13 days until home!

Just checking in to let everyone know that I will be back in the states in 13 days! I survived my practical exam, the most stressful of all our exams, and am so relieved to have that over with! The practical exam is where you have a mock patient and a physician who gives you a scenario and you have to do the appropriate physical exam on the patient and then answer a series of questions regarding that scenario that the physician fires at you. Great practice but SO intimidating. This exam had 6 different stations so needless to say my stress was off the charts that morning. With 13 days left I have taken a vow to enjoy the island for what it is as I prepare to move back to the states. It is so easy to get caught up in school and all the negative things that come with living in a third world country (or as our epidemiology professor prefers to call it "an emerging nation"). This is my promise to enjoy the raw beauty of the island my last 2 weeks here because I may never return. While these have felt like the longest last 4 months ever, I still cannot believe I have spent a year and a half of my life living here. An experience that I will never forget and one that has taught me many things about myself, both good and bad! I truly believe that if you are never really tested and pushed outside your comfort zone than you never really learn who you are. I am a stronger woman for my time spent here and for that I am grateful. "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character" 13 days!!! :) :) :) Love, Ash

Happy Thanksgiving from St Kitts!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing this year that I could be back in blustery Wisconsin with all of my family and friends. Winding down the last few weeks of the semester and I officially fly out in 21 days! These next 3 weeks hold a lot of stress and things that I need to do so no break for me, and no Thanksgiving either. So eat lots for me and enjoy your time with family and friends. I will be streaming the Packer game on my computer during class though and sporting some GB gear :) Happy Thanksgiving, Go Packers, and I miss everyone!! Ash

A few more pictures from the banquet

A much needed surprise!

As I'm sure most people have heard, via facebook or my mom, Tom came to visit me! It could not have come at a better time, my spirit really needed a boost. Tom arrived on Thursday afternoon and on Friday was his 25th birthday! We had the perfect day, I got to show him my favorite beach on the island (my first time going to that beach this semester because I've been so busy), he played a game with my volleyball team, we went to Basseterre and watched the Canada vs St Kitts soccer game, and ended the night at the Casino. A very busy, fun-filled birthday. On Saturday we had our med 4 banquet, a celebration to finishing our time on the island. I was so excited to have Tom there so he could share this special night with me. And get the chance to meet so many of my fellow classmates. Sunday was a day of relaxation and on Monday Tom flew out. A very quick trip but I am so grateful to have had the time together. So as of today there are officially 28 days left until I leave the island. I'll be back in the states on December 15. As long as things run smoothly these last 2 sets of exam of course. So keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming my way. It'll be out to Maine by January 3rd, so about 2 weeks at home. Back to studying but wanted to drop everyone a quick update on my life!

Hospital Day 2

Survived another day of rounds in the hospital! I was in internal medicine again this week, but on the service of another physician. She was extremely knowledgable and taught us a lot today. Saw my own patient and am learning first hand that what a patient tells you is not always the full or even entire truth! It becomes an exciting (and stressful?) adventure trying to use the lab values and your medical knowledge to find out what is going on with the patient. Next week I have my pediatrics rotation and am looking forward to that. Hoping they actually have some patients because the group with that rotation today had zero patients to see! Health care is a lot different here. Most people do not come in for care until their disease or illness has progressed. Nothing like in the states where people are getting constant checkups and seek care when they begin to feel ill. Sad to see how many of the people we cannot help due to the advanced stage of their illness. Still trucking over here in "paradise," paddling like hell to keep my head above water :) Love you guys!

