Dream Job

Days 12 - 22:
There has been so much going on that I have barely had any personal time and when I do have time, being on the internet is the furthest thing from my mind. An occasional photo update is the closet thing I've gotten to being on any form of social media. 

 The food here has been nothing short of phenomenal; everything is so fresh, there is juice at every meal, and more of a variety than I expected. The people are incredibly friendly, but I do need to continue to practice the language. The birds and wildlife are so colorful and always around you.  We have been exposed to such a large variety of animals as boars, playing with chickens, spay/neuter clinic (where we unfortunately had two kittens pass away on us), physical exams and treatments on horses, horseback riding, nature hikes, hot springs, hammocks, and outdoor showers in the rain.  We even felt an earthquake at dinner the other right. It felt a little spine-chilling considering we felt it while facing an active volcano. 

I'm getting paid for this?

Outdoor showers in the rain 

 Arenal volcano from my hotel 

Am I really getting paid for this?

 Equine palpation

I'm in my element, exhausted, and couldn't be happier (although my students probably hate me after their exam). I'm fulfilling two of my passions in an extraordinarily gorgeous place.  It will be hard to go back home although I do miss my little pup!

Centered

I found out my good friend Susie will be coming to visit me for my birthday! I'm so excited to have another visitor down here!  Luckily, it's my mid-semester break as well, so we will have an extra day in the sun!  The countdown has begun!

We were able to close our donkey's arthrocentesis on Monday, which means that this week and until our next surgery we won't have to SOAP twice a day. The rotation I had was Advanced Clinics where we worked up a dog with a possible case of Hypereosinophilic Sydrome, something that none of us have ever heard of, but was riveting to learn.

I had bovine palpation on Tuesday; I am getting slightly better at identifying structures.....slightly.

Another "rotation" for our Intro to Clinics class, includes a mock client phone call.  We are assigned to a faculty or staff member and given a scenario that we have to act out over the phone.  We still have until March to finish it, but again, I wanted to get it out of the way, so I scheduled mine for Wednesday.

Thursday was our LASx exam.  Luckily I didn't have any labs or surgery that afternoon so I was able to run errands, catch up on LSU paperwork, and contact possible externships.

My spay anesthesia partner and I meet with our anesthesia technician Friday afternoon to discuss our protocol for next week.  This weekend I will be preparing for my epididectomy/castration surgery, anesthesia for spay, as well as my therio exam.

Sarah and I were laughing about how there is so much to remember to do this semester that we have a running "to do" list, however that list never gets shorter, just keeps growing....this is 7th!

The Islands - a fun video that my friend made that spotlights this gorgeous island
On the other hand, here is a view of why not to live here: Reasons Not To Live in Caribean

When you're at peace, you are centered, balanced, and most powerful.