I'm DONE!

I'm officially done with my scary 1st semester exam Re-do! There are some answer choices lingering in my mind that I'm tempted to look up on wikipedia...but I probably shouldn't. I should instead sleep, eat and relax. My flight back to the States is at 8 a.m. tomorrow but my travel starts with a 3 a.m. airport shuttle pick-up with half of the 1st semester class. It will be strange travelling with new people and not getting to chat with my friends who have moved on to 2nd :( But I guess that's life for ya. Always throwing you curve balls.
Now on to a glorious 2 weeks off from the life of medical school...except I will probably have to learn all the cranial nerves if I want to pass the first exam for 2nd semester. Other than that though...full vacation mode! I plan on gaining several pounds off of Tacos and home-cooked meals :) Viva America!

More later...when I start the frightening transition into, dun dun duuun...2nd semester.

Unhygienic v. Hypochondria

Today I have left my apartment to study in "the Barn"--essentially a large shed with cement walls and metal roof full of study cubicles. Being surrounded by my fellow med students I'm beginning to question the hygiene practices of many of them. In fact I try not to think to long on who was studying in the cubicle I am in before me. I have always been a bit of a hypochondriac and medical school definately isn't helping. Would it be so bad if I sprayed down my cube before settling in? Or maybe I could bring some lysol disinfectant wipes with me next time. I don't trust the cleaning staff and I know the number of people occupying these spaces overwhelms any attempts to keep them clean. Bleh. Thank god for Immunoglobins and lymphocytes or else I'd be in trouble.

I dedicate this post to neutrophils, macrophages and Killer T Cells. You rock.

Time to go back to my "happy place" now and resume productivity.

MSF a.k.a. Doctors without Borders

During a break between lectures I roamed around the website of Medicin Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders). Why oh why? I have so many years to go before I can even think about working for such a glorious organization and yet I'm constantly looking at their current work.
What did I learn?
They will defer your loans or pay off some of your loans if you serve more than one 6 month stint. However if you are a medical student they will only recruit you After you've finished Residency :(
They need AIDs/HIV specialists, Midwives/OBY/GYNS, and pharmacists the most right now.
Also, I really need to learn French (my 1 semester of intensive French in college will get me no where). Too bad their biggest need is is Franco-phone Africa and Haiti and not in Latin America. I guess Spanish will only get me so far.

Things to add to my Life Goals List:
1. Fluency in French + medical terminology
2. Get through medical school so I can actually help people.