Sure I'd love to move our exam up to Thursday giving us one day to cover all of respiratory and one day to cover all of renal and oh then take the exam the next day because who needs to study I certainly don't I have it all memorized the second you lecture on it.
Vet school's easy.
With many thanks,
Saskia
While all of my friends at Ross are enjoying their three day Mid-Semester Break following their respective Hell Weeks, I am entering the fourth and most hellacious week of my Hell Month.
Short version for those who have not had the pleasure of listening to me whining complaining explaining neutrally and unbiasedly SMU's way of masochistically torturing us providing us with a efficient learning environment for Physiology 1.
Yes, I realize I've taken this course once before. No need to remind me of that Ron dad everyone.
Now, I realize that we just haven't found a full-time professor yet, and so the students will just have to be flexible (I'm really starting to hate that word) until that time comes. And I honestly think that Dr. Roy is a really good prof, he really does genuinely care about us, however he just isn't the right guy to be teaching this material in an expedited format. It almost upsets me more to have him teaching us now, because I can see very clearly that I am missing out on some very important material simply due to the fact that we're cramming 4 weeks of material into 4 days.
So to conclude, I'm sorry I've been rather taciturn on this blog lately, but we had a pretty major phys test last Friday (covered Cardio, Muscle, Senses, and a little Intravascular phys), we have an anatomy exam on Monday that everyone is playing catch up for due to phys (covers pelvic limb, abdomen, and male/female repro), Tuesday we have a makeup ORAL exam for phys to try and replace our grade from two weeks ago (the test that covered Neuro Phys, pretty much the entire class failed it so he's giving us a chance to replace that test grade...did I mention how much I hate ORAL tests?), and this Friday we have our last phys test (covers the rest of Intravascular, Renal, and Respiratory).
Basically I've been having a month-long panic attack.
Whoo-hoo.
Yesterday I spent the morning with Dad at the fairgrounds volunteering for a horse show.
Trust me, it sounds soooo much better than it really was.
To be honest, it was kinda like watching paint dry.
As I sat there for three hours opening and closing the exit gate I was able to observe the weird world that is Western Horse Shows. Like for example, do the amount of rhinestones directly affect the rider's chances? None of the men wore tight sparkly shirts, and yet a number of them won. Perhaps it is belt buckle size that truly determines a rider's worth. That and their gigantic hat. Can you not ride a horse western-style without the hat? Does the horse attempt to buck riders without hats?
I mean seriously, some of those women looked like Cher on a horse.
It's also seriously creepy walking in front of a line of nervous horses standing around waiting their turn in the ring. You could feel the nervousness emanating from the riders and horses. Needless to say I kept my hands to myself and gave them a wide berth.
One of the elements of the competition required the riders to lope. Not being familiar with riding in any way I have to say those horses reminded me of Quasimodo limping around the bell tower. Its like they were making fun of retarded children.
And lastly: fake tails. These horses had the most gorgeous tails I've ever seen (no obvious signs of pinworm infections), and turns out the damn things were fake! What's next? Highlights and fake nails?
Nuts.
This morning was my court appearance for the traffic ticket I ranted about here. I came equipped with pictures of the intersection, timing of the light sequence, and my fabulous Lawyer.
After buzzing through the security system and waiting outside for about twenty minutes, all of us 'defendants' were shown into the court room and asked to take a seat and be quiet. Apparently no one bothered to tell the thirty or so police officers in the back few rows the rules because it was basically a giant Cop Party back there. I'm pretty sure they were all trying to pick out their victims and compare who gave the most ridiculous ticket.
After some yahoo went through his cases, we were called up first. Basically this is what happened, all within about a 1 minute period:
Lawyer and I walked up to the stand and Magistrate asked if this was a hearing (which I was like, um yeah?) and Lawyer said something about yes or no (that part was a bit technical for me) and then Magistrate started to dismiss the case when Cop came striding up from the Cop Party in the back of the room and he was all "Are you serious?" and Lawyer was all "Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Persian. Perhaps you should have done the same!" and Cop was all "This is blasphemy! This is madness!" and Lawyer was all "Madness?.....This is Sparta!" and then he righteously kicked Cop out of the courtroom.
