day traffic (2:15 seems a little early though), and an accident, it took me an hour to go 4 miles. Good thing I had nothing better to do! Lucky for me, the traffic was so slow, that I was able to read my nook in between moving an inch. Perhaps Barnes and Noble should add that to their advertisement? Haha!
Although I am less than pleased to see the snow, I am the only one. Lacey and Lance are tearing around the yard chasing each other and eating as much snow as they can shove into their mouths. This is Lacey's first snowfall! My youngest brother also thinks the snow is awesome, and I can only guess that both of my brothers are hoping that it will get them a delay for school tomorrow!
Today's busyness included a trip to the dentist and the human doctor. My favorites. Particularly the part about the dentist. I'm just not a fan of anything to do with oral cavities and teeth. Not even in animals. This trip to the dentist was actually nearly as bad as they usually are, and it also was really quick! It's not that I have bad teeth or anything, just that I in general hate the dentist. Oh well. My quick trip to the doctor's office turned into a very long ordeal. Apparently everyone is getting sick these days (stay away! I only want healthiness for Grenada and this week!!!!) so they were running quite behind. Made me glad I was just there for a quick recheck!
I met a friend for lunch today in between my two appointments-we went to California Pizza Kitchen. American pizza, how I will miss you while I am gone!! It was delicious. No nutmeg or sweet sauce, just the way pizza is supposed to be! I enjoyed long girly conversations with my friend, hopefully we'll get to catch up throughout the semester too!
Throughout lunch it was flurrying out, the big, clumpy flakes that are pretty to watch as they fall. When we left lunch, I had an hour and thirty minutes to go about 17 miles to my next appointment. When I left I wondered what I was going to do to kill the time in between, but the traffic I encountered answered that question pretty quickly. As a matter of fact, it took the entire hour and thirty five minutes to go the 17 miles!! Between the (not sticking) snow, end of the work day traffic (2:15 seems a little early though), and an accident, it took me an hour to go 4 miles. Good thing I had nothing better to do! Lucky for me, the traffic was so slow, that I was able to read my nook in between moving an inch. Perhaps Barnes and Noble should add that to their advertisement? Haha!
Although I am less than pleased to see the snow, I am the only one. Lacey and Lance are tearing around the yard chasing each other and eating as much snow as they can shove into their mouths. This is Lacey's first snowfall! My youngest brother also thinks the snow is awesome, and I can only guess that both of my brothers are hoping that it will get them a delay for school tomorrow!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Grenadian Coco Balls
Grenadian coco balls (equivalent to US instant hot chocolate packets) are an interesting novelty that I've seen at the spice market and at the grocery store. I've been curious, and decided perhaps they'd make interesting Christmas gifts. So I bought some.
Since they've been sitting on the counter for almost 2 weeks now, my mother and I decided to give them a try (gift to her). The instructions say to boil a coco ball in 3-5 cups of water for 5 minutes.
After boiling, you strain the liquid.
And then add sugar and milk "to taste."
The main problem with this whole coco balls thing is that it smelled and looked like plant material. Not overly appetizing. Kind of unfortunate. My mother and I took a brave sip. DEFINITELY doesn't taste like hot chocolate. Not even close. Instead, it happens to taste like you might expect a plant to. My ruling on the edibitlity and palatability is a negative. I am definitely not a fan. It's not that it wasn't sweet, I just didn't care for the plant-like taste. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if I did something wrong, because other classmates have had them and found it all to be quite delicious. Oh well!
ETA: yeah, apparently I did it wrong...http://grenadaguide.blogspot.com/2011/10/when-i-first-arrived-to-island-these.html
Since they've been sitting on the counter for almost 2 weeks now, my mother and I decided to give them a try (gift to her). The instructions say to boil a coco ball in 3-5 cups of water for 5 minutes.
ETA: yeah, apparently I did it wrong...http://grenadaguide.blogspot.com/2011/10/when-i-first-arrived-to-island-these.html
Thursday, January 5, 2012
A Christmas Wish Come True!
Took a quick peek in Penny's mouth yesterday to see what her new teeth looked like, and was pleasantly surprised to see a VERY nice pair of incisors! They're growing back quickly and quite nicely! I'd say they're about 1/3rd of their original length, so they obviously have a ways to go, but it's been not quite a month so I'm very happy with the progress! She also proved that she could now eat a carrot with them as well as a leaf of lettuce, but I'm trying to be nice and am still chopping up the veggies into bite sized pieces. After all, these teeth are much shorter than she's used to and it has to feel kind of weird! She's not plucking hay out of her hay rack yet though, and I'm really disappointed because putting it on her cage floor makes a huge mess!
In other news, I went shopping today and found quite a few fun things to take back to Grenada with me. School supplies (it's a sickness for me, I just LOVE shopping for school supplies) and room decorations! I haven't started packing yet (or even cleaning up my room haha) other than idly tossing things for Grenada into my open suitcase. Perhaps I should make that a weekend project? We'll see. In just about a week I'll be back on an island where it is warm and sunny :).
