A Visitor!

Hello all!

I had my first ever visitor from back home, Tom! It was so refreshing to see him and just what I needed going into this last stretch of exams. I have 27 days until I go home for Christmas so I had to repeat that mantra in my head as I said a tearful good bye to Tom at the airport. It's hard at times to stay strong when your under so much stress and pressure in school and lack the support system you are so used to having. Don't get me wrong Skype is a god send, but sometimes you just need a hug and Skype has yet to solve that problem.

I received many goodies from home (Thank you Diedricks, Mom, Shannon, and Tom!) and so I at least have delicious things to snack on while studying for exams. We have two exams this coming Monday so it's going to be a loooooong week. In the next 27 days we have 2 more sets of exams for each class which comprise 50% of our final grade. Not sure exactly how the math works out on that one but conclusion is it's crunch time! Power out this last month so that I can feel good when I come home.

I feel completely unprepared for Christmas because I have nothing to ease me into the holiday spirit. No snow, christmas movies and music, or Moms delicious cooking. I promised myself that I wouldn't become a wuss to cold weather when I came back home but I'm going to be a huge wuss, I can tell already. All this warm weather makes you soft!

Our flag football team had its last game yesterday. Royal on our team messed up his knee pretty bad. Poor guy can't bear weight on it, its swollen like a watermelon, and very sore. The nurse gave him a pair of crutches to use but he clearly needs a MRI and of course there isn't an MRI machine on this island! He may have to go to an island a ways away to get treatment. Seeing as we just covered the lower limb in anatomy I offered to do an anterior drawer test to see if his ACL was torn...apparently he wanted more confirmation than that. 3 months of medical school isn't enough?? This island is NOT a place you want to get hurt.

I'm hanging in there. Seeing Tom was great and much MUCH needed. It was so nice to have somebody from home be here with me. It is the first time since I have moved to this island that I felt 100% okay. He knows just the way to cheer me up and I miss his company more than I can tell you. I cannot wait to see everyone back home. I miss you guys so so much!