FINALS

I had my vanilla candle, diet coke, and Chex Mix all lined up for two whole days of nothing but studying.
                                                 All lined up to study

                                            Where I lived for the next few days

                                               All of second semester notes

Know the best part about my anatomy final?  It will include questions from first semester Anatomy!  :Sarcasm:  (Good thing I kept all those notes)
Saturday night, Alex and I went to mass and one of the ministers comes over and singles us out and ask if we would do the advent reading and lighting of the candle.  I hope this means God is watching me and helps me pass all my finals!

Vet School: Finals Week

How To Get An A On Your Finals

Monday - Anatomy 2-4pm 
Tuesday - Parasit 8-10am
Wednesday - Physio 8-10am
Thursday - Immuno 8-10am  and my flight home!!!
 Friday - Grades posted tonight!

As a side note I found bugs in my plastic container of tea bags this week.....my tea of all places....Oh St. Kitts....
I will try to continue to blog over the break, but no promises that I will post everything on time! Plus, I'm trying to enjoy myself!

Studying some more

Weekend was pretty uneventful with lots of studying.  I am so tempted to turn on some Christmas music, but I know it won't help me want to study, so I have to put off listening to any until the semester is over and I'm back home!

Monday was a PAWS meeting in the afternoon to figure out what's going on next semester.  I did put up a Ross PAWS picture album on Facebook so everyone can see all the cats that need homes! So check it out! Oh I'm still sure I will end up with one of them.  ;)
Tuesday was the Parasitology Lab final.  The only benefit of having this final when we had it is because I now don't really need to study for the lecture final because it's all the same material!  So now I can focus on my other three subjects.  One down - four to go!
Wednesday - 8 days!  Freaking out about the Immuno and Physio exam because they are my hardest classes.
Thursday we got out at 10am because we didn't have Anatomy, so I had the rest of the day to study.
Friday was the last day of classes of 2nd semester! Yay!
Weekend will consist of more studying and some packing! 5 more days!!

Vet School Problems

Nothing but studying

Monday and Tuesday were full of lots of studying and leftover desserts!
On Wednesday, we had an Anatomy quiz and then it was on to some more studying for finals....exhausted yet? I know I am.
Thursday was a long day because of a late tutor session.  During my usual morning break, I studied some Immuno with Jess.  The only break I'm allowing myself until finals is meals and sleep, or lack there of sleep.  My diet has gone to hell as well.  My dinner consisted of a grilled chicken sandwich, too many M&Ms and Dr. Pepper....the fun of stress eating!
Yay finally Friday, but yay more studying....not.  Danielle and Karen had a birthday dinner at Rock Lobster that I went to in order to give myself a study break, but then after dinner it was right back to it.  In order to promote prostate awareness, the guys in my class decided to do no-shave November.  Here is them on the last night of November!

This weekend will consist of, you guessed it, studying for Parasit Lab final as well as the rest of my finals the following week.

Finals

What to get me for Christmas

80s/Thanksgiving

On Friday, after our fun flash mob (see previous blog post), that night there the 80s party!  Tons of 80s music, so much fun!  Everyone looked great too!

On Saturday I hung out at Liz's pool for a bit then, since I was still on an 80's kick, went back to my place and watch 80's movies the rest of the night (Say Anything and Can't Buy Me Love).   I also made shish kabobs...yummy!  Sunday, it was back to study mode and cleaning before the family comes!

Monday wasn't anything too exciting other than I made chicken parm for dinner because that was basically had in the fridge....I feel like I'm always running out of food! I didn't think I ate that much....
Tuesday wasn't anything too exciting either, other than having a break from 10-1pm where I met with my Immuno teacher and went to the gym.  We no longer have Anatomy on Tuesdays, so we will have this long break until the end of the semester.
Wednesday was the day Dr Gymiah, our Immuno teacher, dressed up for winning the Josh Project coin fund raiser (remember Dr. Reich as Ace Venture last semester).  It was very hard to take him seriously.

 Also, my family came for Thanksgiving!  I was so excited to see everyone!  We took our family picture and then went out to dinner.
Thursday was Thanksgiving.  I was able to get out of class at 10am and spend the rest of the day with my family.  We went to Reggae beach and then had Thanksgiving dinner at the Marriott.
Friday I set up a paddle boarding trip for my family while I was in class which they seemed to really enjoy.  We then went to dinner and saw Life of Pi.
Saturday morning I had a nice relaxing Marriott massage and then had some lunch and drinks poolside.  My family then had to leave and I had to start studying.  I did however get my freezer stocked up: 

Finals are approaching

Hell week continued

Saturday was Adoption day where we had a lot of people stop by but sadly no adoptions.  The rest of Saturday was cramming for exams as well as Sunday.