Short and Sweet

This one is going to be short and sweet but it's better than nothing! Had to share the exciting news that we started doing our rounds in the hospital this morning!! This semester has proved to be even MORE intense than the last if you can believe that. We are officially at 40 class hours a week which is pretty unheard of for medical school. Pathology 2, Pharmacology, Intro to clinical medicine, Medical Ethics, and Epidemiology! Just when I thought a semester couldn't get more intense than the last... I am sleeping at average of about 6 hours a night, class from 8 am to 5:30 pm every day and then studying until I fall into bed at night. Not a whole of "me" time and it is definitely starting to wear on me. I think the combination of living on this island for 13 months now, missing out on so much back home, stress levels out the roof, and pure exhaustion have made me....stronger? (For sanities sake that is what I am going to tell myself) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE what I'm doing but a full night of sleep every once in a while wouldn't be too much to ask would it?? Rounds this morning were on an internal medicine unit. Got to take a full history and do an exam on a patient and then report our findings to our Attending physician. Putting the information we learn in class into practical use in a hospital setting is a rewarding experience to say the least. Humbling as well, when you realize how much you don't know and have yet to learn! Anyways, sorry this was quick but just wanted to post these pics and check in to let everyone know I'm still alive over here on this rock :) GO BADGERS, BREWERS, AND PACKERS! Great time to be a Wisconsin sports fan. You better believe I remind everyone here about it too! Love you guys, keep those prayers for me going as I make my final push on the island! Be back on December 15!

I'm a Med 4!

Hellooooooo out there! I've taken a vow to be a better blogger this semester so I'm starting right off the bat with this entry. I am officially a Med 4, hold your applause! :) And it has been a long, exhausting 12 months so thank you for the MUCH needed support in getting me through this past year. I included a few pictures from my time at home a very fast and hectic ten days because I had a lot of important people that I needed to see. Finally got to see Chase after nine months apart, Mom and I made the four and a half hour road trip to Mankato and spent the day with him there. Spent a few days up at the cabin and got to see most of the extended family and most of my friends. I am now back on the island, Brittany and I have moved into a beautiful new apartment. This is my last semester in St Kitts and I will be back in the states as of December as long as everything goes according to plan (knock on wood). In January I will start my fifth semester in Portland, Maine where I will be doing clinical work and taking a prep course for the Step 1. This last semester is a doozy. I thought med 3 was the hardest semester I would have but med 4 has set out to break that record. Our days begin at 8 am and don't end until 5:30. and we are talking consecutive class periods. Our afternoons are 2 hours of Pharmacology lecture followed by 2.5 of Patholgy. So at the end of each day I'm wishing I could crawl in bed at 7 but obviously must continue to study. Along with pharmacology, pathology 2, epidemiology, and ethics we are also taking Intro to Clinical Medicine. I am really excited about this class because we learn how to take patients history, how to do exams, and then within a few weeks we will be doing actual rounds at the hospital on St Kitts. Very excited for this! More to come soon!

World's Worst Blogger!!!

So please forgive me for taking 2 and a half months off from the blog, yikes! Sorry everybody! So many days I thought about writing and then guiltily realized how much studying I had to do before I could go to sleep. Between studying for five classes, finding time to sleep, and clinging to what little sanity I had left there wasn't much time for the blog :(

Anyways I really don't have time to be writing right now either but I wanted to let everyone know that I am a mere nine days from setting foot back on American soil! I have not been home in 8 months, since Christmas, and this has been weighing heavy on my heart these last few weeks. This is the first time that I have felt truly, genuinely homesick. Academically, emotionally, and physically this has been the most demanding semester yet. Many days I felt like I was struggling to keep my head above water! Thank you so much for your continued support from back home, I needed it more than ever. Final exams begin on Monday and I fly back to Wisconsin on August 21. Ecstatic to see family, friends, and to be in the comfort of my own home. So please PLEASE forgive me for the total lack of blog action this semester but I promise you to be back in action in the months to come. Also I plan to include lots of pictures of my adventures while back home and will upload a few from this past semester to let you know what I was up to (other than studying of course)

Love you guys and hope to see everyone during my short trip home!!

23rd Birthday :)

Just a quick little post to let everyone know that my birthday was a success! Unfortunately Wednesday is our longest day of class so we didn't get out until 5, two hours of every class is exhausting! Went home to take a little nap and then it was time to get dressed and head out!

