Well, I've been here but I've also been incredibly busy. I thought medical school was supposed to be relaxing? Huh. Initial thoughts on the island and school:
-There's wifi and it isn't weak and I love it and it makes me a really happy person and.. all is magical.
-The island is ridiculously pretty. I've been all over the Caribbean but largely only to cruise ship ports and it only gets more beautiful from there. There are mountains, beaches, palm trees, attractive people, oh my!
-There is a Temple Beth El on the Island. It is a presbyterian church.
-When thinking of a way to describe this island I would ask you to picture France, Holland, and Miami all getting together to have a baby and voila- St. Maarten. It's pretty magical.
-The Grand Marche has both American and European pringles so all is well in the world. As well as super cheap buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto. I might never leave.
-It's hot but it isn't the same kind of heat everyday. It's hard to describe but some days it's a sticky heat, probably my least favorite, and some days it's more of an intense sun powered heat. At night it's incredibly comfortable. (And all of campus is air conditioned quite well)
-The students are nice and really smart people.
-There are a surprising amount of bros.
I don't know where to begin! So much has happened. I'll break it down by day.
Friday: We're here! The plane ride was a mixture of terror and regretting ordering the shrimp polenta.
the view as you land
Once we landed we went through customs- uneventful and then were greeted by some AUC reps- more eventful. We then piled all 12 of our suitcases into our rented Dodge Caravan (How hip are we?) and took off to visit the three residences of our four party members. First stop: the dorm! Yes, I'm back in a dorm. It's strikingly different to living in the dorms at Loyola for several reasons but most notably in that I have my own room and bathroom. I can't talk about the closet situation- let's just say I overpacked. (Who's surprised though). We then ventured to Marisa's apartment- also nice- and then to the condo my parents have rented for the weekend which quickly made the first two places seem inadequate. The condo basically fell out of home and garden and onto the beach. Naturally my parents discussed purchasing it and letting me live there, which in my naiveté I thought might actually happen and was not just a fun conversation topic for them. Regardless! The place is nice and Marisa and I continue to crash there. We then ventured to the grocery store where I had the aforementioned discoveries and realized life is going to be swell because they sell soy milk. (I know that and the mozzarella are contradictory, I don't care!). Finally, we ended up at dinner (Sushi) where I was literally the happiest person in the world because they have white tuna and salmon sashimi plates. I could honestly stop there.
Saturday: Cost U Less! Also known as Costco also scary as hell. Imagine if a group of 8 year olds had been given the task of stocking and organizing Costco and you might have an idea of what Cost U Less is like. They have most everything, as Costco does, it's just a matter of hunting it down. It was actually pretty fun. The shopping addict in me loved it. We got lunch near campus at a restaurant reminiscent of Rocket Power from the early 2000's- Sugar Cane. The rest of the day included "unpacking" and a campus tour where our tour guide scared the living shit out of us. Some highlights include: "Don't cut through the golf course at night- people throw coconuts to knock you out and steal your stuff", "Some girls walking home were severely beaten and mugged", "The locals use the students as a source of income in the low seasons". All of this turned out to be a huge exaggeration, except for the coconuts- that actually happens, but you can imagine how shaken I was. It turns out that campus and the are is very safe and to deal with the less than safe parts AUC has hired security guards to patrol. All is well. The night did turn around with a midnight swim and diving session in my parent's ocean front pool (swoons).
Today, Sunday, was the first legit day. I know that because I had to get up at 6:30 for registration. But good news, I'm registered! Officially taking: Anatomy and physiology, Embryology, Histology, Molecular and Biochemistry, and Introduction to clinical medicine. The good news is I've had most of those already but somehow I sense that the medical school version won't be quite the same thing as undergrad. Anywho...We went to a really cool restaurant right on the ocean (I almost said lake...)- so good. Of course I've already forgotten the name. Shipwreck Jack? That's not even close but Jack was definitely in the title. But then my parents dropped me off and that's the last time I'll see them until December. Very sad. I'll definitely miss them but I'm really excited for this next step. (eeeeeeek)
Wow this post turned out long. And a little dull- sorry!
1 of the two class buildings
the view out of my dorm room, really tough right?
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