What I wish I brought to Anguilla....

Hey so today is a holiday so therefore we don't have class.  Again.  I should really be studying but hey I need a break.  So what if it's a 5-hour break?  Well, maybe that does matter and I will definitely regret it later but it's a beautiful day.

So this weekend has been very eventful and unproductive (meaning a lack of studying).  Friday night, I went to a Bonfire with the church members I met an that was really fun.  They fattened me up with chicken wings, very sweet watermelon and some sandwiches.  It was really good.  They also had some games including musical chairs and such but I was just watching.  It was still a lot of fun I would say.  Going on that night was also a White Coat party that I didn't have the energy to attend.

Saturday, some students picked me up to go eat brunch at a restaurant called Gerardo's.  The food was tasty but not cheap in my opinion.  Maybe I am just too cheap.  Probably so.  But I think of breakfast as less than $5 and $9.77 made me break a $20.  I'm just saying.  It was fun to hang out with my classmates.  The food was pretty good although the service was sub-par.  I'll explain later.  After eating, we went looking for a store to buy our classmate a backpack since hers broke.  Well, first stop was Zazaas outlet that was more of a boutique.  Then we were informed of an Indian store across from the El Dorado mall.  After going there, we all purchased something because it was a pretty cheap store for toiletries.  Needless to say, when I got home, I attempted to study at 10:00 at night but I only got an hour in.  And I will also say the the third season of Orange is the New Black attracted my attention for the remainder of the night.

Sunday, I got up and got ready for church.  The minister picked me up and I came back home after service to cook some lunch and watch some more Orange is the New Black. To be really honest, I went to sleep around sunset after talking to my boyfriend for an hour.  So, no production there either.

Monday, since it is the Queen's Birthday, we have no class.  Not a problem with me but why did I wake up at 7 am this morning?  This is torture to myself I would say.  Either way, I got up and studied anatomy and histology for two hours like a good little medical student but after lunch, I did not study hence why I am writing this now.  I tell all of the future students reading this, you probably should study every waking moment.  Who am I kidding?  At least live a little while you're here but that does not constitute partying a lot either.

Okay, so back to the title of this post.  So the general consensus is that people wished they brought more food.  I will say the same.  I do wish that I brought more food although I don't where I would have put it!  It also seems that a lot of people brought a lot of items on the suggested list from admissions which it doesn't even appear we need.  This is all information based on the Anguilla campus which cost an additional $2000 compared to the other campuses.  The items such as the dissection kit, shoe covers, gloves, and face masks are all provided by the school.  I'm so glad I didn't buy that stuff.  It is useful to have more than one pair of scrubs and I brought 2 pair.  The stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and other instruments used for patient assessment are not used until MD 4 so it is no point in having them now.  The stethoscope and blood pressure cuff are useful if you plan to join Red Cross.

The organizations that are present include the Red Cross, AMSA, Cover 2 Cover and Student Government.  Red Cross is just like the Red Cross organization we have in the United States but for the school, they are involved in having health checks for the community.  It is also an easy way to start learning basic patient care.  It costs about $25 the first semester and you are expected to have 25 hours worth of activities completed by White Coat which is held in MD 4.  They also have initiated a pin that you can earn to put onto your white coat.  AMSA or American Medical Student Association is club that has a one time fee of $75 for membership of an organization that offers discounts for USMLE preparation.  I am not too sure how useful it is but that seems to be the only benefit in my opinion.  I will try to learn more about it.  Cover 2 Cover is a club that takes books donated by previous students and rents them to students for a charge of $10 of which you receive back in MD 4 after returning all books.  Student government is just like any other student government at any other school.  I would say that ours is really effective because we have many other amenities that other campuses currently don't have that I've heard of.  These are all my perspectives and in no way can be used as complete knowledge of these organizations. (Just covering my butt!)

All in all, I would like to leave with scripture about doing good even when no one is looking:
For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

-2 Corinthians 8:21, NIV

My First Week Exploring Anguilla and St. Martin

Well, when I left off last, I was just getting to the island and I had not eaten a complete meal since Friday.  Well on Monday, that all changed.  I finally ate something.  But how?

Mosquito Problem in
St. Martin sign

Well I got on Facebook and communicated with some of my fellow classmates to see who was on the island and their experience thus far.  I came in contact with one of my peers who still had her mom in town.  They came and picked me up so that we could go to Shoal Bay.  I had not seen the beaches in Anguilla yet so I was very excited to go.  The beach was beautiful.  We ate at the restaurant called the Madearimen and they had really good tasting food.  Although we were at the beach, we didn’t swim at the beach.  We concluded the evening by going to the grocery store called Best Buy and swam back at the hotel, the Royal Palms.

