Getting Ready!

Over the past couple of months I have been preparing for my journey and epic adventure studying medicine at Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica. The island (gained independence from Britain only 30 years ago) is located 30 minutes South of San Juan, Puerto Rico and is the middle of the Caribbean Ocean.

• Big Questions:

1. Will I survive?
2. Will I be well-equipped to pass the first Board exam? (goes along with question 1.)
3. What are my chances of becoming a Caribbean-doctor-pirate?
4. Will I have any time at all to do the outdoor adventuring that the island is known for?

This is what I know so far...

• Living situation: All apartments are a 5-10 minute walk from campus and are located at addresses like "Hill Top Road" and other vague directions which highlight the rural nature of Dominican life. I expect my new home of the next 16 months to be akin to Brownsville...with less recreational activities. Damn. At least there will be plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables being sold at local stands on the main road outside of campus. Oh and the beaches do look amazing.
  
• Weather: Two seasons...rainy and sunny...average yearly temperature of 80 degrees F. Possible hurricanes and definitely expect torrential rains at some point.
  
• School: best to buy school supplies ahead of time because all foreign imports (paper, pens, etc) have heavily inflated prices due to import tax...about 3 times U.S. price for basic U.S. goods. CostCo here I come! The classrooms look super hi-tech and I'm excited about the prospect of videotaped lectures (in case I have to miss class for some reason).
  Student demographic: from the "welcome videos" and interviews looks like there will be lots of Indian kids *shudder*, 90% Americans and some foreign students. I was hoping there would be more diversity but I guess I'll just have to try extra hard to find non-stereotypical, cool people. Okay, that's a bit harsh and premature, but I really just hope that I can meet others who are as eccentric and non-square as I am.
• Dominican culture: formerly a French colony, fought over by the U.K. Natives speak Patois (a creole French dialect) which looks very similar to basic French except for the "r's" are pronounced like "w"...I know I am oversimplifying but this is all I've been able to find out from the web so far. Of course basic every day words like "mother", "father", "friend" have more African and creole twists on them that differ from pure French. Either way my Spanish abilities will not be useful on this island. Perhaps some of my 1 semester of college French will come back? *gulp*

I arrive in Dominica for medical school orientation on August 27th and will be spending my 23rd birthday on the island. Hooray?
**National Geographic fact sheet about Dominica