Nicest Oblique Popliteal Ligament Around!

So I know I say this every week but...this week was actually, literally the longest week so far. I have my 2nd major exam on Monday and although I intended to study for the exam after class I had some extracurricular (as in mandatory, scheduled event) to attend every single day this week. These have become the bain of my existence, especially the Friday "problem-based learning" sessions which require research and typed papers each Thursday. The biggest obstacle in med school is lack of time. Sure the material is difficult and you are expected to master concepts in hours rather than days or weeks but all of this would just fine if I actually had the time to do it!
On the plus side, my dissection of the knee joint (capsule) was proclaimed "really good" by our anatomy prof. today and will most likely be used on the next anatomy practical. Sweet! That's one less body that I will have to worry about identifying! By the way the knee joint is freaking awesome! It's a really clean dissection and everything looks mechanically and aesthetically beautiful in there. Also, I finally got to see that famous ACL (anterior cruciate lig.) that all my soccer team pals ruptured at some point throughout the course of my soccer career. The gastronemus muscles are also fun to play with :)
The coolest thing about anatomy lab is that you get to use your hands to "cut" fascia, separate muscles and play around with body parts that most people will never get a chance to see. It's amazing how much damage/dissecting can be done with your hands...it's also very scary that a few quick cuts with a scalpel can disable you. And the scariest part is that I can probably tell you exactly what presentation you will have if you injure any nerve from your neck down to your toes. And I've only been in medical school for 2 months. Scary.
Halloween will be celebrated here by the way or rather on the coast on Monday night and my friend and I are discussing skipping class Tuesday to go island hopping next week. Wednesday is Dominica's independence day so the university will be closed.
Will post more pics when I get a chance.
Bye!

Oh yea; THIS is why I want to be a physician!

For the past few weeks I have really been wondering why I am here. (And by "here" I don't mean in the existential sense of the word, I mean "in Medical School".) :P
Today I walked to the other side of campus to help run a free clinic in a parking lot outside of the local "Starbucks" (called Rituals). The clinic was run by an organization I recently joined called OLAS (Org for Latin American Students). Of course I would. Hey it's a chance to practicar mi espanol! Anyways, I worked the Glucose-reading station from 9-noon, helped set up etc.
As the patients started coming down I was reminded of Why I love Medicine. I love love love patient-interaction and educating others about healthcare. When I came to Ross I was really bummed because I missed my clinic back in Austin. I missed taking patient histories, doing counseling, education and engaging with the patients. I also missed doing blood-draws and all the other tests. This seems ironic now considering the hectic nature of the low-income clinic and how exhausted I was at the end of each day. At Planned Parenthood we had many patients and only 2 education rooms, this in addition to the patients' anxieties about exams, fear of blood-draws and of course pregancy test results meant I was burnt out by closing time. But I miss my co-workers, nurses, MAs, office clerks as well as the "team mentality" of support and efficiency.
Today I was able to get some of that familiarity back as I engaged with the local men, women and children. I love how people are so laid-back here, and I'm impressed with the level of awareness that they have about their health. It definately competes with the low-income Latino community back in Austin. One man looked guilty as he admitted to me that he used to drink beer but now watches what he eats and drinks. I tried to reinforce the positivity of him no longer drinking and he was very pleased with himself. :) He is a construction worker and his skin was so callused that it took me twice as long to draw blood out.
The clinic today was a wonderful start to this Saturday and I'm really glad that I went out on a limb to meet other students and help out. I hope I get more experience/training this semester!
Next weekend I plan on helping out at the Kids Sports Clinic. I guess I should learn how to interact with kids eventually :)

Thanks for reading!
More later!

"Beach Bash" Friday October 15

Me, Swati and Christian: celebrating passing Block 1 at De Champs bar

Beautiful Dominican Sunset as viewed from my apt window

Portsmouth Beach

Medocrity is the name of the game

So I found out that I did indeed Pass the First Block of medical school which means that I Don't have to repeat the semester and Can continue as a medical student. Hooray!

I don't know if I will ever get used to the fact that "Passing" is an achievement in medical school. I miss having B's and A's...those are much more gratifying than high C's :(
Hopefully eventually I will be able to start pulling my grades up. I think it will take some time to figure out how best to prepare for exams here, especially since testing is my greatest weakness.
Time to go celebrate mediocrity! Tomorrow is "Splash Bash" an awesome all day/night event held on the beach by Ross. They provide food, entertainment (kayaking, boating) and at night there is a beach bonfire! Of course there are a few parties afterward. We will see how burnt out I am by the end of this week. We all got pretty crazy after the last mini on Monday night :)
I am starting to miss Austin, my family and friends more and more. On the other hand I'm missing the conveniencies and luxuries of the U.S. less. Although I'm still bitter about how much stores rip us off for chocolate here.

More soon! Ta!

Still alive!

Yes! I am still alive!
Right now I'm just trying to keep my head above the water.
Between classes and labs and problem-based learning sessions I barely have time to feed myself before studying until I'm too exhausted/mentally-wasted to stay awake. Then I wake up the next morning, hurl myself out of my apartment, catch the shuttle (hopefully) and start all over again.
It's been very rainy/stormy here and I'm finally getting a chance to use all my gear; full-length raincoat and boots. Umbrellas are useless here.
Classes are held in the "Annex" which is prob. about a mile away uphill so shuttles are preferable but I've had to walk on a few occasions that I overslept my alarm (not fun in the heat, even at 9 am).
Food is...well it's taken me up till now to find food that is healthy and won't upset my stomach.
I buy overpriced vegies from small shops and stands and try to cook (when I have the time) pasta or chinese food for the week. I supplement these meals with food from "the shacks", the string of shack restaurants on campus run by locals. Chicken is the main meat (no dairy cows or fresh milk here) and I've started to find tofu in select grocery shops. It's rough.
Classes are insane and I'm still in awe about the amount of information we are expected to retain, memorize and apply on a weekly basis. We have major exams (called Minis) every two weeks and this week I get a special treat: Friday I have histology lab practical, Monday I have my 2nd Mini followed by my first Anatomy practical. Kill me now.

Basically if I survive this semester it will be a miracle!

More later!