Semester 4, Week 3--Life Takes a Turn...

The rock sure finds a way to beat you down emotionally and mentally sometimes... even with things other than school and life down here.

JoBeth left the island a few days before her birthday.  It was a very sad time for Jen and myself, as we lost a close friend to the rigors of veterinary school.  I have absolute faith that she'll find something to do with her life that will make an impact, though.  For those of you who know her--keep her in your thoughts--she undergoes surgery for a torn rotator cuff tomorrow morning.

The AAFP brought down Dr. Maza, a Ross University graduate that now works at Cornell, the week that JoBeth left.  It kept us busy, running to dinner with him every night and attending his lectures on spaying/neutering and feral cat management.  I have to admit, I had a few moments of thinking "OH CRAP!  I'M GOING TO BE DOING THAT SOON!?!" during his surgery talks, but it somehow seemed a lot less scary having a stronger understanding of anatomy than I did a year ago.

I also found out a week or so ago that a very close friend of mine in England has cancer and is undergoing radiation therapy for it.  Luckily, it's only stage 1 ovarian cancer, but it's still a scary fight for all of us involved.  I have the utmost faith in her to pull through, however--she's a very strong fighter although she doesn't like to admit it.

The school recently began offering a business certificate program through the VBMA (Veterinary Business Management Association), which is a 15-credit hour program that involves sitting in on lectures that fall within certain categories, like employee management or personal finance.  I figured it's the closest I can get to an MBA while down here, so it couldn't hurt--especially since I hope to open my own practice someday.

Bonnie, Robert, Jen, Mia, and I have all united to work on completing the P90x program this semester as well--we just finished week 3 and are almost into our "rest week."  Man, it's exhausting, regardless of HOW many times you've made it through the whole thing.

The only other really noteworthy bit of news was that Elvis, the owner of one of the main bars on the strip (the area where we play volleyball) was shot and killed this last week.  Volleyball was cancelled, and many of the students went to the bar to have a drink in his memory.  I may not have known him as well as some of the Ross students did, but he was always happy to be there when students were around.  He was one of the guys that made everyone feel welcome on the island and jumped out there to cheer on everyone.  Volleyball won't be the same without him...

I guess that's about it for the time being--so, until next time, keep my friends in your thoughts (or prayers if you're more apt to that).

Semester 4, Week 0.5--And So It Starts... Again...

Study fun-time with Jobeth and Jen, now with
super-strong coffee and queso!

It was a rough nail-biter waiting for those exam grades to be posted, but I came out with three B's and one C (in pharmacology I) at the end, which means I made it on to semester 4!

Did you know that by the end of last semester, we lost power a total of 27 times with only 15 days as our longest stretch with power?  We made 93 days without a centipede sighting.  I'd be interested to see how this semester ends up, but this time we're also watching how many times the ATM on campus breaks as well.  (I'll have a picture of the new board up soon.)

I went home this break to see the family for the holidays--it was nice.  Busy and a bit too warm after spending 6 months straight down on the island, but nice.  I had a decent amount of things to bring back as gifts and needed to return with two bags despite telling myself I only needed the one.  :(  Honestly, it gets harder and harder to come back here each time. 

Nicholine moved on to her clinical year at Purdue, which left Jackie to move in.  She's a fun roommate so far--very laid-back.  I enjoy having her in the house... and (sorry, Nicholine... I mean no offense here) I've gotta say that having the big room is pretty nice.

Classes so far (although it's only day 2 of this term) are AWESOME.  There's a shift from not knowing much to being treated almost like an equal.  The instructors expect you to know so much already and it's amazing to see how far  you've come.

Sorry for keeping it short--I'm pretty drained tonight, and will have to see how my friends fare with their appeals tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep in, because I'm sure some will need consolation.  :/

See you guys on Sunday!

Semester 3, Week 13--More Holidays and Staring Down the Barrel...

So much has happened in the last few weeks, and I have been insanely busy as a result (yeah, no surprise there).

Thanksgiving fell shortly after my last post--and while I didn't spend it with Steven and Nicholine, I did spend it with a good group of friends down here--Robert, Kari, Karim, Bonnie, Avi, Trent, Mia, and Amber.  There was SO MUCH FOOD!  I even learned how to make mulled/spiced hot apple cider, candied yams, and gravy; and I made my broccoli & cheese casserole.  The others brought the turkey, stuffing, rolls, pumpkin cake and pie, and so much else that I don't remember it all.

