So in a direct response to the last blog post I was successful in procuring a seat on the sailing trip as a reward for score one of the 3 highest B's in the class.  I like to think that I was rewarded for my mediocrity while others were rewarded for their perfection... not the worst way to go through life.  So in any event the ten lucky students loaded on to Dr. Smiths boat and enjoyed a sunset cruise in the Caribbean.  Complete with beer and sweet breads it was indeed the ultimate study break.

In cadaver news we have progressed onto the final frontier the head and neck.  W/ a scheduled removal of the brain on Monday there is never a dull moment in medical school.  If anyone would like to see pictures of this you will have to wait until I get home for break.

In other medical news having recently joined the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) I am now privileged to partake in activities sponsored by the organization.  For instance this week there was a catheter session where we learned the basics of how to insert them, and although I would not recommend anyone come to me for this service yet I am well on my way to a professional carrer of saying "nurse can you please do this for me."

We have reached the home stretch and have only 3 more weeks of classes left before finals.  Only 7 exams stand between me and Christmas break and I cant even begin to imagine the amount of information that still needs to be processed in this time... but Paige and Katie will be down for the next week and their coming has been a great motivation to get ahead so that I will be able to spend more time with them in the week to come.

For now that is all.  I am anxiously looking forward to my quick but much needed return to the US and hope that everyone is doing well.

Joel

I'm on a boat... Hopefully

Greetings and let me first apologize for being so distance over the past few weeks. Between block exams (which went well!) and coming down with the flu (which didn't go very well) I have not had much time nor energy to blog. But im back! and ready to go. So although our first round of tests is rapidly fading into history the second round is rapidly approaching. In an attempt to motivate us and get us to study that little extra bit our Histology professor whom lives on a boat has offered up his vessel to the students of the class. The catch, he will take the top 5 A's top 3 B's and top 2 C's in the class on the next exam. His logic "in life the people who get A's always get everything they want, well this is my way to give back to the B and C's" So in a class of 45 10 of us will have the luxure of a sunset cruise on this. Now if thats not motivation then I have no idea what is...

Other then that I would like to take time to acknowledge how I miss Fall. Yes I know I am in the Caribbean and the weather is perfect but there is something to be said about breathing that cool fall air, the color or the leaves and the smell of fires and pumpkin such. It also dosent help that any time I watch TV there are ad's for Dunkin Doughnuts pumpkin coffee's and the closest Dunking is not even an hours plane ride from here. Do not worry though I am adjusting and will get through this but it is the greatest struggle momentarily.

I hope all is well to all my friends and family around the world and I promise I will be back again next week.

Live Laugh Love

Joel

Inside of you...

Its amazing how one push of a saw blade or one slight motion of a scalpel can reveal so much about the human body. Our most recent endeavor has been to explore the thorax and explore we did with the help of our trusty bone saw we were able to remove the chest cavity and explore the lungs, heart, and every other structure that has to do with this area...as you may imagine a lot, welcome to Med school.

Outside of the lab our class has been gearing up for our first block exams next monday, and an air or anticipation has transcended all of us Med1's. Needless to say this next week will be the most taxing yet as we prepare.

Over the past weekend an intramural volleyball team run by Ross Vet. school that I was invited to join won our first game of the season. One of the team mates is a fellow Skidmore grad so it really is true that 1. no matter where you go you will find some one from up state NY (I have meet 2 already) 2. Skidmore may be a "small liberal arts school" but we have a presence everywhere. We are named NADS and surprisingly chanting Go before our name really works... what a coincidence.

On Saturday the Med 1 class finally had its White Coat Ceremony which was postponed due to hurricane Irene. This ceremony is the symbol of our entrance into the medical profession and it was quite a moving experience that really hit home just to what extent our responsibilities will reach.

Lastly it has been my goal to become a "local" at the Marriott coffee shop. I would one day like to walk in and have a complimentary cup of mud. I have reached the point where they are aware that I come in at 650 and get a small coffee and go off to school, but am still asked if I have the 5 cents to make it 2.05 so that they can give me a full dollar back and no change (so baby steps at this point but I promise you it will happen).

