Island Med Student

I miss you DOMINICA!!

I just looked out my window to find that it’s snowing quite heavily outside right now. Being in Dominica for two years without any snow or cold weather makes seeing this snow absolutely wonderful!

Scope and Molly are Dominican dogs, and have hence never actually seen snow. It’s flurried a bit this winter in NYC, but this is the first heavy snow that I’ve seen. Once it collects a little more, I plan on taking them out for a walk and to see their first snow! Speaking of Dominican doggies, I found out the other day that they are not built for cold weather. They were both shivering quite a bit, so I took the plunge (I never thought I would be the type of person to do this) and bought Scope and Molly matching red and blue furry jackets! They haven’t yet come in the mail, but here’s a sneak preview of what they look like:

I can’t believe it’s snowing right now, because yesterday it was over 60 degrees! Actually, it was so nice that I went for a 7 mile run. Surgery kind of ruined my workout schedule, and since I walk 5+ miles a day, I’ve had a good excuse not to go running. But yesterday, I remembered yet again how good running is for my body, mind and soul.

A few minutes ago, my editor from the Differential emailed me and told me that she deleted a rude and nasty comment from my last post on the blog. She was kind enough to remove it, but I told her that it really didn’t bother me much. As someone who tends to ruffle a lot of feathers, I’m quite used to taking the good with the bad. I tried to find a good quote that relays this sentiment, but I couldn’t, so I made up my own…

“You can’t cause waves in the water without getting a little wet.”

Luckily, I don’t mind getting completely soaked!

When people find out that you’re a medical student, they want you to perform exams at them at bars/restaurants.

And also.

My fave song.

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?

Everybody!
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

That’s it!

When I was in Dominica, I joined our school’s chapter of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). I eventually became the webmaster, and then eventually became president. Our PHR chapter managed to perform many small miracles, such as sending sutures to a rape clinic in the Congo, and tutoring troubled youths. One of the most amazing accomplishments was serving a Thanksgiving meal to the residents of the Grange Home for the Aged in Portsmouth. A simple idea that I had about bringing a Thanksgiving meal to Dominicans turned into one of the most memorable days of my life. You can view pics from that event here.

A few days ago, the new batch of PHR folks threw another party/health clinic for the residents of the Grange. Looking through their pictures almost brought me to tears. I remember from the last event how happy and thankful all the residents were. One resident who could barely walk because of his advanced Parkinsonism was out of his chair, dancing with me and the other residents.

One small thing, big change. Plant a seed a watch a tree grow. Plant a tree and watch a forrest grow. It brings me to my knees.

I just responded to one of the billion emails in my inbox, and I thought I’d go ahead and post my response, as it might be helpful for all you first semester Rossies right now. I wrote another post about surviving your first semester at Ross, but here are some tips on staying positive. The writer specifically asked how to stay positive, and what to do about the scary upperclassmen who say that it’s impossible to make it.

Dear Writer,

Congrats on making it through your first day! Actually, looking back, I can say that the first few weeks were the toughest. There isn’t much you can do to avoid that. It’s just going to be hard, no matter what!

As for keeping positive, here are some tips:

1) Ignore EVERYONE who has bad things to say. Whether they are complaining about the study load, or Ross, or Dominicans, or the food. Just ignore them. Seriously, don’t listen to them!

2) Find some extracurricular activities. Whether it’s going for a walk, or run (my personal fave!), or picking avocados, or just having a beer at Tomato’s. Just find something. Don’t believe the people who say you have to study every second. You don’t. And you will explode if you try…not to mention the fact that you’ll probably do poorly on exams. Study your ass off, but take time off to have fun. It’s imperative!

3) Try writing down your thoughts (obviously, this worked well for me!) Sometimes, just putting all your stress into words can be incredibly cathartic.

4) Remember why you want to be a doctor. Figure out why you wanted to take this plunge. Write it down, if you have to, and post it over your study area. Whenever you feel like crap, think back to the reasons that made you come to Dominica.

5) Make friends. Try to find the cool folks. Like I said, ignore the complainers! Surround yourself with positive folks, and you’ll find that you end up being much more positive yourself!

Ignore those silly older semester students. They suck! Just worry about yourself, and try to make the best out of a very tough situation.

I wish you the very best! Try and keep a smile on your face, no matter what. A little smile can go a long way.

Cheers,
Kendra

Note: In true doctor form I am, of course, way better at dishing out advice than taking it.

There is a new luxury hotel opening up in Calibishie, Dominica. Check out their website for more information! They are also offering a 15% discount to Ross parents!

From their site:

Calibishie, Dominica is a lush, natural paradise, but also has some of the friendliest and happiest people in the World. It is with this in mind that we created Calibishie Cove, our vacation home. Calibishie Cove has four rental units in Dominica that provide a special experience that combines luxury, privacy, Dominica’s incredible natural beauty and environmental sensitivity. All rooms feature 110v US power outlets throughout, as well as free wi-fi.

I’m sitting at my desk typing on my laptop in my new apartment in Baltimore, Maryland. I now have a place to live, water, electricity and even an Internet connection. Most of my boxes have been unpacked, and I even have food in the fridge. I have about one month with no classes, and all I really have to do is study for the USMLE Step 1. Today is the beginning of my marathon studying routine.

Okay Kendra, you can study now. But I don’t want to study! Actually, I’ve been so swamped lately with moving, packing and unpacking, and running all the errands involved with moving to another country that I haven’t studied in over a month. I don’t even feel like a student anymore. I feel like a professional mover. Over the past month, I kept telling myself that when I finally get everything unpacked, I will buckle down and start studying. But now that that time has finally arrived, I don’t even know where to begin.

I’ve made excuses like, “I can’t study until I have electricity,” or “I can’t study until I have unpacked all of my books,” or “I can’t study until my dogs get all of their vaccinations.” These seemed like reasonable excuses at the time, but when I stop and think about it, I realize that I’ve studied under worse conditions in the past.

In Dominica, I’ve studied without electricity or water. I’ve studied in the middle of a hurricane. I’ve studied right after having surgery. I’ve studied when I could barely keep my eyes open because I was sick and fatigued to the point of wanting to give up. But now I’m saying that I can’t study until my dogs get vaccinated? What on earth is wrong with me?!

I’ve written before about having a study block, but this time it seems a little different. Having a deadline that’s so far away means that I have to put the pressure on myself. I’m also in another country, and it’s been so long since I’ve studied that I wonder if I’ve forgotten how.

I’m wondering how many of you out there have been through a similar experience. Do you have any tips on how to get back into studying after taking so long of a break? I guess I should stop writing about not being able to study and just do it! If only it were that easy.

Click Here To View the Original Post on Medscape

I made a video with the footage I shot in Dominica right before I left. YouTube made it look too crappy, so check it out on my Mac gallery. Click the pic to see the video. Enjoy!

On the left, my balcony view from my apartment in Dominica. On the right, my window view in my new apartment in Baltimore. Nuff said.

Click on the pic to see the cool larger size.

Okay, so I have been so busy lately, that I barely know which hand is which. I’ve been moving dogs, driving stuff, lifting boxes, etc., etc. for almost a week now. I have a place to live, but there is no electricity or Internet, so I’m stealing some right now. I don’t have time to write a long post, but I promise that I’ll get back to blogging every day as soon as I have Internet access and electricity!

In the meantime, please enjoy these pics of my farewell Dominica party a week ago. I miss you Dominica and all of my friends still there!