The AAFP Trivia Night was a bit of bust this time (but we still had a decent showing), mostly because it was the day after Thanksgiving, I'm sure.  The club officers pitched in to make a turkey and the rest brought the sides--even MORE FOOD.  We were going through leftovers for the last week and a half!  TurningPoint (the clicker system that we use to track the points) wasn't as glitchy as it was last semester, but it doesn't like when nobody gets the last question right--it wouldn't give us the MVP or the fastest responder for the game.  :(  It was still fun, of course... and I was smart and prepared most of the questions before the semester hit full-swing.  I'm definitely doing that one again!

That same weekend was the 7th semester's banquet, and Nicholine brought me along as her +1.  It was down at the Spice Mill (an expensive, but really good restaurant) and they had a buffet-style dinner and an open bar for us, which was incredibly worth it.  (Sadly, I was starting to get sick with a lovely chest cold, so I only had a glass of wine and then had to switch to Sprite for the soothing feeling of the carbonation on my sore throat.)  The class nominates each student with a superlative.  So, for example, Ashley got "most likely to decorate her office with Pokemon" and Nicholine got "most likely to decorate her office with Hello Kitty."  Some of those were pretty damn funny.  Then, they showed a photo slide show with baby pictures of the class and then pictures from their time spent down here during the course of the degree.  I won't lie.  I got choked up at the end when it congratulated the orange class for making it--I've got some amazing friends in 7th right now, and know that they'll all do great in clinics, but it's sad to see them go.  The night wrapped up with some fireworks and dancing until the rain hit.  I'm worried about how I'm going to do with the tears at the Transition Ceremony this week... so maybe I'll go by myself and hide in the back.  :P

The brainstorming session that we held for the RCGC (Ross Community for a Greener Campus) was a success--we had at least 30 people show up to help lend ideas.  Over the break, we project managers are going to draft up a proposal for the school and see what we can do to get a reducing/reusing/recycling plan in place for the school!

The Unknown didn't win a single volleyball game this semester (even in the first round of the tournament), but I have to say it was the most fun semester we played in... so I'm glad we've expanded our group and we'll be able to play again next semester.  It was sad to see Heather and Nancy go, but we've acquired Robert and Emily into the group and will have Lexi back next semester as well.

The last Nerd's Anonymous gaming night was on Friday--small group (Kristi, Kevin, Bill, Robert, Jackie, Avi, Bonnie, and I), but it was fun and we got in a few rounds of Settlers, Twilight Struggle, and Puerto Rico in... while listening to Christmas music and drinking hot cocoa.  Avi told us that he's not coming back next semester and that it was his last gaming night with us.  Sad.  :(

Robert, Avi, Bonnie, Mia, and I went to the Marriott for breakfast yesterday before going to the 7th semester sales.  We made out like bandits--I mean, where else can you get bottles of sunblock for $1 EC!  (For you Americans, that's 33 cents!)  I took Reese and Liamuiga to visit "Santa" (a.k.a. Trent) yesterday.  :)  Both of them were REALLY good and we got a good photo first-try!  I'm so glad Robert and I didn't have to chase a cat down the hill at Timothy Point.

And with that, here goes nothing--one last week before finals... one last week to squish as much information about pathology, virology, bacteriology, and pharmacology into my brain as is physically possible.  Good luck to any Greenies out there that read this (or anyone else in other semesters, for that matter).  We've got this, and then we're off to the good ol' USA.  And for anyone back in the US, you might want to buy stock in Red Bull or 5-Hour-Energy--we'll be buying a ton of it!

Semester 3, Week 11--Thanksgiving in Our Sights!

I find it very hard to believe that it has been about a month since I last updated this thing, but I guess it makes sense with how busy this semester has kept me.

Where to start catching up on updates?  Halloween?  I guess that's as good a start as any.  As usual, Halloween isn't a very big to-do on this rock... but we students make it as "normal" as we can.  The Geeks Anonymous group had a Halloween-themed gaming night, complete with us all wearing costumes and bringing decorations and snacks and listening to "Halloween-ey" music and videos in the background.  VIDA (a group that does free spay/neuter clinics and provides veterinary care to those unable to afford it) hosted a haunted house, which was more funny than scary for me, but it definitely helped to keep the feel of the season.  Even the prep school kids come through the classrooms for trick-or-treating (which drove me out the opposite door to go get coffee and enjoy at 10-15 minute break of my own).

