Is it a bird, a plane or is it a flying lizard?????

Farley and I were leaving our apartments to go to a study session on Sunday morning. I was walking slightly in front of him and one of the cleaning ladies was leaning against the wall. As a medical student, obviously I was trying to determine what was wrong with her. Did she sprain her ankle? Twist her knee? Hurt her back? What was wrong??? Softly I heard her say, "be careful" and out of no where I saw a 20 pound lizard walking near the garbage on the third floor landing. These lizards don't really hurt people (at least that I know of), but I'm not going to get in one of these lizard's way! So I stopped about ten feet from the lizard right before I heard a big "THUMP!" Farley rushed up to see if the lizard was okay. It was scurrying off into the grass, so I guess it is okay. I'm not at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (they are located on the island of St. Kitts) so I don't know if lizards usually fall from 30 feet in the air or how unusual it is. It is perfectly obvious that I wasn't going to grab my stethoscope and give the giant lizard a full physical exam to make sure he was okay! Farley and I are lucky we weren't just a few minutes earlier. I think a flying lizard could give any one an anxiety attack!

Here is a picture of a similar sized lizard that Farley took a few months ago. There is one lives near the seaside deck on campus, but our flying lizard lives in the tree near our apartment.

Mudslide

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been meaning to post since our exam, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Anyway, our exam last Monday was a doozy! I'm just glad that it's over and I'm passing everything! :) After the exams, Farley and I always go to the gym; however, I was so tired I took a two hour nap while he went to the gym. We were going to go to the beach, but it rained all day-I really mean all day. I was awoken by the rain at 5:000am and I don't' think there was a rain break until about 6:00, but it promptly started raining again throughout the evening (not heavy rain all day, but raining nonetheless).

We decided to try a new restaurant, Sweet Refuge Cafe. Apparently, they don't make anything well except for cheeseburgers. I've never been a huge burger fan; however, we don't get variety in our diets and this was a pretty good burger. In fact, I was shocked how good the burger and fries were. Midway through dinner the power went out (I think due to the rain) and this restaurant don't have a generator so they brought out candles for us to finish dinner. We had also heard that the deserts were good; however, we decided just to come back later since the power was out. On our way home, we thought it might be fun to stop by the restaurant/bar at our hotel (apartment). We had desert there and enjoyed the company of some friends. It was a lot of fun. After that, we headed home and watched a documentary on HBO. I know, you are jealous, we watched a documentary. It's as if we don't have enough academics in our lives and we choose to watch a documentary. Anyway, it was about the one child law in China and people selling and buying children. It was incredibly disturbing, but it was also so interesting. It was hard for me to believe what happens to people--very well done documentary.

I was having a hard time focusing before the exam, which is unusual for me. However, after the exam, I turned back into a lean, mean studying machine (even without coffee!). I think having a day to do nothing but relax put me back on tract. On the Thursday after the exam, Farley and I were at the study space. I was minding my own business and I was being attacked by moths. I guess by now it shouldn't be a surprise that I was attacked by insects. I'm their favorite target. I decided to go home and spray down with bug spray; this is how I got the new nickname: Mudslide.

I was minding my own business walking across the parking lot behind the study space. There is about a ten foot stretch of grass and some dirt from the parking lot to the paved walkway near the pool, which leads to our apartment complex. This stretch of grass is going down a slight decline. I can't stretch how slight this decline is--perhaps a foot or two over this ten foot stretch. As usual, it had been raining earlier in the day and the grass/mud mix was slippery. Well, I managed to fly in the air land on my lateral right hip/buttock, fly back in the air then land on my left lateral hip and buttock then I rotated more medially onto my buttock and slide down the "hill" at which point I managed to get mud all the way up shoes and up my calves (did I mention I was wearing pants). A first semester girl ran right over to see if I was okay (I'm sure she will make a good doctor because she was so concerned, caring and didn't make me feel too much like an idiot). Luckily, I was fine except for my ego, which is still greatly bruised. You now know why Farley gave me the nickname Mudslide.

Since the last exam, we have been covering tons of interesting topics--perhaps too many interesting topics! We are doing head and neck in anatomy, which is a bear cat. There is just so much information in so many little structures in such a small space. It is NOT easy, but it is interesting. We covered learning and memory in neuroscience. We are having the ear and hearing all day today, which is SO complicated yet so interesting. Think of the excitement: Farley and I are learning how and why we got sea sick on the way to St. Lucia due to the balance mechanism in the ear. However, best of all we are starting an introduction to the immune system, which is one of my FAVORITE things in medicine (or should I say things in medicine that I've encountered). I LOVE it!! It is complicated, but interesting. I think it is a million, billion times better than anatomy (Farley would debate that with me until we were both blue in the face). Immunology makes studying fun again--it is my treat after completing my anatomy assignment for the day. We are starting to study more clinical things, which is so exciting. The next two semesters we will cover immunology/microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, introduction to clinical medicine and behavior sciences--I'm salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs just thinking about it!

