And a happy v-day to you too!

What week am I in? Is this week 6 or 7? Nope, definitely week 7 which means I'm HALFWAY DONE with Vet Prep! In honor of Valentine's Day, my OL group did a secret valentine exchange.

Proof that you CAN bake with the toaster ovens provided-
may look messy, but they turned out delicious.

My friend's Valentine's gift! Fresh picked flowers
and a bottle of sauvignon blanc.

We all got pretty creative with our gifts, ranging from wine to handpicked flowers to Double-Stuffed Oreos and Hershey's Kisses (thanks Christina!!) to cheesecakes to cute handmade Valentine's pictures taped on all of our doors. A few girls and I wanted to celebrate a bit further, so we went over to the Marriott for some R&R by the pool. We only spent about 4-5 hours there, but the experience only solidified why having your own transportation is almost crucial on St. Kitts.

Not the best picture, but hey, we were all jumping
around the entire time.

     We had contacted a local taxi to take us over to the Marriott and told him we would call him when he should come and pick us up. The drivers' rates are variable- it costs $20EC (about $8 US) per total ride, but some drivers have you pay $10 EC for the ride there and for the ride back while some just have you pay upfront or when you get back to Ross. Anyways, we each paid all of our money when we got to the Marriott which was a bad idea overall.

    We called the guy around 4:00 who told us that he would come and get us at 4:45.  He didn't show up. We called him at 5:00, he said he would only be a few more minutes. We called him again around 5:20, he said that he was right around the corner. As soon after we called our fellow VP friend to come and get us, he showed up saying that fellow students had wasted his time which why he was late. In any case, it didn't matter- we were still late getting home. Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal, but we were with a first semester friend who had to be back by 5:30 so she could walk her kennel dogs. It is part of your grade for 1st semester to walk your dog(s) on time, and you can only walk them at certain times throughout the day. We didn't get back to campus until 6:00. Moral of the story- make sure you research your taxi drivers. There are about two who really respect students and understand their time constraints- figure them out and you'll be ok.

   So after that, a few of my other friends went to a free concert celebrating the opening of St. Christopher's Harbor. The opening act was a local reggae guy named Banky Banks (who was pretty fun!) But the real fun and headliner- Darius Rucker. And it was free. He sang most of his top charting songs, both from his solo career and a few Hootie and the Blowfish songs, and most of us students were only about 30 feet from the stage. It was honestly one of the best concerts I have ever been to, and it was just another reminder that life on St. Kitts is not as different as that in Pittsburgh.

I leave you with this gorgeous parting gift. Until next week!

Happy almost mid-semester break from yours truly at the Marriott on St. Kitts!

The things I miss from home

As I think I've mentioned before, I come from western Pennsylvania. My friends are currently sending me texts, posting pictures on Facebook, and Snapchatting me pictures of the "Snowmageddon" (HAH!) mixed in with partly-joking death threats of how jealous they are of me living in the Caribbean. So to placate them (and because I'm feeling nostalgic), here's a list of the things I miss from home.

My view a few days ago.What snowstorm?

1. Obviously, my family and friends. But I sortof miss my pets more- my family understands why I felt and that I'm returning home at scheduled times (this April and Christmases). But the last time I saw my cat and my horses, I was in tears on Christmas Day and they had no clue why I was upset. Just thinking about that brings me to tears, and since I'm in the library surrounded by 40 other people, we'll just skip on ahead.
2. Snow. This is the winter season here on St. Kitts, which means it's 70-90 degrees with 75% humidity and a medium breeze, so it's tolerable for me...barely. The only precipitation is the daily rainstorms and sweat. Apparently it is almost intolerable here in August- there's no breeze and it gets even hotter. Plus the threat of hurricanes makes me yearn to build a snowman and igloos again.
3. Having semi-reliable transportation. My fellow VP and 1st semester students are looking up cars/scooters for sale while the going is good. I think I'll be able to survive until April without transportation or borrowing rides off of other people. But be warned- buying a car or a scooter is almost inevitable. There is a bus system that only costs $2.50EC or $1 US per ride, but it is infrequent and terrifying. And the buses only travel to port and back. Luckily there is a grocery store on the way, but it is one of the more expensive ones on St. Kitts, and if you go only when you need food, you will be stuck squished beside four other people in the backseat of an old bus with 15 grocery bags on your lap, hoping your milk (that expires in 2 days) won't break out of the bag. As for the buses themselves.... Friends from the states- you know that I am an awful driver. I'll only say this once: "The bus drivers here are quite possibly the worst drivers on the planet. Combine road rage with 80mph on a 20mph road filled with potholes, and you've never known true fear like this."
4. Privacy. When you begin your schooling here at Ross, you are provided housing on campus or off-campus if on-campus is filled or if you are bringing a pet down with you. The dorms are stereotypical of traditional college dorms. You can hear your neighbor get out of bed, start cooking bacon, singing in the shower (guilty). But you are only there for 4 months, after which you are required to find housing. Fortunately, I'm going to be rooming with a classmate who I really like and understands my need to occasionally belt Ed Sheeran or Queen songs, and my current roommates don't mind as long as I cook them food from time to time. I hope my future neighbors like good music...
5. Freedom. I have a lot of freedom down here. Freedom from being forced to skip vacations or trips because my pets needed fed. Freedom from (some) responsibilities. But I'm trapped by things stereotypical of a graduate school and of trying to be an adult. Wait, what? The Superbowl is today? Sorry, I have block exams tomorrow covering four classes, can't watch.
6. Playing the piano, singing music that's not on the radio, any music that's not reggae.
7. Simplicity. Perhaps the hardest thing about getting settled in a Caribbean island is that it is far more difficult to get anything done here. For example, many landlord do not accept US checks because they take 6 weeks to process. So you have to open up a bank account down here and request checks. Which I did. 6 weeks ago. The banks don't notify you when they have your debit card or checkbooks ready to be picked up, so you have to call them. But no one answers their phone down here- the "island time" struggle is real. So you have to find somebody to take you to the bank (at the exact location that you created the account, no sharing here!) in-between classes. You need to have a four hour block free, because that's how long it takes you to get through everything at the bank, and after 3 1/2 hours of waiting, the bank tells you they don't have everything together yet and if you could come back at a later point in time. If you go to a restaurant, be prepared to spend about 2-3 hours there. An hour to get your food, another hour or hour and a half to get your check, and more time devoted to waiting until they bring your change. It only gets easier to deal with because you get used to it.