Actually, I sort of blacked out from nervousness when we walked up to the stand so most of that could possibly maybe have been exaggerated a little bit. Or stolen from a movie.
Either way, Victory Is MINE!!
Seriously folks. Our gov'ner should be calling out the National Guard, declaring a State of Emergency. The pollen count has reached a critical high.
And my poor poor car is just sooooo sad. Normally she shines bright and green and happy. Now she's a dull chartreuse and no matter how many times I wash her she is just COVERED 5 minutes later. Unfortunately I have not been able to convince my parents that it's about time we cut down the Centenarian+ Oak Tree that canopies our drive. Thus, each year, I live with this:
The good little vet student sits down to prepare herself for the biggest exam of her life. She has her notes and review sheets strewn all over the table, her computer at the ready for researching questions, and her head in the game. Then her phone buzzes with a text message that reads: "Your shower is overflowing and the entire house is flooded".
What is this student to do? Does she just ignore a blatant call for help from her roommates and remain in study mode? Does she pack everything up and rush to the house?
She heads home in the pouring rain, through two major currents of run-off from the mountains to her left, biting her nails at the very image of the damage at home. She runs up the walk to find the front door wide open, an inch of water covering the floors, and four very tired people desperately trying to push the water out of open doors with small mops and brooms collected from neighbors. As an added bonus they are all working in completely darkness stabbed here and there by weak beams of light from various phones and book lights as the power went out shortly after the flood began. She grabs a mop and digs in, feeling the fruitlessness of the effort every other minute as she walks outside to squeeze the drenched mop.
This is how my shower floor looks after every significant rainfall.
Cristin extending a hand of welcome to our new little friend.
She was seriously terrified. We left her while we finished the house. After all of the commotion ended she came out of her shell and ran around with glee only seen in an animal that has no worries.
The girl asks the landlady (who, along with her husband, are working diligently with us in bailing out the water) if she brought her dog along. When she replies that she had not, the girl and her roommates stare in disbelief at the little pup shivering in their living room and erupt in maniacal laughter at the very thought of this dog finding its way into their home while 5 people are present – and no one has any idea when or where she came from! The girl thinks to herself, perhaps in the midst of this low situation, when most people would quietly lose their minds, this little bundle of fur was sent to our home to remind us of why we are here. Why we put up with the crazy locals and the crappy roads/cars and the flooding showers. We are here to become veterinarians. The rest doesn’t matter. Better yet, the rest matters only in that it will make us better veterinarians for having had these experiences.
Performing a physical exam on our new friend. She's very needy (not Kristin, the dog) and submissive. Loves to sit as close as possible to you - or preferrably ON you.
After two hours of seemingly endless circles, the floors are finally…merely damp. What did the vet student and her fellow mates have to show for it? Wet, stinky clothes, aching backs, beds full of items that were once on the floor, unease about whether the flood water was clean or dirty, and an adorable little refugee to raise our spirits and give us perspective.
Investigagting the surroundings.
We decided to toast the evening with a cold drink.
Yes, I realize how unattractive this picture is. No need to comment.
Kristin took this video of the shower beginning its flood. The video is long, but at least watch until the world goes black. That should give you a chuckle.
Shower. Flooded. Entire. Room. (Thank you roommates for your mopping skills)
Sewage smell pervasive.
100% humidity inside and out.
Brain. Starting. To. Crack.
....you have abnormally violent reactions at Subway when they are out of Italian Herbs & Cheese bread. And meatballs. And they won't toast your friend's sub because it has a mayonnaise product on it. It was Tuna Salad. Seriously.
....nothing seems to calm your turbulent thoughts except knitting (how many scarves does a girl need in boiling St. Kitts?) or staring at the night sky looking for constellations...or meaning.
....you did something you've never had to do before in your life because Daddy and/or [insert boyfriend's name here] has always been there to do it for you: you killed a [big freaking monster] roach. With military-like precision. And liked it.
