"Insert witty title with veterinary pun here"

So it's been just over a month since my last post.  So much for that post a week nonsense I was talking about when I started this. :-)  I didn't really think I would be as busy as I have been over the past 5 weeks.

So I have had 1-2 exams/quizzes every week for the past 5 weeks which has kept the majority of my awake time busy with studying.  It has even cut into the sleeping time as well.  I cannot remember the last time I had a dream that didn't involve some subject in vet school.  It's actually kind of funny.  You just can't escape this stuff, even in your dreams!

Grade-wise I am doing well.  The consensus here seems to be: study for exams but never feel truly prepared, take the exam, leave the exam room feeling like you failed the exam, get your grade back a few days passing said exam.  It's definitely a different feeling than from undergrad.  And the most interesting part of that whole process is, most of that information actually stays in my brain... at least for now it does.  Ask me again 10 months from now which epithelial layer lines the bladder and I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell you ;-)

Even will all the "complaining" it's amazing things we are learning and I still can't believe I'm on this amazing tropical paradise!  I will probably never truly believe it until I leave.

After my last midterm Wednesday, I have two weeks off then a week of final exams.  At that point I will be packing up my things here and moving off-campus.  My hope is to have an entire post related to that milestone: talking about finding the place, getting a car, island license, etc.

Until then, Same island time, Same island channel!

Starting vet school out with a bAng!

Wow have I been busy!  This post may seem like a stream of consciousness, because it is.  I'm taking a "mental break" from studying neurotransmitter receptors to write this down.

So just took my first exam of veterinary school monday...histology.  I got an A!  Not a bad way to start vet school off.  Only a few weeks in and I've got myself into a nice little schedule.  Class, study, eating, and sleeping like clockwork.  Now just need to find the energy for 10 more weeks.  I'm hoping great friends and Friday night beach time will help.

I can't believe I've already been here over a month!  I have a feeling the next 10 weeks is going to fly by, and probably most of vet school when I look back on this in a few years.

I have two exams next week, physiology and gross anatomy.  Not too worried about my physiology exam.  I have found most of it to be review and in less detail than undergrad physiology classes, thank you undergrad neuro and physio professors for your awesome teaching skills! You know who you are.

Anatomy on the other hand I'm starting to freak out a little bit.  There's just sooooooooooooo much information to pack into such a short amount of time.  The names of all of the bony protuberances on the fore limb bones and hind limb bones.  As well as the names, attachments, and actions of each of the muscles in each of those two limbs.  Plus, all of the ligaments of those two limbs.  Ok so get all of that done for the canine limbs, now learn about the differences in the equine(horse) as well as bovine(cow) limb for which there are a few.  One interesting thing I learned is that horses basically walk on the "tippy toes" of their middle fingers.  Yes, horses are constantly flipping you off as they walk.  Cattle walk on their "middle and ring" finger tips similarly.  Just one of the many many many differences between difference animal species.

I'm understanding the thought process now behind the statement used here on the island, "Real Doctors work on multiple species."  Although I really don't like this statement as human doctors are pretty awesome and if I had the choice between a veterinarian and a human doctor, I will probably would want a human doctor...most of the time.

My take on the first few weeks of vet school

So after the nice week long vacation is over(orientation week), I guess I need to get down to the reason I'm here in the first place... studying.  Professional school is definitely very different than other programs of study.  All of your classes, although how different they may seem, are all interconnected.  Vet school, at least my very limited take on it within the past couple weeks, is more about learning how to connect ideas from multiple disciplines towards some goal(such as determining a disease).  It also seems that the 40 months spent here is about building confidence in your own life long learning abilities so that when you're out there on "your own," you will trust the information gathered even if you've never seen that particular case before.  This of course is a very different take than undergrad which seemed more like getting fundamentals down than confidence building in your own critical thinking abilities.

So I've been getting a few questions from people regarding my schedule.  Mainly because I keep telling people I'm busy with classes and then they see a picture like this on Facebook. :-P

We work hard down here, but we also know how to play hard.  I'm very blessed to be able to take a 10 minute break from class and walk down to the beach.  Definitely picked the right school that's for sure.

Anywho...

So this is a pretty typical day for me, at least over the past 2 weeks.

5:30am: Hit the Snooze Button a few times
6:00am: Wake up
              Usually I'll spend this time making breakfast and going over my schedule for the day.  Each class' location can change based on what is being discussed that day.  If I'm doing small animal anatomy I could be out with the dogs.  If I'm doing large, I could be out in the barn working on the horses.  So figuring out if I can wear flip flops to class or not is usually determined during this step. :-P
I also usually spend some time catching up on e-mails/facebook if I have a few minutes while my coffee/tea is brewing.