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Making A List, Checking It Twice!
I suppose I really ought to start thinking about what I want to bring back to Grenada with me now that I'm down to 9 days before I'm off to the island again. I'm not really bringing back most of what I brought home so I have a lot of space for miscellaneous items (like food and shampoo!).
So what should I bring back to Grenada? This is a tough question! As much as 50-100lbs of suitcases will allow me! I haven't decided whether or not I'm checking two bags yet-I definitely want to be able to bring as much back as possible!
Things like shampoo, soap, bug spray, sunscreen, pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, ketchup, BBQ sauce, snacks, gum, and some other random items are definitely a must to bring back. The key to it all is most of it won't come back, and most of it will be used up by the end of the term anyway. I'm going to have to be careful not to run into my weight issues like I did last time though!
So what should I bring back to Grenada? This is a tough question! As much as 50-100lbs of suitcases will allow me! I haven't decided whether or not I'm checking two bags yet-I definitely want to be able to bring as much back as possible!
Things like shampoo, soap, bug spray, sunscreen, pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, ketchup, BBQ sauce, snacks, gum, and some other random items are definitely a must to bring back. The key to it all is most of it won't come back, and most of it will be used up by the end of the term anyway. I'm going to have to be careful not to run into my weight issues like I did last time though!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Becoming A Veterinarian
The road to becoming a veterinarian is a long one. It isn't a path for anyone who isn't 100% certain that it's the only career that will satisfy them and make them happy. It's a path you take because passion says you have to. It's one filled with difficult decisions, endless choices, and hard sacrifices. The costs commonly go beyond the tangible tuition expenses. You do the best you can to survive the journey. You hope that you'll look back at the end and say "that was totally worth it," but even right now, you already know that you will feel that way because it's just what you're meant to do.
Sacrifices commonly include family, friends, and pets, entertainment and relaxation (due to lack of time and funds), incurring large amounts of debt, and usually your sanity. The rest of the world goes about daily life while you're buried under mounds of textbooks and notes in another world of your own. The sacrifices are tough. Perhaps the rest of the world would kindly invent teleportation and plant money trees for all of us poor suckers stuck in veterinary world by choice? Please?
Sacrifices commonly include family, friends, and pets, entertainment and relaxation (due to lack of time and funds), incurring large amounts of debt, and usually your sanity. The rest of the world goes about daily life while you're buried under mounds of textbooks and notes in another world of your own. The sacrifices are tough. Perhaps the rest of the world would kindly invent teleportation and plant money trees for all of us poor suckers stuck in veterinary world by choice? Please?
Cold Weather
All of the cold weather I've experienced lately makes me really look forward to being back in Grenadian tropical paradise. I'm just not cut out for winter!
Our whirlwind trip to NY to visit family went without a hitch. It's a long 7 hour drive each way that I made better by napping, texting, playing games, and reading. As long and boring as it seems now, it makes me wonder how we ever survived 2 day drives from Texas to Delaware back when we were younger!
I unfortunately failed to look at the weather before we left. I knew it would be cold, so it wasn't like I was unprepared clothing-wise, but cold was an understatement. It was FREEZING!!! And there was snow. Not a fan of either of those, particularly not in combination! Thankfully all the family homes were warm, but going outside (even just to get in the car) was a major systemic shock!
I went to visit a couple of my friends who live in the coastal region of Virginia for the weekend. Much to my excitement, Virginia was SUBSTANTIALLY warmer than NY while I was there haha. My family never does anything for new year's eve, so being able to spend it with people my own age was a huge treat! One of my friends is the superhero who helped me survive term 1 of vet school and the other will be starting school in just a few short weeks! The weekend went really fast and I can't believe it is now a new year-time flies!
Happy New Year! 2011 was full of ups and downs, but I wouldn't change any of it-I hope 2012 gets to be just as amazing!
Our whirlwind trip to NY to visit family went without a hitch. It's a long 7 hour drive each way that I made better by napping, texting, playing games, and reading. As long and boring as it seems now, it makes me wonder how we ever survived 2 day drives from Texas to Delaware back when we were younger!
I unfortunately failed to look at the weather before we left. I knew it would be cold, so it wasn't like I was unprepared clothing-wise, but cold was an understatement. It was FREEZING!!! And there was snow. Not a fan of either of those, particularly not in combination! Thankfully all the family homes were warm, but going outside (even just to get in the car) was a major systemic shock!
I went to visit a couple of my friends who live in the coastal region of Virginia for the weekend. Much to my excitement, Virginia was SUBSTANTIALLY warmer than NY while I was there haha. My family never does anything for new year's eve, so being able to spend it with people my own age was a huge treat! One of my friends is the superhero who helped me survive term 1 of vet school and the other will be starting school in just a few short weeks! The weekend went really fast and I can't believe it is now a new year-time flies!
Happy New Year! 2011 was full of ups and downs, but I wouldn't change any of it-I hope 2012 gets to be just as amazing!
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