We went to dinner at Buddie's, a restaurant on the strip, and had a great turn out of 15 people. I got an amazing dinner of BBQ ribs, always a treat when I get a good meal around here. Two mojitos and a full belly later we headed over to Bobsy's which has karaoke every Wednesday night. Spent the rest of the night there enjoying the singing and was even serenaded by Lara and Dorothy with a great rendition of "The Thong Song" (picture included).

Birthdays spent without loved ones back home are just another sacrifice we make living here. Made me sad to spend it away from family and friends but made me SO grateful for the amazing people I have met here. My friends here really have become my second family and they made sure I felt loved on my special day :) don't know what I would do without these guys!

I'm officially a Med 3!

It has been a while and a lot has happened since you heard from me last! I survived final exams and was rewarded with an amazing two week break from class. It began with Lindsay, Shannon and Alyssa arriving in St Kitts. I was so lucky to have 3 friends from home visit and I was ecstatic to share my home with them!! So exciting to pick them up from the airport and FINALLY have them be here, I felt as if their visit would never come. We rented a car for the two weeks so we were able to go all around the island. I developed a whole new appreciation for St Kitts while being here over break.

I'll hit the high lights of the break because I could go on and on if I mentioned everything. I showed the girl the bar that the students hang out at called Bamboo. We know the owner, a younger guy from Canada, so we do our best to support his business and he in return hooks students up with good deals and great music. We did A LOT of hanging at my favorite beaches on the island, Shipwreck which I have mentioned in previous posts, and at Reggae beach in Cockleshell Bay. Reggae beach is located on the far south tip of the island in the Caribbean Sea and is a great spot. There was a cruise ship that docked that day so there were quite a few tourists around and we started up a great game of volleyball. Alyssa turned 23 during the vacation so we took her down to "the strip," a string of bars on the ocean. There was a bonfire on the beach that night and Alyssa turned 23 with her feet in the Atlantic Ocean! The next day we organized a catamaran trip of 27 people who all stuck around over break. It was one of the most amazing things I've done since I've lived here. The group was so much fun and for $45 per person the boat takes the group out for 4 hours. We get to snorkle, open bar, lunch, and swimming in the ocean. I was fortunate that all of my really close friends that I have made at UMHS decided to stick around this break so the girls got to meet them.

Their week was up before we knew it and then my parents arrived! An emotional greeting at the airport and so thrilled to show my parents where all their money is being spent (kidding....kinda...) It always fascinates me to see St Kitts through the eyes of someone new, it has become routine for me and I forget sometimes how beautiful this place really is. My parents kept saying "It's so hot here!" I think it was a nice change from the Wisconsin weather which was still very chilly at the time! I will get the pictures from Mom from their portion of the trip and post them on here. Mom and Dad are my best friends and we always have so much fun whenever we spend time together. Took them down to "the strip" to get the authentic St Kitts feel and we had food and ordered some drinks. They got the Caribbean not so welcome - welcome, not the friendliest folks around here but guess I'm used to it by now. See if I can remember all that we did because that feels like a very long time ago now that I'm 3 weeks into the semester. Took them to my favorite beaches of course, and spent a few days doing that and Dad and I rented a jet ski. Took a drive around the entire island which was my first time as well. Took us about half the day and we saw Brimstone Hill (pictures to come) which is probably one of the coolest things on the island. Built by the British military and is an incredible fortress that is hundreds of years old, probably the best view you can get! We also visited an old sugar cane plantation and had an authentic Caribbean meal.Took the parents to see campus and I think they were very impressed with what they saw! And you know that after the epic time I had on the catamaran trip with the girls I HAD to take my parents on one. This time we did the full day deal which included snorkeling, lunch, open bar and a trip to Nevis (St Kitts sister island). It's such a great experience to see the beauty of the caribbean from the ocean. Spent our last few days RELAXING at the Marriott and probably my favorite memory of our trip was when we sat in the whirlpool at the hotel in the pouring rain drinking wine and eating pretzels. To top off the night we ordered room service, well I ordered room service for us...about $80 worth of room service and awesome junk food!

