Exploring Dominica!

Sorry I haven't been on here in a couple of days... I have been so busy being "Dora the Explorer" lol. This place is pretty awesome. So much to see. I am going to update yall on everything so this will be a kinda long entry...

The first day I got here I met some cool ppl, Rahul and Fernando. They are very nice and we have become good friends in this short period of time. We went and signed up for the island tours on Monday. Each day the school takes us to some of the big attractions of the island.

Tuesday:

We went on a red rock scenic tour. It was a pretty fun trip. Funny times also. So the school failed to mention that we might want to wear tennis shoes so most of the group came out in flip flops. We ended up having to slide down a really steep muddy hill in order to get to the place. It was funny bc some ppl fell/tumbled down the hill and had big mud stains on their clothes the whole day! I know it's probably mean to laugh but it was pretty funny. But it was definitely worth the mudslide. The view was amazing. I have a couple of picts below. One of the girls I talked to prior to coming here, Candice, finally made it to "the rock" so we went to the beach.

Wednesday:

I didn't do too much. I had to go to ITT orientation=waste of time. They had the worst video in the world explaining how to log in to myRoss/email/G drive...blah blah blah. The lady was talking very fast and it was hard to understand so needless to say I still don't know how to do any of those things. I'll figure it out though. Also I woke up to a horrible itchy rash all over my arms! Welcome to Dominica!lol I went to the nurse and they say it is prob just a heat rash but we shall see... It seems to be going away now. Later that evening Rahul, Fernando, and I went to Perky's Pizza. It was ok but no Papa Johns or anything lol.

Thursday:

We went on another tour to Cabrits/Fort Shirley. That was kinda cool. The bus ride was very long and I got a little car sick. I learned something interesting though. Lemon grass helps to relieve nausea/dizziness. The bus driver,"Curvin", gave me some and it worked. You just hold it up to your nose/mouth and inhale the lemon vapors and the sickness disappears. Gotta love natural medicine. When we were finished at Fort Shirley we went to a cool bar/grill called Azille Country Club. It's not the country club we are used to in the states. There was not golf...lol. They did have some cool music. They played a couple of MJ tracks and some old stuff. Trice they played old Sisqo songs too..remember how you were in love with him haha. I tried "rum punch" (yes I had a drink mama!) pretty good..lol. When I got back to the school I was pretty tired/tipsy so I took a nap. lol

Friday:

Today we went to Roseau (the capitol of Dominica). It was a nice trip. I bought a fan. I needed one very badly because the electricity here is very expensive. It's about 106EC a week! That's forty USD, which would be 160USD a month! I am not used to that. My bill was never over 50-60 a month back in New Orleans. It's very hot here so I had to do something. We didn't do too much there because we only had about 1 1/2 to look around. After Roseau we went to Screws spa. It was awesome they had abt five different sulphur pools there that ranged from really hot to cold. Very refreshing and relaxing.

As you can see I have been a busy bee these past days. I will try not to wait so long next time but time flies when you are having fun (I am trying to have as much as I can before class starts)

Well until next time, love life and smile....

Day 1

Soooo... I made it to Dominica! It was a long day of traveling but I am finally here. This place is beautiful! I love it already. I am in my apartment now which is nice also. My landlord is very kind. He took me to the grocery store and to get some food. It's raining right now....guess I should get used to this. The flights were not too bad. The only scary one was the one from San Juan to Dominica. Some of the turbulence made my stomach uneasy. OMG the ride from the airport was another fright. These people drive like they are playing chicken. They drive in the middle of the road and then when a car is coming they stay there and one car eventually swirves over to the side so that the other can pass. Also the roads are VERY twisted! I took some medicine for motion sickness so I was fine. I met some cool ppl already. I can't wait for the ppl I have been in contact with to get here also. I can't write to much abt the lay of the land because it was raining and almost dark when I arrived here. I plan on getting out tomorrow so I will keep you all posted.

Until next time, love life and smile.....

Official Countdown!!!!

Hi everyone!



Today is the start of my official countdown! In exactly 30 days I will be DOMINICA bound! Yayyy! I am very excited to be so close! Nothing else new today.

Until next time, love life and smile!

I Registered!

Hey guys! I had a great day today. We had very few customers at work and I got to register for my 1st semester classes today! Whohoo!

So here's the line up:

Dev/Microscopic Anatomy
Gross Anatomy I
Doctor, Patient, & Society I
Biochemistry & Genetics
Medical Physiology I

Sounds tough, huh? Well I am very excited, I 1/2 way feel like a med student...lol! Only 4 days before I start my official countdown! Excited!

Oh btw, I am very excited abt my apt on the "rock" too. I talked to the landlord again today to ask what comes in the apt, and he said it comes with everything. I have a tv even though I won't get to watch it much, and he said they have more cable channels than you can get in the U.S. lol....me thinks something illegal is afoot but hey works for me...lol


Well that's all. Until next time, love life and smile.

