Surviving my first week

Surviving this past week of classes was monumental for me and all my friends.  Some classes were amazing and quite entertaining while others I couldn't even understand the professors because of their thick accents.  One professor that teaches human structure and function lectures finds it necessary to tease and humiliate all of us on a daily basis.  For the most part none of us mind because to be honest the man is very funny. He likes to talk about how he "Swears to God-No I swear to the cell!  It brought you in this world it will take you out!"and several other crazy things! Plus if you decide to use the bathroom while in his lecture he will be sure to ask you how it went when you come back into the lecture hall.....there are 150 of us in this hall....I will pee on the floor first before I leave.  He also likes to talk about epithelial cells, cancer cells or any other example he can find and attach it to the anus or vagina.  I am seriously not kidding.  Amongst all my friends our favorite quote is "Sure, I'll give you a white coat and a stethoscope, but you still won't know jack shit!" Amazing I tell you just amazing! 

Also on Friday I got to attend my first cadaver lab and it was nothing short of amazing.  I felt very privileged to be learning because of the individuals that made the ultimate sacrifice to donate their bodies for me to learn.  Only getting to see and utilize plastic models during undergraduate, I was amazed to actually get to see important landmarks on preserved specimens and actual cadavers. The lab was well kept and even had cameras and large screens for you to learn from during dissections.  

Well for every ones information Isaac was nothing but a big giant disappointment.  Nothing amazing occurred and it only gently rained.  Because of the drought in the Midwest it has been months since I have seen it actually rain. I really do love seeing all the green grass across the island and it really makes me sad for home.  Only a farm girl would be appreciate that concept.  However, I hear that Isaac is going to make landfall on Florida and Cuba today and I think it will be far more intense than it was for Antigua.  Being so far down on the island chain the storms don't have as much time to develop which decreases the threat.  This is a picture taken by a friend of mine of the our experience.




Although I never had much of an social life it seems like the new normal will spending Friday and Saturday nights studying and taking each others bloodpressure. We all had fun and it was interesting to see how accuate (or in my case NOT SO ACCURATE) we all were.  Amongst my friends one of them is an EMT and we look at him as the gold standard to how we are doing in regard to our bloodpressure taking skills.  It was intresting, entertaining, and very fun.  We also know that there is a hypertensive person in the group....you know who you are!

On a more exciting note it seems like at home several of my A.I. babies have been born!  There should be roughly about 20 babies to be expected and I am looking forward to more pictures!  Below is a picture of a "Big Money" calf out of a Sim/Angus cow. 






My "babies daddy"!!!!!  Isnt he handsome!!!

First week of medical school and my friend Isaac

Hey Everyone!  Sorry for not having a post the past few days but the first few days of class have been very busy.  In the mornings my friends and I usually take the early bus and make it to campus at least a few hours before classes start.  Morning classes are 4 days a week and consist of various small group sessions where we discuss anything from Anatomy, to how to meet with patients and take blood pressure.  Lunch breaks are usually pretty minimal at half an hour and then the rest of the day proceeds with large group lectures.  Small groups usually have about 15 people and large group lectures have about 250 people (our class divided into two separate schedules).  You have to be careful and not get lost in the crowd and be accountable for making yourself pay attention in the large classes.  However, that really isn't really that hard since the professors like to call out students in the lecture hall for texting, nodding off, using facebook, or just to simply humiliate them for their own enjoyment.  But it is medical school.....you should be able to put your phone away for a few hours and listen to what your paying for!!!

Today was my first day of small group lecture/study and it made me really nervous!!!  It has been a few years since I had been in the classroom and having a professor run me through the ringer for a few hours on a more personal basis made me very uncomfortable!  But it wasn't too terribly bad and we even got to go down to the simulator lab and play with Harvey!!!!  He is the cardiology dummy that allows you to listen to various heart and lung sounds.  The neat thing about Harvey is that one student can be doing the actually listening and then the rest of the students have head gear to hear what that student is hearing while applying the stethoscope to the dummy patient.  Pretty amazing right?!?!  I think so anyway.  Below is a pictures of a "Harvey" I found on Wikipedia....so it isn't AUA's Harvey but pretty much the same thing.  Beautiful wig aye?