And that ended my magical break with the friends and parents. Mom and Dad left on Sunday and for the first time in 16 days I was ALONE and I didn't like it! Was already missing my visitors and class was to begin the next day. So here I am 3 weeks into the semester and having my first chance to write in the blog. Med 3 is the most difficult semester they say and and so far it proves to be true. Class every day from 9 am to 5 pm is exhausting and then I attempt to go home at night and study more. Our classes this semester are Neuroscience, Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology I, and Behavioral Science. It's exhausting just listing them out!

Tomorrow I turn 23 and looks like my St Kitts family has planned a little get together for me so I'll be sure to take pictures! Missing everyone back home and wishing I could celebrate my birthday with you. Just another one of the sacrifices we all make to be here! Love and Miss everyone <3

Second Semester Draws to a Close

Hello out there! With final exams only a week away, I cannot believe that I am about to wrap up my second semester of medical school. Very hard to believe that I have lived in St. Kitts for 8 months now, survived 2 semesters of medical school, and so grateful for all of the amazing new people I have met. Included a picture of Brittany (my room mate) and I enjoying our one beach day we allot ourselves after every set of exams we take. The island is as beautiful as ever and I can definitely feel the summer heat coming on as the days get progressively hotter. Hoping my Wisconsin skin can survive the summer sun!

Most exciting of all is that I have many visitors to look forward to in the near future! Lindsay, Alyssa, and Shannon arrive in two weeks followed by my parents arriving the first week in May. Unfortunately there will be no chance for me to come home to the States over this break but having visitors makes it much easier to accept and I plan on showing them the beauty of St. Kitts while they are here. No visitors from home this semester yet and not having seen any family or friends since early January has made this semester harder than the first. I found these last 3 months to be very emotionally taxing and I look forward to my visitors and a break from school more than you can imagine!

My living situation has been great and Brittany and I are excited to begin next semester in our same apartment and to avoid the hassle of moving. Brittany has her boyfriend and also her parents visiting over break so it should be a great break surrounded by people we love. I will be sure to take lots of pictures over break to share with everyone.

I will begin third semester the second week of May and we go year-round here so there will be no summer break for me with the exception of these two weeks coming up and our next break will come late August. Trying to maintain study motivation as its hard with the excitement of my visitors soon to arrive. Missing everyone from back home like mad, hoping you all are well and in good spirits as winter comes to a close. I have realized that some people have trouble commenting on my blog so for those of you who aren't on Facebook and would like to message me my email is agaravet@gmail.com
I can't promise how quick my response will be with these crazy next few weeks but I will get back to you as soon as I can and hearing from people back home always brings a big smile to my face!

Love you guys and am missing all of you!!!

Finally included some photos of the new place. Took me 2 days to restore it to this kind of cleanliness but here they finally are! Photos are of my room and bathroom and then one of our kitchen as well. Was giving me a hard time today so I had to post the text and pictures separate for some reason. To see the pictures you can click on "older posts" at the bottom of the screen.

Finished genetics yesterday so one more class under my belt and we begin Embryology on Monday. Still chipping away at Physiology and Biochem as well. A little bit more laid back weekend to catch up on sleep after the rough past two weeks, team has a volleyball game on Friday and football on Sunday.

May drink a green beer or two tonight to celebrate the old irish heritage. Thinking especially about Grandma Mary today and everything she meant to me and our family.

"May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

and until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand."

A great day to be Irish...Happy St Patrick's Day <3

Pictures of the place!!

For Annie and Aunt Cathy :)

This entry is dedicated to Aunt Cathy and Annie! I know its been a while, but as usual my life has had little to no free time available for such pleasantries as blog entries. Survived the first block of exams and included a few photos from our kitchen and what it looks like during exam time; filthy and full of junk food.