Monday was our Physio exam and I am very glad it's over, so now I can start worrying about Immuno.  Power went out in Immuno today and so did the power points (run on battery when power goes out), but our teacher just kept on teaching....only in St Kitts.  There was also a AAHA meeting at lunch that I went to in order to try to win some free books....no such luck however.  It was also much cooler today!  Actually felt like fall weather...it was also overcast, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.  Let's keep the cooler weather though!
On Tuesday, we had a feeling it was going to be a bad morning because our Physio exam didn't go as well as everyone hoped.  Our teacher gets into class and tells us that our average the lowest he has seen in 21 years of teaching.  He usually curves at the end of the semester, but because our average was so low, he wasn't sure he wanted to anymore.  He then says that because we now have had time to review our notes and discuss the exam with our classmates, we are going to retake the exact same exam that morning to see if the average if better.  If the average is better then he might consider curving the grades at the end.  Needless to say, our hell week just got worse by adding another exam and now I have to worry about my grade.  Needless to say, Tuesday was the longest and most challenging day I've had in vet school yet.
We had our Immuno exam (How we all felt) on Wednesday and hell week was officially over! A large group of us went to Fat Tuesdays after class to celebrate.   A few of us then went to see Pitch Perfect that night and I think I now have a new favorite movie.  Loved it!  Here's a preview in case you haven't seen it yet. Pitch Perfect   It was nice being all to get some sleep without feeling stressed out. 
Thursday we had a long break from 10-1pm, so I went to the gym and caught up on my shows.  That night I helped set up for the 80s party that my semester is throwing tomorrow.
Friday look what happened at lunch:  Flash mob
Blue semester (my semester, so yes including me) put on a flash mob at lunch!  (That's why I couldn't post this until later).  It was so much fun!  We had practice on Thursday night and it was a way to promote the 80s party tonight!
The rest of the weekend I will be relaxing hopefully on the beach and getting ready for the family to come Wednesday!  Can't wait!

Just to prove I'm a nerd

Hell week

This past weekend just consisted of studying.  We had breakfast at the Marriott on Sunday for Amanda's birthday.

Monday and Tuesday were both long days of studying.
Wednesday there was a lot of talk about Facebooking about the election....I'm just more worried about the anatomy exam tomorrow.
Thursday marks the start of our hell week (hence why this blog is so short).  We have an Anatomy test on Thursday, anatomy quiz on Friday, Physio on Monday and Immuno on Wednesday.  Here's to very little sleep, coffee and junk food, and lots of cramming.  For anatomy I need to remember all the bones (all of the holes and points), muscles (believe me there are more than you think), nerves (what they pass out of, what they innervate, and how to test for them), arteries, and veins of the head, also how to number and name the teeth, as well as the dental formulas and how to age a horse.  I then had a two hour tutoring session...talk about exhausted and there is still so much that needs to be done!
On Friday, we had an Anatomy Quiz, which basically went over the cranial nerves again and the large animal horse head palpation.

This weekend, I will be locked up studying for Physio on Monday and Immuno on Wednesday.  However there is an Adoption Day on Saturday where I will be from 9-2pm.  Let's hope some little ones gets new homes!

Halloween

Friday night was Island Idol and we dressed up as nerds!  A guy in our semester won, here is his video:  Charlie's Thriller

On Saturday there was another Halloween party at Buddies, as this time I went as Tinkerbell and I gave Jess my coin belt to be a belly dancer!  I did lose my wings by the end of the night though :(

Sunday consisted of studying and cooking.

Monday I was watching hurricane Sandy's path back home.  Hope everyone stayed safe and enjoyed their day off!  Ironic moment:  The New Jersey offices for Ross University have closed because of the hurricane, yet when we have a hurricane here, where all the students are and even more limited resources, there are still classes.  Also, please send some cold weather this way because I think the hurricane has sucked all the wind out of the Caribbean.
On Tuesday, Buffy was anxiously waiting Halloween to bark at the trick-or-treaters and show off her costume.  Thanks for the picture mom!  It definitely made my day from all this studying!  Our schedules came out for next semester as well.  If that doesn't give you motivation to pass, than I don't know what does.