After small classes and lectures sometime we go to the gym and other times we head to the library and study for several hours.  Because we are in student housing and use the bus we have to make sure that we follow the bus schedule so we can make it back to the housing complex.  When we do arrive back at the complex we are usually reading and studying until 11 pm or so.  It is a long day for sure.  Being sick during my first week of medical school wasn't a great experience either.  But I have been studying and reading for about 4 days straight and tonight I have kind of took the evening off for a few hours to get a small nap in and to update my lovely blog.  But I am sure that I will have an hour or two of reading to do before I decide to go to bed for the night.

Onto a non academic matter at this vary moment tropical storm Isaac is making its way to Antigua!  Ya!!!! Today campus got shut down early which destroyed my workout and study time I had anticipated on campus in order to prepare for the storm.  I have received several emails in regards to the storm and things to NOT do while in a tropical storm.....silly things like don't go swimming!  Seriously?!?!??!  WOW!!!  In regard to tomorrow campus is opening at 10 am and the buses are not leaving until later in the morning. So we will see how hard the island gets hit by mister Isaac!  I was told to expect power outages and tons of wind! 

Hello Missouri and beyond!!!!  Sorry I had to have a super cheesy moment.  It has been an extremely amazing and fun weekend here in Antigua.  Friday I had an fantastic second day at orientation and really liked several of my professors although one of them seems to be like a drill Sargent.  Several of the med 2 and 3 students said to watch out for him and gave us tips for succeeding in his class.  I felt so privileged to be listening to some of these amazing people and to have the opportunity to become a doctor here at AUA....I just hope that it becomes a reality.  The hard work already begun and I am ready for the challenge.  Even purchased a USMLE study book and Bates guide to Physical examination.....sounds exciting aye?!?!?  Again I feel privileged to be here and to be able to work this hard.

 I had the opportunity to go to my first med 1 party/mixer and meet tons of fellow classmate while dancing the evening away.  However, it wasn't just the party itself that made the evening a blast but the location, the people and even something as simple as the cab ride.  The whole evening blew my mind!  Most of the individuals that lived in my building (Utopia) went to the mixer and we even had time for pre-party photos!





Like I said above the location was beautiful! Being located right on the beach and having an open air atmosphere was nothing short of mind blowing.  There was probably several hundred medical students in one location and even a  professor or two. My close girlfriend and new friend from around the hall had a great time dancing to the DJ and sweating!!!  Yes the Carribean is still flaming hot at 10:30 pm!  WOW!  Below are some pictures that I stole....I mean borrowed from the Lobster Shack Facebook page for your viewing experience.






It was a blast getting to see everyone get crazy and dance....especially Utopia's own resident Rolando or as he is know here at AUA "Rolly".  Give that New Yorker some drinks and he will literally roll/glide all over the dance floor.  Needless to say him and my gal pal were the best dancers out there for sure.  AMAZING and FUN!!!!  Even the cab ride was hysterical.  My friends and I use one cab driver exclusively because he is nice, dependable, and gives cheap rides....yes mom I said that last part just for you.  However, since we have use him practically every day this week we have all developed quite a close relationship with the Antiguan.  Since we all have this established relationship, things seem to get funner and conversations seem to get crazier.  On top of shoving 8 people into a mini van a few were intoxicated and then the evening got really interesting. My close girlfriend gutsly asked the driver if she could drive and he proceeded to pull over and get out of the car......she tried to get behind the wheel with no luck.  The driver also mentioned that he regularly cheated on his girlfriend and that in Antigua it was ok......and very NATURAL!  Several other questionable things were said and all of us were left with an impressionable evening that will last a lifetime!