Now, this list does not mean in any way that I hate being here. I love it down here- I thank God every day that I'm able to pursue my dreams, albeit in a different route than I thought I was going to take. So allow me to get back to studying with the knowledge that yes, you will miss a lot of things from home; but in this world, its all about the journey.

                                                                     After all, "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it."

“You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don’t think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.” 

— Anthony Robbins 

Week 1 - Vet Prep

Happy Saturday, everyone! This first week as been a blur- meetings, and lectures every day. I guess the most difficult aspect of getting settled into a graduate program is the scheduling: every day is different. This week, I had one lecture on Monday, four on Tuesdays, two on Wednesday, four on Thursday, and then one Friday morning followed by general advice regarding transitioning to the island, where to seek help if need be, etc. Also! We were introduced to the "block exam" concept- each class submits 15-20 questions that are worth about 2 or 3 points each. You take one singular 2 hour long exam; its meant to keep students studying for the entire semester, not worry about an exam on Tuesday, and then an exam on Friday. They really want us to retain the information for the long term (no kidding!).

I've been studying every night so far and am just trying to figure out how I study best. Our Orientation group has been studying all together in one rom, and occasionally I find it's distracting with 18 people studying for anatomy and the four VP's studying for cell physiology. However, we're a good group- it only took 30 minutes for everyone to settle down and actually begin studying. The rest of my week studying has been in the library or the study rooms by myself. I guess we'll just see how it goes.

This is essentially my last weekend of freedom before classes really start getting intense (it was mostly syllabus week and review), so a few of my friends are going out to Shipwreck beach for a few hours and then back to studying tonight!

Week 0 - Welcome to Ross & Orientation Week

The Atlantic to your left, the Caribbean to your right. Day One in St. Kitts and Nevis.

It's currently the day before classes start. I would input more on Orientation week, but that's probably not the reason you are reading this blog. You're considering Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine because, well, maybe your grades were not competitive enough to get into a United States Vet School. Maybe you weren't in a high percentile with your GRE scores. Or maybe none of the above, and you just want to party on a Caribbean island for 2 1/2 years.

One of my horses (BB) and I all dressed up
for a Halloween parade.

My name is Samantha, and I am a 22 year old incoming Vet Prep semester student. I did my undergrad at a small, private, liberal arts school near Pittsburgh, PA that had an excellent reputation for producing doctors, veterinarians, and other health-based professionals. I graduated with a low-competitive GPA of 2.91, but I had a GRE score in the 92 percentile. Looking back, I realize that my grades were due to devoting too much time to clubs and other activities. I was a member of my college's select choir, I was co-captain of the Equestrian Team, and I worked part time at a local Standardbred racetrack when I wasn't in school. The most time-consuming activity however were the horses, alpacas, chickens, cats, and a dog I owned and cared for at our private family farm, and by the time I would get done with barn chores and back to the college, it would be 11:00 at night and I would have to start studying. I was not considered competitive for the American vet schools, but I knew that being a veterinarian was my passion in life. I chose RUSVM because they are giving me a chance to pursue my dream- instead of solely looking at GRE and GPA, they question the reasons why those factors are low for each individual student.

My first view of St. Kitts was at 11:00 at night after traveling for 18 hours, and the lights around the coastline faded away into a black expanse. Walking through the airport (after experiencing the marvels of the Pittsburgh and Miami International Airports, this airport is TINY!), we were processed through customs and were sent to meet our Orientation Leaders outside the airport and took our first look around. Most of us were so exhausted that we just took out our sheets and pillows and passed out without even thinking of unpacking the rest of our luggage.

The view from the Marriott beach!

The following day, we visited the gorgeous Marriott for breakfast and our first look around the island, which gave me this beautiful photo. The next two days were spent visiting the Strip (beach and restaurants), Sprat Net (restaurant), and Reggae Beach (very pretty beach- but STAY AWAY from the Rum Punch, its potent.)
So then, necessary recovery days were planned, and in the meantime my group went grocery shopping, took care of our visa forms, and most of the other things like insurance cards, refund checks, laundry cards, and generally all hanging around together and meeting people from different groups on the bat cave hike and the Catamaran trip/ snorkeling adventure. I would comment more about the things I was able to do during Orientation week, but it would take a long while and is a little redundant. Besides, the point of this blog is to inform potential students about the realities of studying veterinary medicine abroad.

 So anyways, feel free to email me at farabeest@gmail.com or comment here with any questions, and I hope you enjoy reading this!