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.

It's the Final Countdown!

We're already 1/12 of the way through the new year.  Wow that went fast!  I haven't posted in awhile as work and my leaving to-do list has kept me rather busy these past two weeks.

What I find amazing about social media is the fact that one no longer has to wait for the first day of school to meet their classmates.  Facebook especially has assisted with this venture.  Other programs should start what I think Ross has done a great job doing.  New students are added to a Facebook group containing officials from the institution as well as current students so that any questions we may have (official or otherwise) can not only be answered in a timely fashion, but also can be answered very honestly by those who have lived it.  It allows you to get excited about a new journey you're about to embark on as well as prepare yourself in ways we have never been able to before.

Students visa requirements can be a pain in the arm sometimes... literally.  I had an LVN give me a rabies shot the other day and I believe it was the first one she had ever given.  Before she put the needle in she said, "Ok, here goes nothing."  I must say, that was very reassuring!  Needless to say I will not miss getting these vaccinations and look forward to just having my blood drawn every two years.  All of the pain is completely worth it though.

My boss was showing me pictures from a trip to Saint Kitts that he attended on behalf of a Novartis veterinary leadership conference.  I kid you not, each picture he showed me taken from a little disposable camera looked like this.

I know that the majority of my time will be spent with my head inside a textbook, but honestly, it's still nice to know that I can walk out my front door and down to this whenever I want for the next 28 months after I arrive.

I just found this neat little countdown timer so I set it up to show my departure date from the States.  Can't believe it's less than 100 days now.  I have sooo much I need to get done still before I leave.

Acceptance!

So it is official.  No more prerequisites, no more work experience hours, no more letters of recommendation.  That's it!  I will be attending Ross University, School of Veterinary Medicine starting May 7, 2012!  It has been a long journey to this point; and now, the real journey can begin.

It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you of your admission to Ross University's School of Veterinary Medicine for the class beginning May-07-2012.  My sincere congratulations on this important step towards realizing your goal of becoming a veterinarian.


Sincerely,
The Associate Dean of Admissions


For those of you who don't know me, my name is Chris.  After 6.5 years of undergraduate work I have finally put in my paperwork to graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from Cal State University, San Bernardino.

I wanted to make this blog as a way to share with others the trials and tribbles associated with being a student in veterinary school, as well as give myself a place to document the milestones associated with the next 40 months of my life.