After an amazing evening we had an even better following day at Dickenson Bay AKA Sandals.  Utopians swam, laid out, and jet skied.  Quite obviously no one had a bad evening until we ate dinner at a local tourist attraction on the bay called Peppers and Limes.  The service was awful, the waiters/waitresses were rude, and the manager or owner proceed to tell us that she hated having us "student" screwing her over.......all of us paid and did when we visited the restaurant earlier that week.  Needless to say I am not spending my money with that winch ever again.  However, who can stay mad when you get to share dinner with 17 other med students and watch the sun set over the ocean....again can I say this word enough amazing!!!  I think more than anything all of us were very thankful for one last adventure before school started and didn't want to think about Monday.




Sunday I woke up early with what seems to be a nasty cold and spent the whole day reading and reading with some of my friends.....the later wasn't too successful.  We ended up watching YouTube videos and ordering pizza.  However, over the last two day I have personally read over 100 pages of tiny print and have prepared well despite all the fun we have be having.  Thanks to a friend I now, have even more videos, text books, and student documents on my external drive.  Having these resources makes me one happy girl. One of the guys made us an appointment to look at a house for the following semester, tomorrow evening.  This should be cheaper and closer to school than our current student housing.  Hopefully all 5 of us can share.  

There are several things I have learned during my short time in Antigua.....everything takes extra time here on the island, everything in regard to my class schedule seems to be temporal, and now since it is Sunday night the adventure is over....... at least until after mini 1.

Welcome and Orientation

Yesterday was my med school welcome and today was day one of a two day orientation.  Last night was amazing!  All 500+ med 1's in one room (this particular giant room is what AUA calls their "flex" room).  Setting near the rear of the room I was in aw looking out on a sea of students and the faculty on the stage before me.  The classroom was beautiful and it made me feel privileged to be setting there.  After the national   anthems of Antigua, India, and the United States was played the faculty was introduced and several speeches were made.  It was neat and interesting to hear the background education of my soon to be professors and educators I will be having this semesters.  These individuals have been educated all over the world and have been taught or had residencies at prestigious places such as Harvard, University of Rochester, Boston University, and Stanford.  After all the speeches and formalities a tea and snack's were served on the beautiful lawn of AUA.  Fritters, fruit, riot, brownies, and various other treats were served.  The sight was just beautiful and the food was good (not as good as yours mom). It was a great time sharing snacks and drinks on the AUA lawn with new friends and faculty.  It was a very beautiful sight!  Seriously all the well dressed men and women and the white food tents among the palm trees was a sight to be held!!  After the AUA Welcome all my fellow Utopia friends took the 6 pm bus back to the complex.  The bus ride was very hot and very crowded but again got to meet even more people from all over the US.  After arriving back at the complex I spent a few hours in the lobby talking with other med 1's talking about each persons plans for the weekend.  It seems like there will be a few parties that will be going on the island of Antigua to celebrate the beginning of the new semester.  After that I as in bed by 10 pm to make sure I was well rested for the next mornings orientation on campus.

Today was the first day of orientation and it was not near as fun or as exciting as last night.  It was a day full of listening about counseling services, our classes, and educational services.....not the most exciting things I have ever heard.  Today I also learned that a few of my professors had less than stellar English.....not so cool but I will do my best to survive and pay attention.  During the orientation lunch break I had a fish sandwich from what we AUA students call the shacks and it was delicious!!!  However, I think that packing my lunch will be cheaper and probably healthier.  After orientation I swam at the complex with other med 1's from New York and Texas....also another good time.  Also received an email from my mommy and a Facebook message from my sister.  Made my day to hear from my family.  Also loved hearing that one of my A.I. cows at home had a baby sired by Big Money.  CANT WAIT TO SEE PICTURES OF MY BABY!!!!  Also this evening I purchased an arm band to my first party at a place called the Lobster Shack a mixer for AUA med 1's.  I am nervous but also very excited!!!!  Hope that it is all safe and a good time.