....you start to use Facebook/blog to vocalize your feelings in not-so-subtle ways. Because you just don't know what else to do.
....people greet you with "what's wrong?" instead of "good morning".
....you check your email accounts/Facebook/MySpace/Ravelry 20 times a day to avoid....well, everything else.
....you can actually hear your head cracking under the pressure.
*And by "you're", I am of course referring to "me". Welcome to my [current, hopefully temporary] world.
I've got to say I'm finding it very hard to focus this semester. And considering this is the hardest of the 7, that's not good news. I'm not sure what is different, why my motivation levels have changed, but c'mon!!
Wednesday we have our second parasitology exam, which I really need to rock. There will be around 60 parasites covered, both dog/cat and equine. I can actually feel my blood pressure rise at the mention. And to make matter more fun, next week we have our second anatomy lab exam that covers the lower half of the thoracic limb and all of the pelvic limb, thorax, and abdomen! ACK!
I hope everyone at home are doing well, and I'm sorry I've not been much of a good relative/friend/etc. lately. I hope you all understand my taciturn attitude and I look forward to catching up with you over break.
OH - and to add to that blood pressure thing....more break-ins reported tonight in my neighborhood. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
Following is an update, this is as much information as we get. My notes in [brackets] and red. :)
__________________________________________________________________
The Electricity Department, in a press conference yesterday indicated that they will be able to have aditional improvements in the load shedding situation by this weekend as they will be able to bring the capacity up to 20 Mega Watts (the peak time requirement is 24MW). They are, however, working towards having the full capacity in place by October 17th.
It continues to be a difficult time especially for persons living in the Mattingley [MY HOOD!], West Farm and Boyds Area as the power does not return till 10:00pm. Arrangements have been made to open the Library earlier on weekends (from 7:00am) and to have Classrooms 2 and 3 available at nights till 10:00pm. [So far no acknowledgement of my open living arrangements in the dorms, both in Jen's room and the study lounge couch...stay tuned] We appreciate your cooperation in keeping the classrooms clean when you study at night for your fellow students the next morning.
We will continue to keep you informed as further information or schedules are released.
Regards
Campus Administrator
Students -
At this point we have not received an updated schedule from the Electricity Department, however, they did indicate that they were able to bring one generator online which should add some extra capacity and reduce the amount of load shedding currently taking place.
The Department has indicated that they will be issuing a new schedule tomorrow and I will forward it as soon as it is received. Your cooperation is certainly appreciated as we seek to conserve electricity to minimize the load on the system.
Regards
Campus Administrator
My neighbor's place across the street was broken into last night. While this is a common occurance in St. Kitts - especially where students are concerned as we are all assumed to be related to Bill Gates - this was fairly close to home.
Our bedroom doors are equipped with keyed deadbolts so we can lock ourselves in when we go to sleep at night. Last night, my neighbors (who are in my semester) locked up the outside locks, and while one roomie locked his bedroom door the other passed out for a nap that lastest into the night. He woke up in the wee hours of the morning to find a guy in his room. Creepy! The guy drilled through their front door's deadbolt, then helped himself to my neighbor's laptop, wallet, and phones before being caught and chased out of the house.
What a way to start the day....
As an avid reader about infectious diseases in third world countries, I am familiar with the concept of sub-par medical facilities. My experience last night made a concept into reality.
A very close friend called me last night, asking for a ride to the hospital because he had been feeling ill for the last couple of days and had recently begun vomiting blood. I rushed over to pick him up and thus began our 5 hour tour of the St. Kitts hospital system (and I use the term "system" rather loosely).
Upon arriving at the hospital, we were greeted by...nothing. No reception area, no signage, just a door to the left marked emergency. Inside there was the remnant of a reception desk that I am sure at one time was used as such, but not for some time. People filled all of the chairs in the large reception room, perhaps about 40 people total. No AC, no open windows for ventilation, no air exchange whatsoever. I tried my best to limit touching anything - including people - to a minimum.