Farley and I took a study break on Sunday to walk on the beach. Here are some pictures:

Below: Picture at sunset. Farley and I think that all of the pictures of sunsets in the Christian book stores were taken in Dominica.

Below: A tree that is just a few feet from the ocean on the beach. We think they are orchids. This tree is about a five minute walk from our apartment and right below the deck on campus.

Below: Another picture of the sunset. I love sunsets!

No rest for the weary

We have another exam on Monday. I can't believe that this semester will be over in about 5 weeks and I will be a second year medical student. When we started down here, I knew that we'd only have two or three weeks off between semesters for the first 20 months or so. I did not realize how tiring it would be. I knew it would be exhausting, but when you only get two weeks off and you spend the first week waiting for grades, you really don't get a break.

The mosquitoes are horrible right now. Apparently, I attract mosquitoes like a teeny-bobber pop-star attracts high school girls. I have an anti-itch liquid, "AfterBite: The Itch Erase" but it just perplexes me: why does ammonia make the itching stop? It does make the itching stop, only after making it sting. But it isn't on the exam, so I don't have the time to care right now!

I should get back to the books. If I keep taking a break, I'll try to jump in the ocean--it's a beautiful day!

Bugfall at nightfall

Yesterday, I was attacked, but do not be alarmed. This attack is not as violent or horrific as you might be expecting: I was attacked by Caribbean Insects! They have infiltrated our study space and have been bombarding students like paparazzi on a teenage pop star. The majority of them were nats. I think they were coming in as people entered and exited the study space and I think these were genetically defects because they kept flopping down on the desks--all over. They landed dorsally (on their backs) and couldn't get flipped back over to fly off. I would push them onto the floor and magically they got back their bearing and would fly/walk around. It was as if they sky was falling nats--YUCK! I was having a great study session until both nightfall and bugfall started; however, it was difficult to stay focused with black aspects everywhere. I looked at Farley, and he seemed a bit perturbed, which I thought was due to me. I was wrong: an insect landed on his head! At that point, it was time for me to head home.

Upon arriving to my apartment, I quickly sprayed down with DEET. Although being at home means there are fewer ants/nats, it means a mosquito might get me. I also lit my Jamaican anti-mosquito lemon-grass candle to keep me safe. Well, I had a great end to my study night, hopped in the shower then reapplied my DEET: I didn't use enough. A feisty mosquito bit THROUGH my pajamas! Apparently I didn't spray my back side enough. This mosquito, or a friend, bit my armpit! ARMPIT! These insects are getting personal!

I took a couple pictures of the ocean at sunset from the study space, before all heck broke loose. You can see the same boat which is just a 50-100 feet from the shore at my apartment. I debated taking picture of the insects, but that memory is burned in my mind and I suspect you don't want to see it anyway.

Sleepy...

I am so tired; however, everyone I've talked to in the last few weeks is complaining of being tired. I guess that is part of being in medical school. I usually have not problem falling asleep, but I had trouble the last couple nights and I think it is just because there is so much going on in my head that it is hard just to turn it off and go to sleep. However, about 2:00pm I get really tired and could fall asleep if given half the chance. But at least I'm not the only one with this weird sleep pattern. I suspect it is because we have a HUGE exam next Monday; perhaps that is why no one is sleeping well.


Farley and I were at the study space last night, but decided to leave a couple minutes early for dinner to catch the sunset. Here are a few pictures:

Picture 1: The boat that sits about 200 feet off the shore near my apartment. Picture taken at the end of the hall way from which I enter my apartment.

Picture 2: Again taken from the end of the hall way. Note the tops of the palm trees and the dock to the left.


Picture 3: This is a picture of the ocean from my balcony. My view is probably the BEST part of living in the Caribbean.

Happy 4th of July!

It might not be a very happy 4th of July in Dominica. See, we have an anatomy practical exam in three hours. These ex-patriots are killing me! I can handle class, but an exam....covering the entire abdomen and pelvis. I guess I am studying abroad and should expect exams on the 4th of July. I just hope in November when Dominica has it's 30th anniversary of their independence, we get a day off to eat BBQ or maybe a mango since we are in the Caribbean.

After the fun, exciting anatomy practical, we get to go to our usual T.A./reivew sessions. Oh yes, three hours of biochemistry, physiology and neuroscience. In all seriousness, I'm glad we have opportunities to get help from upper clansman who did very well in all of these classes. I suspect there won't be much relaxing until we are in Argentina.

It is a beautiful day in Dominica, I just wish I was at the beach rather than looking at the beach from my room. Here is the view: