First Day of Class

Today was the first real day of classes. We had an orientation day yesterday, but it was just a day to get to know other students, sign policies, and get to know the very tiny school campus. I woke up early around 0600, which is not a problem on the island because there is an orchestra of roosters that can be heard starting around that time, and the sun rises long before that. My roommates and I caught the school bus at 0700 (which is actually a van which holds about 9 students plus the driver and his buddy). Lucky for us, the bus driver lives next door so we never have to worry about missing the bus. A lot of the other students weren't so lucky, and we heard several complaints later in the day that they just never got picked up. They all made it one way or another.

My roommate Michael and I in front of the school before the start of the first day (our other roommate Rachel missed the picture because her husband was leaving the island to head back to Canada and they were saying their goodbyes)

Although we were in the classroom more than a half hour early, the front six rows were already jammed with people. This competitive nature is not what I am used to! Usually a third row seat is easily attainable. It didn't help that at least half of the people sitting in them were in the six-foot range. I had to settle for a seat about 2/3rds of the way back right in front of one of the flat screen TVs so I knew I at least had a good view of the presentation and set up shop for the day.

The first class was Anatomy from 0800-1000, Doctor Pocheko did a brief introduction and then dove into a ton of material. We have a couple of brand new doctors teaching the course and they sat at the back of the room to observe the class. Anatomy was followed by Histology from 1000-1200. That class was more laid back and informal, but Dr. Okorie insisted we should enjoy it because it wasn't going to last past today. The last class today was Embryology from 1300-1500, taught by Dr. Villagomez. She was very fast paced, but knowledgeable. She is from Bolivia, and has taught in many places throughout the world, including University of Toronto. Class ended early today at 1500 because labs don't start until next week, so we are studying (and writing my blog) at the school since we still do not have internet at home. Exams are going to happen every four weeks so it will be very important to stay on top of material. And stay topped up on caffeine!

Until next time! Xoxox