11-26-03

Hello everyone. Sorry it has been such a long time since my last update. School has kept me very busy. The amount of information we learn here is like trying to take a drink out of a fire hose. I only hope I retain the few drops I’ve been able to learn since I arrived back in August (ok well I’ve managed to pick up more than just a few drops, but you know what I mean). We only have a few more weeks and I’ll be coming home. If you expect me to have a tan because I’m down in the Caribbean, you will be disappointed. I may try to catch some rays between the time finals end and my flight leaves (Dec. 15).  There literally is no time to enjoy the island while we’re in school, so I’m gonna try to get some of that it before I leave, although I may be too exhausted.

 

I’m sure many of you will be having a huge thanksgiving dinner on the 27^th. I will be going to school. It will be the first time I’ve gone to school on thanksgiving, so that’s pretty cool and different. I guess I better get used to working on holidays in the profession I have chosen. So have some turkey and mashed potatoes for me. At least I’m able to say, “I’ll be home for Christmas.” 

 

Housing on campus is limited so they hold a lottery for it. Well my number wasn’t pulled so I’m forced to live amongst the locals. Its not so bad really and I’m looking forward to actually living in a foreign country, not just going to school here and living in a dorm.  I and 2 other guys found a place not too far from campus.

 

Just to rub it in a little, the weather here hasn’t changed much from when I arrived. We have the occasional rain but its usually sunny and 80-90 degrees. Next semester is the dry season and I hear water shortages are common. I’ll be down here for 6 months next  semester (its actually 2 terms back to back) so if you think I’m anxious to get home now, wait until the end of june when I’ve attained the rank of 2^nd year medical student.

 

You meet all sorts of people down here. Just the other day I was talking with a guy from the UK about all the differences there are between both of our dialects of English. Apparently when they want you to squint your eyes (to test the facial nerve) they say ”screw your eyes.” I’ve even had people recognize my IUPUI shirt. Yesterday I talked to a girl from Hawaii and we compared our experiences there. There’s a lot of people here from NY, NJ, CA, and even Canada. But I’ve also met people from Oregon, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Tennessee, Washington D.C., and Chicago. The girl down the hall grew up in Evansville! I even met 3 other people who want to be pediatric oncologists, like me. Apart from the 2^nd term student I went to Purdue with, there’s another Purdue grad starting in January.  I keep joking about starting our own alumni association chapter down here.

 

Well wish me luck on finals. I’ll be home for 4 weeks (twice as long of a break than last year) so let me know if you’d like me to stop by.  I’m hoping to get some temp work using my MT degree, so let me know if you have any ideas. I know this sounds crazy, but I miss the hospital a lot. Its very weird to learn about medicine but not to be close to where it is practiced. Take care and have a happy thanksgiving.