Sandals Beach

Hello everyone!  It has been a busy day here at AUA.  Today was my first experience with house keeping and needless to say it was unusual.  I decided to sleep into about 9 am this morning however that was cut short by getting woke up by the cleaning lady.  It all started by her knocking on the door and proceeded to come into our apartment and knocking on our suite doors.  Yes mom I was sleeping in my underwear and had to find clothes just in the nick of time too.  lol My housekeeper is an older Antiguan with a name like "mamma missy". I was a little too sleepy to remember and she told me she cleans this that and the other but isn't responsible for my rubbish.....Whatever that means.  I dont know I just was polite, shook her hand and said yes ma'am. Later that morning I had the opportunity to go shopping at a giant home goods store on the island and purchase kitchen ware.  It was fun and exciting to go to another part of the island with my roommate and friends.  It was a little further away from my apartment than some of the other places that we have been to but, it was fun to gaze at the town as we traveled by taxi.  It was a hot ride but well worth it to purchase measuring cups, a plastic bowl and a cookie sheet.  The heat here is just as intense as MO but, at the same time very different.

After our mid morning shopping adventure the boys, my roommate and a new friend by the name of Sam decided to go to the beach at the Sandals resort!!!!  Needless to say it was amazing!!!  The only down side was that I got a major sunburn!  Ouch!  I am one pink white girl!  The beach was beautiful and spending time with new friends was even better.  For the first time I got to officially swim in the ocean.  My new friend Brian made sure it was official by running with me into the tide and making sure my head got submerged!  It was one salty experience I will never forget for sure. Some of the other people that went with us rode what the locals called a Jet Boat.......AKA Seadoo or jet ski.

While riding in the taxi it wasn't unusual to see people selling produce out of their cars, horses hitched to road signs and cattle roaming the streets in the middle of town.  It is crazy kind of like home to be honest!!!!  There is no air conditioning other than the school and it has not been an adjustment at all.  However some of my classmates are not taking the heat very well.  So if this makes you feel better mom thank you for making me sleep without conditioning for the last 2 years.....it has strangely paid off :-) I do have air conditioning in my bedroom but, because of  the high cost of electricity here or as my Canadian roommate calls it-"hydro" I don't run it very often.

There has been so many different cultural experiences that have blown my mind.  The majority of my class is Muslim and it has been interesting to learn about the fasting and praying that has been going on during Ramadan.  To be quite honest I don't know how these individuals have been able to fast through all this heat.....they cant even drink during the daylight hours.  Even meeting people from other parts of the US has been interesting.  The slang and interest are vastly different than anything in Missouri.  I get teased but it has all been in good fun.....or at least I think it has been :-)

This whole experience has been pretty surreal and strangely relaxing.  For the first time ever that I had only myself to worry about and school.  I have been enjoying.  I just hope that this feeling I have doesn't go away.

First time on AUA campus

I am very happy to report that it has been a successful Monday.  However, I am sure that this will probably be the only happy and successful Monday I will have this semester. :-)  Made it onto a crowded bus this morning at 8:25 to get registered for my first semester at AUA.  The campus was beautiful and breath taking and all the students so far have been extremely kind and friendly. I am serious when I say the campus is beautiful.  There was a garden crew working there when we arrived.  All the flowers were beautiful! The whole process didn't take too much time because I preregistered so I was quite happy about that. Received my AUA photo ID and Blackboard account today and even went to the campus bookstore.  Looks like Daddy is maybe getting a $5 coffee mug! The guys and I got a great kick out of the smooched taranchula outside the door......welcome to the carribean my friends!  Yikes! Sunny had to use his shoe as a size comparison when taking a pic with a camera phone......if I only knew what size shoes he wears. :-)  Some students in my complex said there has been some lizards in their rooms....could get interesting real soon.  Well AUA's food courts are located outside in a several small shacks all about the size someone in Missouri would park their riding lawn mower into.  I ordered a veggie burger and it was quite tasty however waiting outside in the sun sweating my butt of was not pleasant while waiting for my meal.  It was fun though getting to eat with several new friends.  Swimming in the pool at the complex afterwards helped things out greatly.