8:00am: Anatomy Lab/Lecture (2hrs)
             Depending on whichever day it is I can either be in the cadaver lab or the classroom.  The majority of my week however, is spent in the cadaver lab.  This is basically our time to look over preserved and plasticized specimens as opposed to just looking at them in a book.  Definitely makes it easier when trying to remember: the name of a muscle, where it attaches to, and what the muscle actual does.  Our professors are excellent in pointing us in the right direction but really making sure that we are finding the information on our own.  Again we need to be confidant in our own learning abilities.  Usually an hour is spent actually in lab and then a secondary activity is presented to us depending on whichever day it is.  We are usually split up into 1/6th and each head to an activity whether that be, clinical skills, animal palpation, diagnostic imaging, or cadaver lab.  Other groups may just do cadaver lab and have a free hour to study, or catch up on sleep :-).

10:00am: Histology Lab/Lecture (2hrs)
              This part of my day is spent looking at either powerpoint slides of cells or looking in a microscope at them.  This is where we start to connect the idea of microscopic structural anatomy learned in textbooks with how they actually look in the real world.  Sometimes it's not always interesting but it's definitely necessary.

12:00pm: Lunch (1hr)
             This time is spent either at club meetings or running errands, oh and sometimes eating.
1:00pm: Nutrition (1hr)
             One of the highlights of my day.  From what I hear this class can be fairly difficult; however, the material being presented, and of course the presenter of the material, seems to make it fun... of course I will probably be regretting I said that after the first exam hehe.

2:00pm: Physiology or Intro to Veterinary Medicine (1-3hrs)
            Again depending on the day my class or time spent in class changes.  Physiology is basic comparative animal physiology... so glad I took lots of physio classes in undergrad.
Intro to Vet Med is an interesting survey of our field.  It's a mix of learning health professional study skills, communication skills(with clients as well as colleagues), as well as an introduction into professional ethics.  Interesting course it can sometimes just be a bear to get through depending on your current blood caffeine level.

3:00pm-5:00pm
            Try and hit the gym before it gets busy just to burn off any extra anxiety from the day.  Then I try to head back and get a game plan for studying.  I'll also get a hold of a few people and socialize to get out of my head from the day of classes.

5:00pm - 11:00pm
            I then realize at this point that I should probably make some dinner.  I'll then head down to the anatomy lab for a few hours or just stick around and go over flashcards.  I'll try to pick one or two other subjects and spend some time reviewing past weeks material as well as going over a little of whatever was discussed that day.  I try(emphasis on try because by now I'm pretty done) to then briefly look over the material for the next day so I'm sorta prepared.

After all that I try to quiet my mind down and head to sleep.

Overall, looking back on it though, I get a lot done.
The weekends look a little differently (refer to picture above), however I also try to catch up on any straggler material and review anatomy.  Lots of anatomy review. Lots...

Orientation week

Wow, it definitely has been awhile.  Just finished my first official week of classes in Vet School.  I'll post more on that later.  I wanted to first say thank you to all of the family and friends that have contacted me with their well wishes over the past 2 weeks.  It has definitely helped during this transition to island life.

The last 2 weeks have been nonstop, one of the reasons I didn't post last week.  Orientation week was a blast.

I think we lucked out with arriving so early because we had a few extra days to get acclimated to our new home away from home.  Plus our actual orientation group really "clicked" well.

During our orientation we had many classroom sessions going over the "ins-and-outs" of being a vet student, as well as safety and security concerns living away from home on St. Kitts.  It was very informative and laid out extremely well(they definitely have their act together which made us all feel a little more at easy in this new environment).

We also spent the majority of this orientation week getting our apartments situated for the upcoming semester as well as lots and lots of beach time.  We were at the beach almost every day, I had the burns to prove it.

Our taxi driver also took us on a tour of the island one of the days which included a trip to Brimstone Fort which is a UNESCO world heritage site.  Really amazing place as well as a good upper leg workout.

 This "staircase" was about a 40% grade and really long...really really long.

Out in the distance is one of the small dutch islands neighboring St. Kitts.

Welcome to da Caribbean Mon (with a Caribbean accent)

So finally touched down yesterday in my new home for the next 28 months!  It was a long 48 hour journey from the Ontario airport to St. Kitts but I'm here now so ha!

Left Ontario Wednesday morning and flew to Dallas, then to Miami.  I had a 14 hour layover in Miami which is over their 12 hour bag holding limit and so I had to first go get my bags, then drag them all to the hotel for the night.  Good thing I had my trusty travel buddy with me to help me with all the bags.  My friend Aroon came down to Miami on the same flight heading to the Ross Medical School so we at least got to start the adventure off together.  As his flight was about 7 hours after we touched down we decided not to sleep that night and headed down to South Beach Miami for the evening.

Definitely a fun time ta boot.

After a very long evening, I picked up my bags at my hotel room(which ended up being more of a storage area for my luggage than a bedroom) and headed down to check in and go to my gate.  A few hours later and I was in St. Kitts!!!