The last P.A.W.S. adoption day was last weekend... and it was my last one as an officer as well.  In a sense, it was kind of sad, but such a relief at the same time.  I have time to do other things rather than having 10 emails a week to sort through and do updates to the website.  Kristi's fiance took over, so I have the utmost confidence that he'll do a good job with it.  I still plan on volunteering, but at least I don't have to devote 3+ hours a week to keep up with the changes.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a very good semester for us--only 19 adoptions in total (compared to the 35ish we saw last term).  The group's made some decent progress since I first started working with them, and I know they'll continue to do more and more for the community as time goes on.

Last week, we had Fabien Cousteau come down to lecture about ocean conservation.  It's been a wonderful semester for me with the guest lecturers--Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald at first and then Fabien.  Listening to his lectures almost made me miss being in marine biology!  I was so jealous of the research projects he's participated in... but then I remembered why I'm here in the first place.  ;)  He's a wonderful speaker, so if you ever get a chance to listen to him, I highly recommend you do.  He also does a lot of work with schools and is trying to promote his conservation group:  PlantAFish.org.  Check it out--it's a great idea.

Other than that, there really isn't much to tell--I go to school, go home, let the dog out, shower, and then go back to school (sometimes) to study with Jen and Jobeth.  It's an uneventful life!  At least I'm passing all my classes still, too.  :)

So, I guess I leave you with my thoughts as to what I'm thankful for this season.  I'm glad to still be allowed to continue in the program down here despite all the setbacks in the last year and a half.  I'm thankful for the support of all my friends and family, both island and back on the mainland.  Without you guys always being there for me, I couldn't have done this.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Semester 3, Week 7.5--BIRTHDAY and the WIVC

So, my predictions were right--I did, in fact, get a B on the virology exam.  :)  I'm just waiting on the pathology grade (the exam was Monday, so we should be getting it soon) and then it's the home stretch of studying until final exams.

The school is too kind to me for my birthday--it seems to always fall during the weekend of Midsemester Break, so we get Monday off.  :)  This left the weekend for a lot of events--I had dinner at PJ's (which will sadly be closing soon) with my closest friends down here--Steven, Nicholine, Kristi, Trent (and his wife who's visiting this week, Jamie), Katy (and her husband, Joel) and Robert.  It was nice--I definitely prefer more laid-back events.  Nicholine and Steven brought me a pineapple upside-down cake... and Robert tried to trick me with the trick candles I got him with on his birthday.  I know the difference, though.  ;)

On my actual birthday, I opted to spend the morning at the Marriott--they have the best breakfast buffet I've had in aaaaaaaaaages.  The West Indies Veterinary Conference (WIVC) was over the course of this week--and they brought down Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald to lecture on rabbits, ferrets, and venomous/toxic bites.  Yes, that is the same Dr. Fitzgerald as the one from "Emergency Vets" from Animal Planet.  He's a bit scatterbrained with his lectures, but he's clearly very intelligent and absolutely hilarious.  (I tried to record a lecture of his, but my microphone on my laptop is absolutely horrible.)  I just may consider an internship with Alameda East--it's not in Texas like I originally thought... it's in Colorado.  Despite all the car troubles, Kristi (my friend in the picture here) was more than kind to get the both of us to the Marriott over the weekend for his talks.

Oh yeah... as for the car situation... well, we planned on going back to the Marriott for sushi and to play bingo (which we quickly found out that it was cancelled because of the conference).  I made it up the hill to pick up Kristi and tried to coast down it in neutral (like usual), but towards the bottom of the hill, I found out that the car wasn't shifting right.  It got stuck in reverse and despite being able to move the shifter, the car thought it was in reverse... so I couldn't even get it to start.  Amber (my upstairs neighbor) had been working with a new mechanic who really seemed to know his stuff, so I let him fix it.  I had it back within a day and it's running soooooooooo smoothly again.  :)

Other than that, the birthday was very low-key and I spent it with many of my closest friends down here.

On Monday, Steven came to my room at 6:00 in the morning (after I had stayed up to 3:00am studying for the Pathology I midterm) to tell me to check on my cat.  She had gotten into the cabinet above the microwave and into his stash of powdered milk.  We don't quite know how much she ate, but there were three piles of vomit throughout the kitchen interspersed between the piles of the powdered milk packets she shredded.  In a panicked moment, I had Steven and Nicholine bring her up to the clinic (I know it's not toxic, but I was worried about her ingesting plastic/wrapping of the packets and dehydration).  Fluids, Cerenia, and famotidine later, she was discharged at noon after the midterm exam.  By the end of the evening, she was back to her normal ravenous self, luckily!

I spent a lot of money, but at least everything's okay now.  :)  So, until this weekend!