After waiting around 45 minutes - asking for help twice - our other friends finally arrived who took it upon themselves to turn the hospital upside down for a doctor. By this time our school nurse, previously unavailable for "personal reasons", had contacted the hospital and made sure to inform the doctor that we were there and needed to be seen ASAP. A nurse ushered my friend into a back room, whereupon the entire waiting room erupted into a riot about the stupid white kid getting helped before them. Never mind the fact that I had already mentally triaged them all, and I promise you he was the worst of the bunch. But we were white, and therefore devils. It was a rather tense hour.
My friend had a 103 fever, and was admitted to the hospital for tests and fluids. What can I say about his quality of care? Let's just say, I won't be running to the hospital any time soon. And sterile does not seem to be in their vocabulary. And nasal gastric tubes don't require any anesthetic agent to insert. Wow.
Long story short, my friend recovered after two nights of fun on the St. Kitts hospital's private ward. The nurses were quite amused at the sheer number of
For those of you who are curious about what caused the hematemesis? The best answer we could get is irritation/erosion of the lining of the esophagus or stomach. I was shooting for Dengue fever, especially after he broke out in a rash while waiting for his IV to be put in...but alas it is merely GI upset. Guess we'll just have to keep waiting to see who breaks first with a tropical disease!
So....I'm lying there minding my own business sleeping in a little bit when I hear this loud thump. Not from outside....from inside my room. One of those noises that was loud enough to wake me up but strange enough that you can convince yourself you were dreaming. So I look around, nothing is out of miss, and I close my eyes and start to drift off again. A few minutes later, in my drifting state, I head a louder and more obvious Whump. Now my heart starts beating a little fast, I'm looking around wondering what animal or person is hiding in my room, and considering calling security when I look UP. And see that a very large chunk of plaster has FALLEN FROM THE CEILING just shy of the foot of my bed.
So our car died two weeks ago. We knew the starter was going bye bye, but were assured by our "no-longer-our-mechanic" mechanic that it should last a long while yet. It seems people here are more interested in not getting paid to not work than to make any money at all. Interesting lifestyle, as opposed to say...the States. Where people would rather get paid to not work.
I digress. For the last two weeks our precious little Ross-mobile has been sitting out at Ziggy's by the beach. Kristin was attempting to return from volleyball with Chris when little precious gave her the finger...so to speak.
Because of our impending finals, we have been lax about getting her back. I checked on her last week, attempted to start her, and was rewarded with a lovely grating grinding noise. Thus starts our adventure of trying to decipher Island Mechanics.
Having had bad luck previously with our "not-our-mechanic-any-longer" mechanic, we consulted the aforementioned Chris who assured us that starters are really easy to install. If we could just find the part, he would put it in with no problem.
Having no Advanced Auto Parts (etc.) here on the island, and also no Island Yellow Pages to consult, I approached our anatomy prof Dr. Danny who happens to be a major car guy on the side.
Side note: I've been drawing the darnedest little cartoons for the vet prep class, nothing special really, but Dr. Danny saw and few and now seems very interested in my illustrating his anatomy text he's working on. Or at least that's the rumor...no actual deals as of yet.
Can you imagine my surprise when Dr. Danny offered to have his mechanic tow our car back to the dorms? He also gave me the name of his auto parts supplier (aptly named Island Auto Supplies) where they have anything and everything we might need (including Flywheels lights for our wheels, SOOO tricking out precious once she's all better!!). I called yesterday morning, and low and behold they had just the right starter in stock! At $800 EC it is a steal, and with Chris installing it we are saving a bundle!
And after all of these wonderful things happened yesterday, we took our anatomy lab final and it was AWESOME. Super easy, very well prepared was I, which is good because I need all of the help I can in that class....what did that 2nd semester tell me earlier? They failed something like 29 people last semester in Anat 1? Out of something like 100 students? They had to adjust the curve to prevent losing too many students?? Hmm.....wonder where all of my stress comes from.
Let's all just hope precious is still sitting there at the beach. With all of her tires. That would be a wonderful pre-finals surprise.