Wednesday we had a large Parasit Exam with 70 parasites, which is so appropriate for Halloween!  Want to suffer with me?  Of course you do!  So:

Cestodes include: Taenia crassiceps, Taenia pisiformis, Taenia taeniaeformis, Diphyllobothrium latum, Spirometra spp, Anoplocephala perfoliata, Anocephala magna, Taenia saginata
Trematoda: Alaria spp, Nanophyetus salmincola, Paragonimus kellicotti, Platynosomum fastosum, Fasiola hepatica, Fasiolides magna
Insecta: Cuterebra spp, Culicidae, Trichodectes canis, Lingognathus setosus, Ctenocephalides felis, Ctenocephalides canis, Reduviida, Cimicidae, Gastrophilus intestinalis, Gasterophilus magna,  Musca autumnalis, Stomoxys calcitrans, Culicoides spp, Tabans spp, Chrysops spp, Musca domestica, Haematobia irritans, Cochliomyia hominivorax, Hypoderma bovis, Hypoderma lineatum
Arachnida: Ixodes spp, Dermacentor spp, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Sarcoptes sabiei, Demodex canis, Cheyletiella yasgiri, Otodectes cynotis, Chorioptes bovis
Protozoa: Giardia intestinalis, Trypanosoma cruzi, Cystoisospora canis, Toxoplasma gondii,Sarcocystis spp, Hepatozoon spp, Babesia spp, Theileria spp
Nematoda: Draschia megastoma, Habronema muscae, Habronema majus, Parascaris equorum, Strongyloides westi, Strongylus vulgaris, Strongylus edentatus, Strongylus equinus, Cyathostomins, Oxyuris equi, Dictycaulus arnfieldi, Setaria equina, Onchocerca cervicalis, Ostertagia ostertagi, Haemonchus placei, Cooperia spp, Oesophagostomum spp, Dictyocaulus vivparus

Now for these that just counted and tried calling me a liar with the number, keep in mind that some of these affect more than one species.  Don't you just wish you were taking this class with me?!  The prep school came and trick-or-treated in our classes today which was pretty cute.
Thursday was just a long day with a 5pm tutoring session.
Friday was a busy day with no breaks.  We had class from 8-12, then 1-3pm and I had a lunch meeting at 12pm.  This weekend  will consist of lots of studying because we we have hell week coming up.  Next week we have Anatomy on Thursday and Friday, then the following week Physio Monday and Immuno Tuesday.  I can't wait for this round of exams to be over!  Wish me luck!

Midsemester break

This past weekend was Midsemester break (half way done with 2nd semester!)  On Saturday, I watched the disappointing VT vs Clemson game, did some work, and then didn't feel well, so went to bed.  On Sunday, I did some more work, watched some movies, and cleaned.  I never experienced a rotten watermelon until I went to cut the one I bought from the store and liquid was coming from it.  It was the worst smelling thing I ever!.  I had to burn a candle to attempt to get the smell out of the kitchen.  Monday, there was no internet all morning until about 3pm, so it was forced study time.  Alex and I then went to the beach for a few hours and then grabbed some dinner at Bobsy's Wings.

Tuesday I started putting together some of the parasite we are learning.  Apparently, the "mosquito" that tore my legs up in Nevis are actually flies called Biting Midges....gross.

 Also, this might be TMI, but I thought I had food poisoning this past weekend, but turns out that maybe I have Giardia...even grosser.

Also, we booked our Africa trip tickets!  Yay, it's official!

Nothing too exciting on Wednesday, just a VBMA meeting at lunch.  I did think about going home because I got really nauseous in some of my classes, but it passed.
Friday is Island Idol, but it will depend on if I'm feeling better if I go.   This weekend there are a bunch of Halloween parties, so hopefully I will feel better to go to one as well.  I will also be studying for Parasit on Wednesday, which is Halloween!

One Year/Wedding/Tropical Storm Rafael

 It's officially been one year since I've started my blog!  Happy one year anniversary!

Beautiful and fun wedding this past weekend!  All of the little details did not go unnoticed and were very clever.  Jacqui looked absolutely stunning and ridiculously happy, so I am incredibly happy for her and Ryan!  It was great seeing everyone again and thanks to mom for stocking me up with lots of chocolate and candy again!  I was sent home with two bags of chocolate and gummies from the wedding, chess cake, two bags of peanut butter M&Ms, one bag of Twizzlers bites, brownie mix, and one bag of nuts. (At least something in there was healthy)

As I was welcomed back to St. Kitts, tropical storm Rafael was hitting full force.  We actually almost didn't land because the pilot said he couldn't see the runway.  If he couldn't land, we would have to fuel up in San Juan, then fly back to Miami.  Apparently, that's what happened to a few of the people on the flight the day before.  We circled around a bit, then he tried again and was able to make it!  My phone ended up falling out of my pocket as I faced the wind and rain on the way to the custom's line. I asked everyone if they had seen it and retraced my steps.  As I was about to make it up to the custom's officer, one of the employees found it!  Whew....it was soaked with rain, but I dried it out and it worked again.  Unfortunately, when I got home, there was no internet and the water had just been turned back on, yet there was no pressure.  So, to answer that question: Yes, I live on a tropical island, no the weather is not perfect all of the time.

