What? I lived in Anguilla?

I can't believe the last time I posted was about the Hurricane. To me, that seems like it was years ago...suddenly a distant memory! So much has happened since then, it has certainly been a busy time. I remember counting the minutes until I could finally leave the island and now it feels like forever ago that I was there.

To briefly sum up, the last couple of months on the island were pretty uneventful. I had definitely hit my breaking point and was ready to leave. They talk about "island fever"....well it is a very real thing! I remember cursing the drive to school, everyday thing "If I have to drive down this same road ONE more time...". Regardless, I made it, and that's what counts! It was time to pass on the reigns of running the school website as well as my other positions in various clubs which was very bittersweet. Some friends of mine from school found four tiny puppies abandoned at a gas station and took them in and I ended up fostering two of them for my last month there. It truly made time pass a little easier and gave me something to take care of. The dog population in Anguilla is out of control and there is a great program run by the shelter "AARF" that helps find homes in North America for the pups. Any current or prospective students...this is definitely a great place to volunteer some time and get some puppy therapy!

Me, my dad, and my stepmom, Lisa 

The White Coat Ceremony came up on me fast and before I knew it I was taking the ferry from Anguilla to St. Martin for the last time and getting on the plane to finally go home. I was so lucky to have so much support at the ceremony! My mom, dad and stepmom, and two friends of mine came for my last week there and cheered me on. I will admit, that day was probably the proudest one of my life this far. It symbolized the end of the Anguilla chapter, and reinforced that I AM able to do this. I won't lie...along this path I have doubted myself over and over, and I think that is normal. Each time I reach the next stage of the game it helps me believe in myself a little more.

Me, My mom and Patrick

Me, sporting my fancy new White Coat. Yes, that is a Christmas tree in the Caribbean!

After leaving Anguilla, I was lucky to be able to spend a couple of weeks at home soaking in some much needed family time. As always it was difficult to see everyone as much as I wanted but having those weeks at home was important. I will be honest, the homesickness never really gets better. When I left I thought it would be much different, but it has been almost two years that I have been away from home now and it's not even a bit easier. Every day I spend a few minutes here and there thinking about home and wishing I was there. I remind myself that this is the decision I made and that it'll all be worthwhile, and I also remind myself of all of the support I have at home. There are so many people rooting for me in this journey - that is what really gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward.

I recently completed my first semester in Chicago. Fifth semester is known as "Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine". It was a pretty easy semester to be honest. The goal is to just orientate us to the hospital and the different departments and disciplines that are there and how they all work together. We got to take patient histories and do basic physical examinations. I think because I have so much experience working in hospitals already that this part came quite easy to me. The second half of the semester was spent in class reviewing for the big monster. Yup, the USMLE 1 - the big monster we have all been dreading since starting the program! For those who don't know...it is the United States Medical Licensing Examination (the boards). It is an 8 hour exam that covers everything that we learned (or were supposed to learn) in our first two years of medical school. All students who want to practice in the USA (or even do clinical rotations in the USA) must take and pass this exam. The amount of material and the difficulty of the questions is unbelievable. Furthermore, the score we get on this exam is one of the main things residency programs look at when filling their positions. This is a lot of pressure! Basically, if you get a low score, tons of doors are closed. If you get a high score...tons of doors are opened and you can essentially do almost anything you want to. I don't think I need to explain any further how important a high score on this exam is, especially for international graduates.

Our first day in AICM rotations...we almost look like real doctors!

As of now...we are off until we take this exam. We are allowed as much time as we want and need before we take it but we can not continue with our clinical rotations until it is done. I just got back from a week and a half at home visiting before I put myself into isolation! I am staying with my boyfriend Patrick in Indiana and we have a pretty strict studying schedule laid out. We will not rest until we have slayed the beast! My goal is to take June and July to study and to take the test early August. Obviously I will not take it until I am sure I will get the results I want (there are plenty of diagnostic tools to see where you stand). Studying alone without any structure is difficult but it is how it must be done! For those interested I will post an outline of my study strategy once I am finished :) 

I'd like to thank everyone who continues to follow my blog! As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you have about the process, I am always happy to help others in my shoes :) (although bear with me if I take a little while to respond during this study time!)

My "WOOOHOOO...I did it!" moment