Also included two photos from a new beach that Brittany and I discovered after our last exam when we finally allowed ourself some enjoyment. It's called Shipwreck Beach and its about a 15 min drive to the other side of the mountains. Very secluded, on the Caribbean Ocean, and tucked in a little cove. Looks straight out of a Corona commercial and just might be our new spot for those rare occasions that we relax. Anyone who visits must spend a day at this beach. Shannon, Alyssa, and Lindsay in April and Mom and Dad in May are next up on the agenda. I cannot wait for them to get here so that I can show off my island and my new apartment. As for my new housing situation....AMAZING. I am so happy in the new place that I live. They are brand new places; clean, safe, and as bug free as you can get on a caribbean island! I want to include pictures but will only do so when this place is cleaned up. The dishes are piled up in the kitchen and we need to do a little cleaning up before I take pictures to post on here. Never thought I would care about that kind of thing...I really am turning into my mother. (Not that it's a bad thing Mom!) Brittany also has a car this semester so we drive to and from school giving me a glorious extra 30 minutes to sleep in the morning. The car has made our lives so much easier when it comes to running errands, grocery shopping, and making the rare beach trip. Only one incident where the battery died on us and we were stranded. Guess I'm used to living in Wisconsin where every person keeps at least two sets of jumper cables in their trunk. We had to flag down about 50 people before someone finally knew someone who's brother knew someone with jumper cables.

Now allow me to explain the first picture, which I'm sure most of you saw and have failed to comprehend any of which I've already typed because you're still reeling from that photo. That picture, thank God, is not from my apartment. That photo is courtesy of three classmates, Royal, Eddie, and Rob, whom so bravely murdered that creature as we was scurrying across their kitchen floor. The photo doesn't do that beast justice. He is about 8 inches long and those legs you see sticking out are only a fraction of them, the rest being tucked neatly underneath. Those are the guys that require medical attention once they sting you, yea I said STING you. I know several people who have been stung by one and they were both out of commission for a few days after the incident. Both of them were stung while they were sleeping in bed....

Are you horrified yet because I have chills just writing about it. One guy was stung on the neck and the centipede was crawling across his pillow....

New topic. Still playing intramural football on Sundays and you're darn right I caught the only touchdown pass our team had last weekend. Trying to represent those SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS from Green Bay. Also joined a volleyball league on Friday's. Both a great way to get out and have a nice study break.

That is all I have for now. Time to get back to studying of course. Love and Miss everyone. Those of you hankering for a break from the cold and snow; it's always 80 and sunny in St Kitts and I love visitors :)

GO PACK GOOOOOOO!

I had to include a quick post to say LET'S GO PACKERS!!!! Been studying my butt off for the last two weeks so that I could watch the game tonight. Exams are tomorrow morning so wish me luck! I need this win tonight to keep my spirits up! Can't believe the Packers are at the Super Bowl and I'm not in the U.S. to be a part of this momentous celebration. Myself, along with the two other Packer fans at school, will be cheering our hearts out!

GO PACK GO!

This one's for you Dad

As my Dad so gently suggested, Ashley it's time for another blog! So here it is. It's been a while since you have heard from me and since then I have finished my first month of second semester. This semester makes the last one look like nothing. We have already covered neuro, cell, pulmonary, and reproductive in physiology and flown through 13 chapters of biochemistry which means we've been covering a little over 4 chapters per week. INSANITY. As our dean described to us "in medical school you attempt to catch a waterfall in a thimble." The sheer volume of information is enormous. Many med students will tell you that we could study every hour of every day, not sleep or eat, and still not feel like we know everything.

Our first set of block exams is a week from today...enough said

I often feel like I live the exact day over and over again. Wake up at 7, have five straight hours of lecture from 8 until one in the afternoon (try to grab a quick lunch somewhere in there) and go home at one. Once I get home I either take a quick 2o min nap or go for a run (lately naps have been more frequent than work outs) Then I literally study from 2 in the afternoon until i go to bed somewhere between 11 and midnight. Wake up and do it all over again. And there you have it, the exciting life of a medical student!