We got our luggage(most of us as apparently our airline couldn't fit all of it on a plane because of some weight concerns) and headed to the dorm complexes on campus.  Found my room in the basement of one of the dorm buildings which was a little creepy walking to at night with flickering lights and a strange echo that seems to come from nowhere.

Once a dropped my bags off in my room I headed back to the orientation group van and we all went to the grocery store to help stock up on our mini kitchenettes.  The first thing I must say is the exchange rate really messes with the mind sometimes.  My bill came out to about 650XCD which ended up being a little under 250USD.  We just had enough time to get back and drop off the frozen food in the freezer before hopping back in the van to head to dinner, it is now 9pm.  Mind you... I have not slept yet.

Finally got back to my dorm and had a few minutes to put some food away and partially make my bed before falling asleep, (my fitted sheet rolled up around me and I woke up as a mummy, I wish I had another person to take a picture of it because it must have been pretty funny seeing it on the outside).

I have a lot of activities planned over the next few days but I hope I have some time to make a few quick posts.  In the mean time I hope this gives you exciting incite into the fun activities of a soon to be caribbean vet student. (I'm getting all the fun out now before I spend the next 28 months inside with a book attached to my face).

♫My bags are not packed, and I'm not ready to go.♫

I am on single digit days now!  It's been a long time since my last post.  I truly wish that they become closer and closer once I actually get on the island.

So I finished my Banfield externship last Saturday.  It was a wonderful eye opening experience into the world of corporate veterinary medicine.  Being a multiple hospital practice requires the necessity to adhere to certain standards that may not necessarily be upheld at some other private practices.  I felt like I was working to the same standards as some human hospitals and it felt pretty awesome.  I also met a lot of awesome individuals I hope to stay in contact with for a long time to come.  I feel a lot more prepared going to veterinary school now having completed this externship and being able to practices my skills as a technician at another practice to see how they do things differently.

I had a wonderful going away party as well last Saturday.  I was able to see some wonderful people that have helped me throughout my life that I have not been able to see in years.  I'm hoping over the next 6 days to be able to see some one last time before I leave.

I also sold my car 3 days ago.  It was a win-win all around as the individual who bought it from me I used to work with and could really use a reliable car that would last them years(My Honda could easily get another 150k on the engine the way I took care of it.)  I was a little sad at first as it was my car, a symbol of my independence.  But after realizing that the whole reason for selling it was not only to have some cash to buy another car on the island, but also to not have to worry about registration and insurance for the next 28-40months.

If you look very closely you can see a yellow Virginia registration sticker on the front windshield.  That was my favorite way of telling my black Honda for the fifty other ones that seemed to always be in the same parking lot as mine.

And of course, I have yet to start packing.  Not necessarily because I'm lazy(although that may have some truth to it) but more so as it is difficult to figure out not only what to bring with you for 2 years, as well as which of the 4 bags to pack it in to make sure it arrives safely and under 50 lbs.

This picture above is only about half of the things that I have planned on taking with me not including actual clothing.  I'm hoping to spend the better part of today after I finish writing this packing the rest of my suitcases/duffle bags so I can be done with it.

My flight leaves Wednesday morning (6 days!).  From there I head to Dallas and then onto Miami.  I'll be staying in Miami the night as I have a 12-14 hr layover until my flight to Saint Kitts and Nevis.  This may be my last post from California but hopefully not from the states, so until next time....

Rule #1: If it doesn't come in a sealed bottle, do not drink it in Mexico

Hi Y'all!  Been really busy getting a sun burn and all.  Had a wonderful vacation down in the Mexican Riviera.  Wonderful staff aboard the Carnival Splendor made the trip so much more enjoying for us.  Definitely addicted to cruising now.  Guess I will be seeing lots of cruise ships where I'll be going.  Didn't end up attending the Western Veterinary Conference as some personal things came up that would have meant I wouldn't have been able to go on my cruise the week afterward.  So... vacation cruise or conference in vegas.  Not really a tough choice.

Took an off road mini jeep to the beach in Cabo San Lucas

Got out and took some pictures once we got to the beach

Starred in our very own Corona beer commercial

One of the 7 different towel animals left for us on our bed each evening.

Just started my internship at Banfield this past week and I must say, what an eye opening experience.  It is definitely not the practice of veterinary medicine that I'm used to.  Much more professional and, well, medical.  A complete 180 from where I have spent the past five years of my life working.  Not that that wasn't an amazing experience, it was just different.  I'm very happy that I have had the chance to see extreme differences of how veterinary medicine can be practiced ethically and humanely.  To any vet students that are reading this and have the opportunity to work in Banfield's summer job program, I would recommend definitely taking it.  There are some negative rumors about the Banfield practice out there; but I must say, one of them is definitely not their caring, healing attitude and focus towards the care and welfare of animals.

Only 45 days left!  Hoping to have more updates as we get closer.