                                                         It's coming

Bridge is usually 5 ft up....that bridge is the only thing keeping those buses from going into the ocean

                                                       River in the road...

Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in morning, sailor warning....so what does red sky in the afternoon mean?!?  Check out video too:  Red sky

                                                      Road to Marriott

                                    Shipwreck beach....not much of a beach anymore.....

 

Someone's view from apartment

                                Rock Lobster restaurant....yes that is the front porch on the roof....

                                                                Town

 

Try to see the different colors of the water....brown, light blue, then dark blue

See all the fun we are having here:  Rafael from campus              Island wide coverage 

Monday morning we were hoping for that phone call that classes were canceled, but nope we got a call saying that classes were as normal today. Around 12:30pm however, they decided to close campus for the rest of the day.  We missed an anatomy lecture, a physio lecture and a physio review.   Still rained on and off all day, on and off internet, no water from 3pm until the rest of the night, people got towed because of the flooded roundabouts, lights kept going on and off all day during classes, and now apparently there is another storm 5 days away....there goes our weekend.  Still haven't been able to go to the grocery store yet, so I'm living off all all my new junk food, Beefaroni and soup.  (Can't make anything because there is no water)
Tuesday morning, we were still out of water, but at least we had internet and electricity and I know I a lot of people still don't.  When we got home that night, we had a little bit of water, enough to do dishes, but not enough to shower with.  It's so hard not to want to curl up with sweatpants and a movie during this weather...maybe this weekend though.
Wednesday was the PHYSIO TEST!  A little more rain that afternoon and night and Alex and I finally ventured out to the grocery store to stock up!
Thursday - Anatomy palp quiz!  We also had some sunshine and probably way too much of it because it was hot!  I tried a new salad recipe tonight that was amazing!  It has broccoli, lettuce, roasted almonds and ramon, and onion.  I made the dressing as well.   I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow too!

Not much going on this weekend, although Midsemester break is on Monday, so we have a three day weekend.  I plan on catching up on my classes and trying to get ahead for the upcoming exams.  BORING I know, but maybe I will take a break and go to the beach for a few hours if the weather stays nice.  I haven't heard anything else about that other storm coming through, so we'll see.

Embarrassed for VT

This past weekend was fun and relaxing but also bittersweet since I had to say goodbye to a good friend who went back to the States.  Also, UNC beat VT......what?!?  I know I won't be hearing the end of that one....

Monday was uneventful other than the pouring rain all night long while I fell asleep studying.
Tuesday was again uneventful, full of studying, and more pouring rain.
Wednesday - IMMUNO EXAM!!  I then caught up on my TV shows and had dinner with Jess at Rituals Sushi for her birthday!!

On Thursday, I had a long break from 10 until 2pm.  I studied some and went to the gym, which was much needed since I haven't been all week. 
On Friday, I don't get a break like normal.  We have double Physio, so we had classes from 8-12pm, but then I had a tutor session from 12-1pm.  I then have to get to the airport around 1:30 for my 3:30pm flight to Chicago for Jackie and Ryan's wedding on Saturday!  I will get in around 11:30pm and get to see Brittany! Yay!
Saturday I think we are having brunch with my aunt and then Jackie and Ryan's wedding! (Pictures next week)  I will be missing the PAWS adoption day, but hopefully we will have a few cats and dogs find homes!
My flight is early on Sunday.  I have to be at the airport at 3am for my 5am flight.  The wedding ends around 1am, so I doubt I'm getting any sleep that night (Oh well!)  I get back to the island with a little bit of time to study for the Physio exam on Wednesday!  Busy weekend, but hopefully I can get some things done on the plane.

I found a Tumblr made just for Ross and St. Kitts!  Too Perfect
Life On The Rock

Too cool, we are number 4!
Best Islands In The World

Nevis Getaway

So when I went to post this today, the entire thing got deleted, so I'm having to write this all over again...ugh

This weekend I had a little getaway to Nevis, which was very beautiful and relaxing, athough the mosquitos did get the better of me (see picture)

Monday was uneventful, just the start of studying for Anatomy.
Tuesday, I made sweet tea and then went to MoJo's for frozen yogurt....yes we were avoiding studying.
Here is what we talked about in Parasit/Physio on Wednesday (not for the faint): Giant Kidney Worm
Thursday - ANATOMY TEST!
Friday (tonight) a friend is having a goodbye dinner and then we will probably go dancing at Bamboo.  Miss you already dear!
Saturday is VT vs UNC!

Sunday, I will probably be studying for Immuno that's on Wednesday...it never ends!