The President's in Town!

There have been fighter jets going over campus all day! Apparently, President Obama is going to Trinidad (a nearby island) on Thursday so they are checking out the area. He is attending the Summit of the Americas.

I just had my first Easter away from the McShane house and spent it at the beach instead.

I will update with my Easter weekend festivities soon!

The Perks of Grenada

I had a really great day! (Well except for when I got superglue all over my fingers--it is fine now.) Lectures were hard but we got done early in Histo AND Biochem. That NEVER happens. Then I went to a class at the gym called Circuit Training and it kicked my butt! It was super hard but good. We switch stations every minute and it involves cardio, lifting, and balance. I'm good on cardio but my weekly lift time for arms is just not cutting it! It turns out that 2 of the 3 student instructors are from Minnesota too! They saw my St. Olaf shorts and recognized me as a fellow Minnesotan. We are amazed how many people are here from our state. MN Med School IS hard to get into...


Ok, then after a shower, Ashley and I made really awesome dinner with the fresh tomatoes and romaine lettuce I bought from the fruit and vegetable guy on campus. It's super fresh and cheap! I am spoiled now and will miss it! I bought a head of romaine and about a dozen plum tomatoes for about $3 US.


Anyway, we made spicy grilled chicken for a salad with balsamic dressing. Ashley also made homemade salsa with onions, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and a little bit of taco seasoning. Perfect!


I am making recipe book so that we can make this stuff again!

Ok, now I should try to study more. I am already sore from my workout :)

Some pictures!

So I went for a walk in the early morning and I saw a dog sitting in the volleyball court sand. I kept on taking pictures and the dog suddenly ran over to me. It was Lola--what a pleasant surprise! She went with me for most of my little tour of campus and her boyfriend, Brutus, came too :)

Let's see, what's first.... here's the dorm I live in: SD4 (superdorm 4). I couldn't get the whole thing in one shot. It IS a superdorm after all :) Those white slats you see are totally open. There isn't any glass or screen in between them. Also, the front doors are always open. My room is on the first floor, 5th from the right. And by first floor, I mean there is a Ground Floor and then you go up one flight of stairs to get to the First Floor. It is a British system and entirely confusing for all of the Americans!

From that spot, turn to the left and you see the football (soccer) field. Which is usually full of soccer games and American flag football. It gets quite rowdy. That building in the distance is Taylor Hall, a study building open 24 hours/day. The upstairs area is where the Histo Lab sessions are. It's a bit freezing in there and feels like Minnesota weather :(

So if I keep turning around, you can see my little sanctuary. I like to sit on a stone bench (there aren't ANY couches on campus) and study.

If we go straight through, we hit the ocean! It doens't even seem real!

Ok, I will post more pictures soon so stay tuned!

Update on my friend

I told you all about my friend, Mary, and her brain tumor awhile back. We were best friends in high school and have kept in touch throughout the years. She made it through surgery and then found out she has cancer. She is now starting chemotherapy/radiation. She is very positive and courageous and I would like to share her story with you. Be warned that you might get a bit emotional at times but it is a good message! I love her view on life!

http://marys-brain-cancer.blogspot.com/2009/03/introduction-to-my-brain-tumors.html

I'm Alive!!!

I hope you didn't give up on my lovely blog! I was bogged down with Midterms, etc. I passed! I got B's in all of my classes so I am happy with that :) I did come down with a horrible respiratory illness the week of exams so I want to be a bit healthier for Finals!


Did I tell you that I moved to a new dorm? No, I haven't. I think I moved right after the Unified Quiz and then that picture with Lola was in my new dorm. I was not a big fan of sharing a bedroom.


To get a new room, I signed up for a single with the Housing Department the first week of school. I got off the waiting list the Friday before our big quiz, and I was given a room assignment in a triple suite. A suite consists of three bedrooms with a shared kitchen, kitchen table, bathroom, and a separate shower room. I went over to the suite my new room would be in a few times that weekend but no one was ever home. Meeting the roommates BEFORE moving in is necessary!



My friend Ashley was in the same boat, so I went with her to check out her assigned suite. The girls flat out told her that she could not live there since she was a first termer! No way! She was not living there! We went back to the Housing Department and they gave us a list of rooms to go check out. We ended up literally running around campus to find a room! So many excuses! No one was home, no empty room there anymore, etc. Finally, we found a room for Ashley and a possible second room in the same suite for me! (My old dorm, Superdorm 1 is pictured on the right. My new dorm, Superdorm 4 is picture on the right, in the distance.)


Our other roommate, Natalie, is really cool. We are a good mix and we're planning on living together next term too :)

Lola, L-O-L-A, Lola

So the Vet School here takes care of a few dogs and they roam around campus freely. The most popular breed is the pothound. There's one with a blue collar and his name is Brutus or Bruno. There's one with a green collar and I call her Limey since I'm so creative when naming pets :) But my FAVORITE one is Lola. She cheers me up when I'm not feeling 100% and I run around with her until she spots a cat or something. She's kind of ADD! Dogs and cats can roam anywhere in Grenada and she followed me and Ashley into our dorm :)

I'm Officially Ethical!

I got my first official grade: A!!! in Bioethics & The Professional: Medicine in Society I. Now I only have 3 classes. But they are really hard! We have 16 biochem lectures in the next 2 weeks before mid-terms. It's all packed in so it'll be a lot of memorizing and rewriting pathways. Back to Taylor Hall to study :)