Saba. I have been on this rock for a little over a week now. There seems to be a tolerable balance between the beauty of the island and the comforts that one must sacrifice in order to live here. Looking out my window at the Caribbean Sea, framed by the contour of two green mountains = beautiful. Waking up to the sound of a rooster, ice cold showers, and walking up the aforementioned mountain in humid heat = well….balance.
Week 1 of medical school has been both a physical and mental challenge. There is one classroom for all of the first semester students. There are about 95 of us, and the number is decreasing every day. The setup of the classroom is not that of a stadium, and if you do not sit in the first 5 rows, you cannot see or hear the professor. As you can imagine, this results in students arriving early in order to get a good seat. Classes begin at 8am, and if you arrive later than 7:15am, you can forget about getting a decent seat. Most students bring their laptops to class in order to take notes, so trying to get a spot on the surge protector is worse than getting a seat. I am grateful that I sprung for the bigger laptop battery.
I am not a morning person, so the 6am starts have been a little exhausting. Furthermore, roosters really cannot tell time. 2am: cock-a-doodle-doo… 4:30am: cock-a-doodle-doo…. 5:14am: cock-a-doodle-doo…. You would think they would learn a little more about the light versus dark concept at least!
Classes have been long, but engaging. I feel like I am finally learning things that interest me. But, the pace is a little faster than expected. Keeping up requires daily immersion in each subject, especially anatomy. I find myself hiking up the hill to my dorm thinking about the pain in my gastrocnemius, which originates at the posterior lateral and medical condyles of the femur and insert at the posterior calcaneus/calcaneal tendon. Yes, I really say these things to myself.I attempted to go to church today. Someone told me it began at 9:30am, but apparently, it began at 8:00am. The weird part is, they were still going when I arrived at 9:30, and as I walked around until 10am, they were still preaching and singing in there. Two hours might be a little much for me, but I will give it a try next week.
I am still adjusting to the goat traffic. These guys just trot along the sidewalk right next to you, chomping away. Sometimes they even pose for my pictures. The babies are cute, but some of the mommies are mean.
On my average day, I do not see much more than the inside of a book or a PowerPoint presentation, but before classes started, I was able to see some of the neat things that happen in this tiny village. Like Fridays at Scouts place, Neil Patrick Harris sings Karaoke! And on Sunday, if you make a reservation, Eddie at the Swinging Doors, will grill up some amazing rib eye. I will be keeping these things in mind for when I need to break up the monotony.
On Friday, we had our whitecoat ceremony, and our professors donned us with our short white coats to symbolize our entrance into medicine and reminded us of the higher social and academic standards the white coat represents. It was a nice reminder of why I came here, and what I need to do if I am to accomplish my goals. One of our professors jokingly warned us not to post pictures of ourselves in white coats on facebook in case we need to take them down when we drop out. It’s an unfortunate truth, but even if I don’t make it, I am proud to have made it here in the first place. This has not been an easy trek, and if I decide that this is not for me, at least I came to find out. And don’t worry mom and dad, if that happens, I still promise to pay you back the several grand I owe you.
Since this is my introductory blog, it will most likely be my longest. I just figured I would get up to date on my expedition. Today is Sunday, and we have already made a reservation for some rib eye at 6:30pm, so I had better get my studying done before it's time to eat. Thanks for reading!
