Today, I have been on the island for 5 days. Tomorrow is the first day of class!
The school has offered several orientation activities, some optional and some mandatory, to help first semester students make friends and become acclimated to the university.
There was a bus shuttle available to take students to the grocery store during the first two move-in days. I did not go on the shuttle, but thankfully there is a nice Asian market down the street that sells basic groceries and other "get your apartment going" items, which I visited. A tour of campus was also offered on my first day, and I did take avail of that.
On Saturday, the school facilitated a beach volleyball game for incoming students. I went and enjoyed it, though I didn't play. I stood by the water and engaged other students in conversation. We ended up climbing a small cliff by the water, which was exciting. The people I met on the beach have become some of my new friends; they are all awesome people. My entire class actually is made up of awesome people. I haven't met anyone I don't like. :)
Sunday had a "welcome meeting", in which people talked about how to stay safe on the island-there are a lot of places you do not want to be in after dark, but never fear! The school operates a free shuttle that will transport students until 3 AM.
Monday was workshop day. The first workshop, titled "The Top Ten Habits of Successful Med Students" was given by the school's wellness counselor, Dr. Adams. Basically, he reminded us of the dangers of perfectionism and work addiction, while also cautioning against too relaxed of a lifestyle. We also had workshops on study skills (the university offers free tutoring sessions-both group and one-on-one-taught by students who honored the classes in the past), professionalism, and the schools honor code.
Today was "formal orientation". We had short talks from people representing services available to students. We heard about the student government and other organizations, health services, and student health insurance. The health insurance plan I'm under here on the island is incredible! $150 deductible, 100% coverage after that up to $5,000, then 80% coverage.
This afternoon I went on a free, school-sponsered shuttle with some of my new friends. I will post about that (including pictures!) shortly.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Saturday, April 30, 2016
The Journey Begins
Ever since my freshman year of college, I have wanted to be a psychiatrist. I fell in love with human biology in high school, when I took it my freshman year. The summer between my sophomore and junior years, I ordered a neuroscience textbook from Amazon. The synaptic connections I made filled my brain with activity and delight. Coming into college, I took my first psychology course. It was interesting stuff! I knew that I wanted to be a doctor, and I began thinking about psychiatry. Add to all of this the fact that I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during April of my first year of college, and I began developing a mad passion for the field.
Yesterday, I arrived on the island of St. Maarten to start medical school at the American University of the Carribean. The start of medical school is the beginning of a long road, filled with hills and potholes but beautiful views, and it leads to a destination that is absolutely miraculous.
It was a long trip here: I left my house with my parents at 2 AM to arrive at the airport in time to catch my 5:30 flight. I hadn't flown since June of 2014, when I went to London, and I had forgotten how long airport lines are! I connected in Charlotte, NC. I had an hour between when the first plane landed and the second plane took off, which was stressful.
My first impressions of St. Maarten: it's beautiful. I could not believe how blue the ocean was when I looked out the window of the plane and watched us land. There are small mountains in the distance, visible from campus, as well as a view of the water and lots of palm trees. I can't believe that I get to live in a place like this.
My apartment is huge. My last apartment was an efficiency that didn't even have space for a kitchen sink (I had an extra deep sink in the bathroom that I washed my dishes in), so having a kitchen and living room in addition to a bedroom and bathroom is nice. The kitchen and living area is larger than my entire apartment was in Madison! I even have a full size oven that can fit 13' by 9' baking dish.
Classes start on Wednesday, and I am excited for school to begin. I am always excited for classes to start, until they actually do, haha! I have met a lot of awesome people here, and I feel like AUC is one big family. The upperclassmen seem to be willing to take on a mentoring role; one guy in his third semester even gave us an impromptu tour guide of campus, taking us across the two buildings and stopping to explain what goes on in each area. He also shared some information about professors and course material.
I will fill this blog with information about AUC, random posts on medicine and psychiatry, and other delightful stuffs. Check back for exciting updates!
Yesterday, I arrived on the island of St. Maarten to start medical school at the American University of the Carribean. The start of medical school is the beginning of a long road, filled with hills and potholes but beautiful views, and it leads to a destination that is absolutely miraculous.
It was a long trip here: I left my house with my parents at 2 AM to arrive at the airport in time to catch my 5:30 flight. I hadn't flown since June of 2014, when I went to London, and I had forgotten how long airport lines are! I connected in Charlotte, NC. I had an hour between when the first plane landed and the second plane took off, which was stressful.
My first impressions of St. Maarten: it's beautiful. I could not believe how blue the ocean was when I looked out the window of the plane and watched us land. There are small mountains in the distance, visible from campus, as well as a view of the water and lots of palm trees. I can't believe that I get to live in a place like this.
My apartment is huge. My last apartment was an efficiency that didn't even have space for a kitchen sink (I had an extra deep sink in the bathroom that I washed my dishes in), so having a kitchen and living room in addition to a bedroom and bathroom is nice. The kitchen and living area is larger than my entire apartment was in Madison! I even have a full size oven that can fit 13' by 9' baking dish.
Classes start on Wednesday, and I am excited for school to begin. I am always excited for classes to start, until they actually do, haha! I have met a lot of awesome people here, and I feel like AUC is one big family. The upperclassmen seem to be willing to take on a mentoring role; one guy in his third semester even gave us an impromptu tour guide of campus, taking us across the two buildings and stopping to explain what goes on in each area. He also shared some information about professors and course material.
I will fill this blog with information about AUC, random posts on medicine and psychiatry, and other delightful stuffs. Check back for exciting updates!
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