My new car...

Ok, so I finally broke down and bought a car here in St. Kitt's. It is certainly not the prettiest, but for a "Ross-mobile" it's pretty good!
All cars have to be shipped here, so they're really expensive. On average, you're going to pay at least 5 times what you would in the states. And these are crappy cars mind you. If I see a car that's younger than 10 years old I think it's nice!
So, a little about the car: It was the most reliable one I test drove, meaning the previous owner didn't have to replace pretty much everything under the hood (like most of the cars). It's really low to the ground, which makes driving difficult. There are tons of hills, dips, bumps, etc...needless to say (after you see the pictures) I've already torn up the front bumper pretty well after just 2 weeks of owning it! It also is missing the driver's side door handle (on the right hand side)...wouldn't be a "Ross-mobile" otherwise! It's a 1994 Honda Integra...I think (sorry I'm a girl - not into the car details). That is the extent of my knowledge of the car. I know I don't have to wait an hour (literately) for a cab anymore! The cars name is "Kit", affectionately named after the island which has now become the bane of my existence. :) Moving onto happier things....
I also just got a new apartment, which means I'll be living off-campus...which is both liberating and a little scary all at the same time. It will definitely feel like I'm actually living in another country now, and not "little-America". It's a cute apartment overlooking the Caribbean Sea. I'll put up pictures in about a month when I actually get to move in. It will be really nice to have a full-sized frig and oven!
School news....I'm getting ready for finals. They're in about 3 weeks! Terrifying! I have one a day for a week and then I'm done with first semester...which means I'm 1/10 of the way done with Vet school!!!

And so it begins....

So I have officially survived the first week of classes! Wha-hoo! I have gross anatomy for two hours each morning followed by microanatomy (histology - study of tissues) for two hours. Then we get lunch for an hour; which usually consists of grabbing something from "Shak-Shak" (which is the best place for food here!) and eating it while running all of my errands. After lunch our classes change depending on the day of the week, but they consist of physiology, nutrition, and intro to vet med. So far, my favorite classes are gross anatomy, microanatomy, physiology, and nutrition! I can't choose! We got our cadaver dog who we affectionately named "Doc Brown", the group next to us named theirs "DeLorean".
Vet school is definitely different than undergrad. The profs swear in class and make inappropriate jokes which are usually hilarious. They never assign reading or homework, so you just have to study all the time for tests, of which there are only two, plus the final...so that is all your grade consists of, so it is kinda nerve-racking. So far I've had a lot of "aw-ah" moments in class. A common phrase profs use is, "remember in undergrad when they made you learn X...this is why". That is probably my most favorite thing about Vet school is that it is very specific. It's not just arbitrary information thrown at you that is meaningless. For example, we'll learn about some process of the body, like we all did in undergrad, but then we'll learn why it happens and why it is important in the dog. At the end of lectures I feel like I've actually learned something worthwhile that I'll actually use!
We also had our whte-coat ceremony, which was really fun. We had a couple speakers that were really motivational. One of which was a Ross grad, who was very eloquent. He made us all want to run home and start studying! Of which, I must start up again...my fifteen minute dinner break is over :(

4 days in....

I have to start by saying that I love my new home in St. Kitt's! I have been on the island for four days and can honestly call it home. First of all, the weather is amazing; it's never cold. At times it would be "too hot", but there is always a cool breeze coming off the Caribbean Sea. But the islands' beauty extends far beyond its perfect weather. The architecture is very diverse. On campus, it is pretty usual: nice buildings, pastures for the horses and donkeys, except that it is located on top of a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Almost every turn you make is picturesque. After campus you come to the town of Basseterre...aka "the ghetto". The streets are incredibly small and you drive on the left-hand side. All the buildings are incredibly old and some are abandoned, not to mention that the island prison is located right on the street. Many Kittitians line the street, just hanging out, smoking pot and listening to music that is so loud is vibrates the entire van we've been driving around this week. But, in its own way, it's still beautiful. Almost all the buildings are brightly colored stucco and, although most are falling apart, I still like the look of them...by no means would I want to live in them, but if they were cleaned up, they would be very beautiful.
Further down the road the scenery completely changes to mansions. It feels like you've entered into a completely different island. Further still, is the outlook to the peninsula, which is one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. On one side is the Atlantic Ocean and the other is the Caribbean Sea. The photos do not do it justice. The Atlantic side is more choppy and too dangerous to swim in, while the Caribbean is calm, clear blue, and perfectly safe to snorkel, scuba dive, or just swim around in. You can go out pretty far and you can still stand up on just sand - hardly any rocks. It's so clear you can see starfish on the bottom of the Sea floor. It was an amazing experience!
So far my orientation group has gotten to have really amazing adventures. We hiked along a ridge line that lead to Reggie Beach where we swam, ate, and had some tropical drinks! We took a Catamaran trip to the furthest tip of St. Kitt's where we snorkeled. We didn't see many fish because of the hurricane that came through awhile ago, but I'm sure next time we'll be able to see a lot. We also road horseback through the rain forest which was really fun!
So...needless to say, I wouldn't change the decision to come here for anything! All my classmates I've met so far are really nice and we are all so excited to finally be able to start school! Keep checking back for updates! I miss and love everyone back home!!!

Hello and welcome to my blog!
I started this to keep in touch with family and friends while I am away at Vet school in the West Indies. I leave in three days and am getting very excited and nervous all at the same time. Right now I am in the midst of packing and our family room looks like someone has been testing missiles (sorry papa, I had to steal your joke!).
Getting ready to move out of the country has been quite the ordeal and I could not have done it without my families' help. It is appreciated more than they know! It will be sad leaving on Christmas day, but something tells me living on a tropical island will help ease the pain!
Feel free to subscribe to this blog if you want to know how my chronicles of vet school are going...or if you just want to see pretty tropical pictures!