Leaving Home and Making it to Antigua

Although I am pretty much positive the only individuals that will be reading this blog will be my mother and my sister, I will go ahead and introduce myself.  My name is Laura and I am a first year medical student at the American University of Antigua.  I find the title of my silly little blog I made (mostly for mommies sake) quite fitting considering I was raised on a cattle farm in rural Missouri. This adventure to Antigua is my first international trip and the I am beginning to feel it is probably the craziest thing I have ever attempted.  

It was a really difficult decision to leave home but I felt it was probably my only chance of changing my life.....to enhance my life.  Leaving all my animals, family, and the only life I have ever know was tremendously difficult and I hope that I don't regret my decision.  

On a much lighter note I had a great experience leaving KCI, traveling through Atlanta, and finally arriving at the Antiguan airport.  I even got to watch an in flight movie "the lucky one".   I am not going to lie going through customs was no less than just absolutely exhausting!  I was nervous about the wait in the crowded hot airport lines and possibily having customs give me a hard time about all the goods I brought with me to the island.  However, I think the guy saw me struggling all by myself with my 4 pieces of luggage (I didnt know I was suppose to flag down someone with a trolly) and decided to not give me a hard time. He just asked me what I brought and I said clothes and asked if I brought anything I could share with him and that was all. I was sweating though!  Inside and out! I am sure the next several times through customs wont be so easy.  But several hours of waiting I am sure was punishment enough.  I met several other students waiting in line going through customs and while waiting for a taxi to arrive.  I was amazed to see a young beautiful girl from Canada that had a whole jumbo trolley all to herself containing no less than probably 10 pieces of luggage......all of which had the orange "heavy" tag attached.  Wow!  I probably couldn't load up all my belongings from home and fill up all those suitcases. But I am happy with my housing and quickly made 3 new friends one from Texas, and two from New York.  Those individuals have helped me out tremendously, with everything from getting a taxi, going to the grocery store and showing me around the island. 

Last night the guys and I had the opportunity to check out my first Antiguan dive and grocery store with a bar/restaurant upstairs.  The veggie pizza I ordered was amazing despite waiting an hr for it to be made.  My first experience in the grocery store was crazy!  It reminded me a lot of the tiny grocery store we had at home in terms of having only two or three isles and being dingy.  For anyone coming to Antiuga don't be completely shocked at the cost of the food.  Although the food is more expensive the exchange rate makes everything over twice the price that it would be at home.  Seriously on our Facebook group one of my fellow students went to an upscale grocery store called the epicurean and spent $53.00 EC on a jar of mayo!!! That roughly figures to $20 US which is still expensive!  But there are other place to shop and quality food that isn't quite that outrageous.  One just has to be careful. 

Today I had the opportunity to swim laps this morning with a new friend and had a fun time.  I also had the opportunity to go the epicurean and come out of the store rather unscathed only spending $177 EC which figures to about $68 us and purchased quite a bit of food. To get to the Epicurean today I used a taxi for the first time spitting the fare with the guys.  Which came out to be a grand total of $4 us!  Pretty good I think...I don't know.  lol  I also got to go to dinner with the guys and a med 3 student at a bar/restaurant on the beach!!!!  It was beautiful and amazing!!!  Very very cool!  It was my first time getting to see the ocean from something other than an airplane window at several thousand feet.  The water was cool and very very blue!  The best evening ever.  The med 3 student was amazing enough to give us a driving tour (freakishly yet correctly on the left side of the road) of St. Johns and several of its highlight locations.  Even got to stop at an ice cream shop in the touristy area of St. Johns on the coast where the cruise ships dock. It was an great culturally diverse evening.  Most importantly I got to see the AUA campus!!!  It is massive and beautiful.  Cant wait to see the inside of the buildings and get a tour tomorrow while going through registration.  I was very glad for all the med 3 students tips and advice it was greatly appreciated!  I feel as if I couldnt be in better hands.