The countdown is officially on until I will be home for Christmas break --- only 23 more days and I get to spend two whole weeks back in Ontario. I must say, the homesickness has really kicked in the past couple of weeks. I must say…I think that is one of the most challenging things about this experience - being away from my family for so long. I find myself fantasizing multiple times a day now about what it's going to be like to see my sister for the first time after so long and give her a HUGE hug. I miss them all so much. Two weeks definitely isn't going to feel like enough time, that is one thing I know for sure.
I've been here for 3 months now, written 18 exams, taken 12 smaller tests, dissected the human body from the neck down (we still have to dissect the neck and the head this block). The amount of information we are expected to learn is absolutely unbelievable. It's amazing and interesting and overwhelming all at the same time. It's kind of like trying to drink out of a fireman's hose…you just can't possibly drink that much no matter how thirsty you are.
I would definitely say I have adapted to things here, gotten into more of a routine, and have learned how I need to study. I've accepted that there's a ton of stress. It comes in intervals. Exams are once a month - you spend two weeks of the month going crazy with stress, you get through it, then it gets a little better. You find ways to cope with that. I've made good friends that are supportive, talk to people at home that remind me why this is all so important, get exercise, and take time for myself. These things all get me through. My focus is better - I guess this comes with practice. Things are going well. This is an endurance race it's important to keep things slow and steady and keep your head in the game.
I've done lots of awesome things since my last post. Right after the last set of block exams a big group of us went over and spent the night in St. Martin for a mini-vacation. One of the hotels there offer a "local price" which is a great deal. We celebrated one of our classmate's birthdays, did some shopping, and had a fun night out.
Here are some photos from our night out in St. Martin. I learned how to eat with chopsticks (sort of). I am still practicing!
I participated in the Breast Cancer Walk of Hope, which was a five mile walk/run through Anguilla to raise awareness about breast cancer screening and prevention with some of my classmates.
This was a group of students that participated in the Breast Cancer Walk. There were hundreds of community members that participated as well. It took place right after writing a couple of exams so it was a great way to blow off some steam.
As part of the SGA, we organized an "Olympiad", which was sort of like a student appreciation day. There were a bunch of organized games in which students competed against students in other classes in various events, and we provided lunch and drinks. I'm proud to say our MD1 class beat out the other classes that day :D
This is most of the MD1 group of students that participated in the Olympics (THE CHAMPIONS!)
Classes were cancelled today due to a huge power outage on the island (half of the island lost power for about 8 hours). We considered this our equivalent of a "snow day" - and a bunch of us hit the beach for the day. It was really nice that this happened right after exams because we could kind of take it easy and relax rather than spend the day studying. Here are a couple nice island shots:
My Roomie Mike and I at the beach today on our "snow day"
So, as you can probably tell, life's been busy but I've still been able to find time to have a life outside of school. The upcoming few weeks before the break will also be hectic. There is another round of exams right before break, we have a group presentation to do, a paper to write, and a bunch of tests in between. American Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so we are throwing a huge MD1 family potluck at our place tomorrow night (TURKEY and all!), and there is another Red Cross event next weekend. This should help the time until Christmas vacation pass quickly :)
XOXOXOXO
