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!
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