It's been awhile hasn't it? 4th term has definitely taken a different route than I thought. Most older students say 4th term is nice because you have more free time. Well this may be true but the classes definitely require more attention. I have also taken on the role of Events and Lab Coordinator for the Shelter Medicine club so that has taken up a bit of time as well. Our event coming up is a Halloween "kissing" booth. No, I will not be puckering up to hand out kisses.....the puppies will!! The dogs and puppies from the shelter will be brought in to provide some much needed release for the hard working students and it will get them exposure to potential adopters. People also have the choice to bring their own pets and dress them up in costumes and get a professional photo. It was successful last year when we did it as a Valentine's Day fundraiser so I am hopeful for this event as well.
As far as school goes I've been learning alot. This term has some of the same ole classes like pathology, but also has some new ones such as Anesthesiology and Clinical Medicine. These are two classes I feel have been great for relating information I learned this summer, and providing new info I feel I can take back to work. In addition we are finally learning techniques for surgery next term. Suture patterns, tools and their uses, gowning and gloving, draping and how to maintain a sterile surgical field. Cool stuff. I havent done much outside of school because when I have some time off I usually just want to take a nap.....watch out world this girl is goin craaaaazy. One of the main reasons for my sloth is how hot it is this semester. The rainy season usually features hotter temperatures because of increased humidity but this has been one of the worst rainy seasons thus far. Even the locals are saying its abnormally hot. You know it's bad when you take an ice cold shower and 3 seconds later you're sweating all over again. Such is life on the island though.
I will be happy to get back to the Virginia Mountains and cozy up by the fire in my flannel. I always hate to miss the fall season and seeing the leaves change color. I can only imagine the explosion of color up on the mountain. Driving the backroads from Blacksburg to Troutville has to be one of the most beautiful drives especially in the fall. Once again my friends and I will be holding are Thanksgiving potluck sans Turkey. Instead we will be feasting on Kentucky Fried Chicken. This weekend is actually the Grenadian Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure of the history behind it but after googling I found it is actually in celebration of the US led invasion in 1983 in response to the deposition and execution of the Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. jovial isnt it? They actually have a big mural in town in thanks to the 82nd Airborne and the US troops that helped during the invasion. Pretty neat.
Just about a month and a half left on the island for this term. It's flying by and I cant say I'm too upset about it. Not much left but some quizzes and then finals start. I'll be sure to do another update around Thanksgiving. Best of wishes to everyone back home. Step on an extra crunchy fall leaf for me :)
Dog model for endotracheal intubation
Rainbow from the porch of our house