Other then that it is all about spectirns, holocine secretions, familial spherocytosis, Cop I, and epidermis, and which I wont bore you with the nitty gritty details of. So until next time live laugh love.

Joel

The Hash

Yet another week down in Med school and it is flying by. Over the past week we have moved from dissecting the muscles of the deep back to the upper limb aka arm, well stopping to perform a mastectomy (removal of breast) to see whats inside... Not only have I been learning a lot but I also attained a great formaldehyde rash that engrossed my entire body for an evening. Note to self wash your scrubs more then once every other week to avoid such unpleasant skin rashes.

The time put into this process is enormous but it is amazing at how much I have already learned. From basic cellular function, to clinical correlations with anatomy, to the recognition on neuronal bodies on slides there has been vast arrays of materials shoveled at all of us. Just another day in paradise I guess.

The highlight of this week though had to have come from outside the class room. Yesterday I was lucky enough to join a "drinking group with a running problem" called the Hash House Harriers. Which apparently is an international running organization that holds runs all over the world. So for all reading this who enjoy running look up this organization and see if there is one near you b/c it is probably one of the most fun things I have been a part of in some time.

Cadaver Lab

The Hash was invented in kuala lumpur in the late 1930's and as the story goes a british couple living there began to constantly argue b/c the mans wife said he was getting to fat and he needed to lose weight. So the man decided to start running in the woods and would always end at a restaurant called The Hash. Apparently over time he became very fit and other people would come to him and say "hey I want to run as well can I come with you and get fit and such". Well the man now very in shape said fine fine but I dont want to wait for anyone I am to fit to jog... so he would run ahead and leave saw dust markers for people behind him to follow. The man became known as the "hare" and was chased after by the "hounds." Eventually this tradition made it back to England and was then spread all over and it is now a global club.

Anyway the local St. Kitts hash consisted of about 100 people and takes place once every 3 weeks. Each race a different hash member is in charge of making a course. Now the course can be anywhere on a beach, up the side of the volcano, through downtown. But the only way that you know where you are going is to continue following the saw dust markers which is not always easy as there may be multiple junctions in the road.

For my first has we started at the base of the volcano and ran down to the beach. The second we hit the beach it started to downpour... hashers being brave of soul and thick skined trucked on, from the beach we made a B line for one of the smaller but still very steep mountains next to the volcano and ended up following saw dust all the way to the top. Sadly due to the rain I was unable to get pictures but rest assured they will come for my second Hash, just take my word that the view from the top was beautiful as the storm had moved out to sea the sun was out and you could see lighting over the water (I know medical school is tough right). Anyway on to the last and most important part, thats right the drinking. Coolers and coolers of beer were brought and the post race festivities began. Little did I know that anyone who was a virgin hasher (first race) had to become christened into the Hash. This consisted of first taking a knee stating your name, getting beer dumped on your head (baptism), chuggin a beer, and then having any of the beer that you were unable to chug dumpped on your head. All an all a great experience but I would advise against beer showers as they tend to make one very sticky.

Anyway with only two weeks until our first block exams everyone is starting to feel the pressure of our first exams and you can feel the anxiety in the air. Once we have a feel for how effective our study schedules are I think everyone will be more at ease but thats wont happen until we get this first exam out of the way, so bring it on.

Sunset at The Strip

Well one week of medical school is done... a lot more to go. After the first week I just have to stop for a second and think of how much information can be thrown at you and how much one can actually retain if the willingness is there. The highlight of the week has had to be the dissection of our cadaver. We focused on the superficial and deep back muscles, innervation and blood and will move on to the shoulder and arm this week. Having a brand new school has the advantage of great ventilation so leaving the lab at the end of the day does not coincide w. smelling like formaldehyde for the rest of the day. A normal week day consists of waking up a 545 exercising, catching a bus at 7, class until 4 and then studying at school until 8, returning eating and studying some more. Although this may or may not sound daunting and excessive to some I can assure you that it is actually fun and rewarding!!

