Leopard Print Suitcase

When I was in grade 7 I got my own email account for the first time. I remember sitting at the computer, thinking about what it should be and then typing "drnicolefox@hotmail.com". I was so excited that it wasn't already taken and that I could save it so I'd have it one day when I became a doctor. I knew then that becoming an MD is what I wanted to do. 14 years later, that email address is long gone because it became so overridden with junk mail, but I am 3 weeks away from my first day of medical school. I am not doing medical school in the most traditional way. I will be completing my first year and a half of studies in a small little hidden gem of a place in the British Virgin Islands called Anguilla. It is a gorgeous, but tiny island only about 35 square miles. It has a very small population and there isn't much there, but the weather and beaches there are beautiful. I am persistently cold and I know I thrive in the warm weather so I feel like this is an ideal place for me, which I am sure a lot of people would. And although the isolation feels like it may be overwhelming at times, the lack of distraction from the every day dramas of home will be very conducive to focusing as well. After the four semesters in Anguilla, I will be continuing on to Chicago for the final two years of the program, which are called Clerkships. This is where you rotate through the various disciplines of medicines and do placements in hospitals.

I leave for Anguilla in two weeks from now. In the last couple of days, it has really started to hit me. Hello...moving to another country is stressful! There is a lot involved! Over the last 6 weeks or so there has been a lot of organizing to do...getting loans into place, budgeting, looking into things such as health insurance while I am away, insurance on loans, making sure you have appropriate vaccinations, the list goes on. The school has all sorts of paperwork they need you to run around to do such as police checks and notarizing of documents and health clearances from doctors. Then, picture this fun activity...packing! Imagine this. Let's play make believe together, my friends....ESPECIALLY my lady friends...

You look around your house. At all of your things....at all of your clothing, at all of the stuff in your bathroom, look at all of your shoes, your makeup, your linens, towels. Just take a walk around your WHOLE house and look at all your stuff. Is there anything in your kitchen you couldn't do without? Do you have any special gadgets that you love? Now just imagine that you had to pack everything that you would need for a year and a half into a couple suitcases!! Oh, and don't forget, you have to take enough school supplies and toiletries to last until at least Christmas because there's not a lot that you can buy there and what you can buy is crazy expensive! It seems nearly impossible, I feel like I could fill half a suitcase with shoes! I guess it is all part of the experience.

So back to how it started to hit me...I went shopping today to try to find the biggest, lightest suitcase I could. I looked at a bunch of stores and finally found the biggest one I could (which happened to be leopard print). I wheeled it out of the mall and as I did, I could picture myself wheeling it through the airport in a couple of weeks and could almost feel how surreal it will be when I am actually leaving.

I wanted to start this blog for a couple of reasons. I want to capture my experiences in school as they happen and be able to share them with you all. I remember how I felt when I was starting nursing - how exciting everything was when it happened for the first time. We were forced to write about those experiences and I still reflect on them to this day. I can promise a couple of things, my posts won't always be this long, and I won't post as often as I want to! I know I'm getting into a very busy and exciting time of my life and I am so ready!

XOXOXO