The best part of this semester is my much improved living situation! Moved into a new complex where Brittany and I share a two bedroom place. Huge living room and kitchen and half bath on the first floor, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and laundry on the second floor. Cannot tell you how much better this has made being here. I finally have an actual "home" to go to and study. Spending less time in the library and more at the kitchen table in the comfort of my own place. I feel so fortunate to be living where I do!

Looking forward to visits in late April from Alyssa, Shannon, and Lindsay and from my parents the first week in May. Can finally show them the place I currently call home!

Lots of studying to do but sometime after these exams I will take pictures of my new place and post them!

love and miss everyone :)

Back to School

Hard to believe that I am about to begin my second semester of medical school. It seems like I just finished writing my last blog entry as I was about to enter final exams. As you can see, I survived all the exams and did pretty darn well if you can imagine that!

I'm sitting on my flight back to the island and cannot believe what a whirlwind my 3 weeks at home were. I flew into Chicago on December 15 after finishing my last exam. I landed at 11 pm and immediately met up with Tom and his mom. I then got onto another flight and flew with them (and most of Tom's apartment) to Atlanta. Tom had just graduated from the University of Wisconsin and is moving back to Atlanta to begin his new job. So proud of him and excited for the next chapter he is about to begin!! We landed in Atlanta at some point between 3 and 4 am, which with the time difference means I had been up for 24 hours. Needless to say I was exhausted, especially since the entire week prior I was only getting 4 hours of sleep a night and studying like a mad woman. I spent four fantastic days in Atlanta with Tom and his family. Christmas party, Thrasher hockey game and I was on my way back to Wausau to see my family for the first time in four months!

I flew into Wausau and was ecstatic to see my parents and brother. I can't describe the feeling of being at home surrounded by everything familiar and comfortable. It put me at such ease and I caught up on A LOT of sleep. Mom and Dad were both able to take some time off work so the whole family was together. Another Christmas party, sledding, hockey games, trip to Milwaukee with friends, shopping, packer games, movies, getting the car stuck in the snow, Grandma's 80th birthday, seeing extended family, and MORE sleep. Oh and did I mention that all I did was eat? For those of you who are my Skype buddies you have heard me talk about how I am hungry all the time when in St Kitts. I was sure to eat enough for two people while I was home. Congratulations to my best friend Mal on her engagement to her boyfriend Jared; I am so honored to have been a part of such a special day. What a shock to the system, we really are growing up! Guess its easy to ignore this fact being a perpetual student. Tom was able to come to Wausau and spend the last 2 weeks of my stay in fabulous central Wisconsin. We all had so much fun together, it is the most special Christmas Break I can remember.

All good things must come to an end and before I knew it I was back on a plane heading south. I thought good byes were supposed to get easier…false. Still so hard to say good bye to family and friends.

This break was a major time of reflection for me. In my "study bubble" I am able to ignore the real world and just be a medical student. I now have friends who have real jobs that come with real bills and real responsibilities. I have friends who are engaged and some in graduate school. Almost none of us are in Wausau, many no longer even live in Wisconsin. I'm smiling when I'm writing this because I'm thinking of all the stupid teenage things we used to do and we always lived in the moment. I'm so proud of what we have all become, one way or another we all found our way. Its pretty cool to see the adults we are (terrifying to be using the word "adult" to describe us).

More than anything else, this break made me realize that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing in exactly the time and place I am supposed to be doing it. How lucky am I to be able to say that?? So here I am, up in the air somewhere over the state of Tennessee and on my way back to the island of St Kitts. Embarking on second semester which will consist of Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Embryology. Yikes!

So thank you again for taking the time to read my blog. I'm honored that anybody out there, besides my parents, care about me enough to take the time to catch up on my life. So thank you again and more blog to come!

Happy 2011, Let's make this year great!