A huge advantage of this school is that the professors are here to teach, there is no research conducted so they have our attention 100 % of the time. They really have our backs and are willing to do what it takes to get us where we need to go.

Getting up early and running every morning has been an interesting experience. Although it is an island there are many wild animals that one may come across and indeed the early am is a great time to spot them. I have trotted across a group of monkeys, a horse (still not sure what was up with that), and watched a cat take a bird out mid flight.

Tropical Storm Maria has been brewing south of St. Kitts for a few days now and from Friday night on the entire island has been on high alert. Furniture has come inside, storm shutters have gone up and supplies and water have been purchased. Originally the storm was supposed to pass directly over the island but shifted and the worst part of the storm passed us by. The only real downside to the storm was that it canceled the white coat ceremony until next weekend. For those unfamiliar the white coat ceremony is where our class is officially welcomed into the school by dawning our white lab coats and taking a pledge uphold the standards of medicine and its education. So until next week we all must wait.

Well that is it for now, if there is anything anyone wants to hear more about let me know and I will expand, elaborate, and delve into new topics.

Joel

Staycation

Orientation week has come to a close and the hours until the real fun begins can be counted almost on one hand. Living in St. Kitts for the past week has been a perfect vacation or staycation I should say since I am living here. Over this past week out class of about 120 primarily from the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico have had the opportunity to slowly ease into island life and become familiar to the campus. The campus itself is a beautiful, modern, and right on the ocean. Many of the class rooms look directly out to the ocean from the cliff that we are situated on.

-The UMHS Campus-

During orientation we had the privilege of each personally meeting the new Dean of the school as well as small group tours of the campus by President Ross. The hands on presence of all faculty at the school is impressive. It is obvious that they are concerned about our success and want nothing but the best for us and are willing to go out of their way to make sure it happens. One of the highlights of orientation was the hurricane lecture, where we were advised on what to do if a storm ever comes acros St. Kitts. Hopefully this wont happen during my time here, as a true hurricane has not hit St. Kitts since 1999, that being said we are only half way through hurricane season so we still have some ways to go.

This last week also allowed us more time to explore the beaches and towns of St. Kitts. From exploring the capital Basseterre (the capitol) to the rain forests there is much to do on the island. A few days ago a group of 4 students and President Ross went zip linning in the rain forrest. Five different zip lines through canopies and across ravines defiantly got our adrenaline pumping.

Yesterday was the Presidents Beach Party Bash, which is basically a welcome to the island day of water sports, volleyball, food, and of course open bar. What a blast it was to just hang out on the beautiful beaches of St. Kitts, hang out, use jet skis, see wild monkeys, and play some volleyball. Although hanging out here has been great it is on everyones mind the work that is to come and I am looking forward to getting started with the primary reason I am here. Getting in the groove and hitting the books A great end to a great orientation. Now the real work begins. For the first semester I will be taking anatomy, histology, and cell biology, and can not wait to dive right in tomorrow.

-Frigate Bay-

Its back!

Joel from afar is back in action. This time coming to you from the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies. I have been here for three days and am getting adjusted to the island. My parents accompanied me down but unfortunately had to leave early as the hurricane threatens to put their car (at JFK) under water. The time they did spend here was full of touring the island, visiting the school and sitting on beautiful empty beaches. We ate a variety of restaurants ranging from small shacks on the beach to elegant restaurants inside the Marriot.

St. Kitts as an island is still very undeveloped and although the basic amenities are available it is still vastly untouched.

In one week I begin classes and for the next week I have only to settle in and attend orientation events and lectures. I am just ready to start as the anxiety of the work to come builds and builds. Until then though I guess I will enjoy the beaches and sun. I am lucky to have a great room at the Royal St. Kitts which over looks a man made pond and is only minutes from the ocean. All in all the first few days have gone smoothly and I am settling in just fine. I realize that this period of relaxation will quickly vanish so I am trying to live (laugh love) it up! I hope to be able to update the blog once a week or so so check back each weekend for any new information. I hope everyone in the city is weathering the storm...

a view from my room

a small taste of St. Kitts