The next day, we went to St. Martin to explore the island before her mom had to go back home.  We took the public ferry which cost $20 one way.  One of the first things I happen to see as I stepped off the ferry was a sign about the mosquitoes. 
 It was odd but I went through and had my passport stamped like you’re supposed to.  We shopped around at the vendors on the street and even went inside a pharmacy but didn’t get any bug repellent.

SXM Airport

That night for dinner we went to the infamous beach where you can see the jet blasting fanatics.  During dinner we were able to see a plane land and take off.  After eating, we took a walk on the beach to feel some waves.  And take a few pictures!  It was beautiful.

Before calling it a night, my classmate and I got to know each other a little better by the pool. While sitting at the pool, I was bitten by mosquitoes numerous times and decided then to get a 100% citronella bracelet the next day.  Just knowing each other's goals for attending medical school in the Caribbean made us a little bit closer.  The next day, we needed to return the rental car so we went back to Marigot.  We went to a pharmacy and the first thing I looked at was a 100% citronella bracelet.  While there, we went to a bakery called Sarafina's and they had delicious pastries to choose from.  I tried a chocolate macaroon for the first time in my life and it was absolutely delicious.

After taxing back to the hotel, we called it a night by taking a swim at the pool.  The next morning we wished her mother well on her flight back to the United States.  We got up later on and taxied back to the ferry to come back "home" to Anguilla.  We taxied back to our apartments and went with some other students to Shoal Bay.  After this fun filled day, I slept wonderfully.

Ferry to Anguilla

For the rest of the week, I chatted with students in the Facebook group that we made and waited until orientation on Monday.  While chatting, I went to Shoal Bay a last time the day before orientation.  I think my skin has transitioned about five shades darker.  I am just ready to start my journey already!!!

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

-Ephesians 4:2, NIV

Arrangements I made Before the BIG Adventure Or Arrangements I made to save money Part 2

The only arrangements that I made for leaving the United States couldn’t just be monetarily, right?  Of course not.  So other than saving money, what else did I do to prepare?

Well, I read a lot of forums (ValueMD) and discovered that people finance their medical education overseas by going to school online for various programs but the most mentioned was MBA.  I did more research and discovered that Walden University has a partnership with Saint James and takes 20% of tuition fees if I use their school.  Somehow they also talked me into taking classes in June!  I will mention that I am very easily persuaded so it took them little effort to do this.

So I took classes to see how I could balance a job and online schooling as well to kind of give me the feel for how it would be at the island.  It was tough.  My motivation to do the work was sometimes very low although I did do it.  Also, the classes themselves were pretty easy I must say just time consuming at times.  I started off in the Certificate of Clinical Research Program because it was in the health field.  I hated it.  As I went through the introductory course, I realized very fast that it was not the field for me.  It may be for someone else but it really made no sense for me to take those courses.

After the first class, I started the Certificate of Applied Project Management.  I picked this degree because it would help me with work (even though I plan on quitting) and it also filled my desire to learn to lead.  I wouldn’t say that I am a natural born leader but I could always use training to help me be better than I am.  Plus it would help me with a project that I am working on at work that I probably won’t be able to complete.  I think the main reason that caught my eye would be that it would help me in meeting my goal of having my first semester paid for.  And I will say that it helped in getting about half of it being that I had a lot of hiccups.

But of course, what else did I get to prepare for school?  I bought a host of things including a new laptop, suitcase, and I started “watching” items on eBay to buy as the time gets closer.  I also found many sites to watch the plane ticket prices so I could choose the cheapest tickets possible.  So far, it looks like Spirit may be winning that race by a couple hundred dollars although you have to pay for checked and carry-on bags.  The only catch is having to leave earlier than expected.

Leaving earlier than expected would allow me to have some “vacation” before school starts but I will be leaving my friends and family sooner than later.  Sometime back in August, I met a wonderful man that is standing behind me for this decision but I am leaving him in a city with a lot of very thirsty women.  On one hand, I know I need to make myself happy but on the other I want to make sure that they are keeping their claws off of him.  But after 6 months, I have no doubts that nothing can come between us. 

My other worries are my family.  My family is not the greatest ever but what family is?  This year, I have seen my younger sister more than I have in my entire life.  She is 14 and could really use a good influence in her life.  I am really disappointed that I can’t be that person for her but I am sure that if I keep praying, she will be okay.  I also have my brothers.  I have one in Raleigh, NC and he is still trying to figure himself out.  Then I have one here in Atlanta, GA that is trying to be the best father he knows how.  I applaud him of his efforts because he is one of the best fathers I know.  My older brother doesn’t worry me as much anymore because I know he has found the “one” as long as he doesn’t mess it up.  Then I have my parents.  They moved from our hometown of Micro to the big city of Atlanta, GA last year for my mom to find a job and she is still searching.  Without me, I don’t know if they can stand on their own but we’ll just have to see.

Overall, I have made a decision to leave and better myself.  Sometimes we have to leave our comfort zone and go into unknown territory.  Or it’s better said as:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

-Joshua 1:9, ESV