Simple Day

Not too much happened today. I did get my VISA app sent off finally.... So many copies! I feel relieved now that it is out. I am so excited about registering tomorrow!

Well no long post today. I'm going back to watching confessions of a shopaholic. Until next time, love life and smile!

Packing List

Here's the packing list so far. I will eventually divide the list into what I will take vs. ship.

School Supplies:

• Paper
  
• Pens
  
• Pencil sharpener
  
• Pencils
  
• DU stapler/staples
  
• Erasers(big ones)
  
• Hi-liters
  
• Paper
  
• Binders (4-5")
  
• Scissors
  
• Paperclips
  
• Post-it notes
  
• Dry erase board
  
• Cork board
  
• Dry erase markers
  
• Calculator (need batteries)
  
• Planner
  
• Journal
  
• Books
  
  

  -First Aid
  

  -Grant's Dissector

Health

• Pepto-Bismol
  
• Tylenol
  
• Allergy meds (lots)
  
• Eye drops
  
• Nose spray
  

Toiletries

• Pads/tampons
  
• Shampoo/conditioner
  
• Toothbrushes/toothpaste
  
• Body wash(Olay Ribbons)
  
• Razors
  
• Deodorant
  
• Tweezers
  
• Nail clippers
  
• Nail polish remover
  
• Cotton balls
  
• Q-tips
  
• Loofa
  
• Shower cap
  
• Chi-iron
  
• Blowdryer
  
• Hair Oil
  
• Moisturizer
  
• Aveeno Cream
  
• Face Mask Cream
  

Shoes

• Flip-flops
  
• Running shoes
  
• Business heels
  
• Wedges
  

Clothes

• Summer dresses
  
• Jeans
  
• T-shirts
  
• Tank-tops
  
• Gym clothes
  
• Sports bras
  
• Underwear/bras
  
• Skirts
  
• Shorts
  
• Lounge wear
  
• Business attire
  
• Scrubs
  
• Raincoat
  
• Socks/slippers
  
• Party shirts
  
• Swimsuits (2)
  
• Jackets/sweatshirts
  
• Stockings???
  

Personals

• Bible/study notebook
  
• Jewelry
  
• Studs
  
• Grandma's necklace
  
• Comb/brush
  
• Hair scarf
  
• Pony-tail holders
  
• Hair clamps
  
• Pictures/small decorations
  
• Make-up kit
  
• Glasses+case
  
• Sunglasses
  
• Purse
  

Carry-On

• Lap-top
  
• Backpack
  
• Extra clothes (sweats)
  
• Camera
  
• External hard drive
  
• Flash drive
  
• iPod
  
• iPod radio
  
• chargers(laptop, phone, camera)
  
• headphones
  
• money
  
• Ross documents
  
• Portfolio of impt documents
  
• Passport
  
• Driver's license
  

Misc.

• BP cuff/stethoscope
  
• Surge protector
  
• Good umbrella
  
• Towels(beach & reg)
  
• Bug Spray
  
• Mosquito net
  
• Sunscreen
  
• Pillow
  
• Sheet set (queen)
  
• Shower curtain/liner
  
• Laundry bag
  
• Robe
  
• Flashlight
  
• Hangers(SHIP)
  
• Desk lamp
  
• Candles
  
• blankets
  

Food

• flaming hot cheetos
  
• easy-mac
  
• sweet/salty bars
  
• raisin granola bars
  
• Doritos
  
• Tostitos
  
• Queso dip
  
• Ranch dip
  
• Sparkling green tea
  
• Red beans/rice mix
  
• Tony's
  
• Oreos
  
• Fruit snacks
  
• Cheese its
  
• Energy drinks(monster)
  

Oh How I LOVE Jesus!

Wow, church was awesome tonight. It really did inspire me and made me even more excited abt the future. My spirituality will def be my lifeline in med school! I feel like I have a second wind now to keep going higher! (Big shout out to The City of Love!) D.O.L.L.S. stand up!

Sooo. I had a big scare today! My loan amount was wrong. Apparently the lady who set it up for me put the wrong amount on the app. WTF! I was kinda freakin out at first but I got it taken care of. I would have been very upset had I found out when I got to school that I didn't have enough money for school! whew!(*wipes sweat from brow*) Glad that's over. I am happy that is taken care of. I will keep following up along the way to make sure though.

Well I have an extremely long list of tasks that I need to do THIS week. Friday is a big day! I get to register but also I have to get other things done too. I promise yall that the VISA app will go out this week! (*holds right hand up*)

Still working on typing my packing list but it will be up by the end of the week.

Well until next time, love life and smile!

Housing

Ahoy, me Hearties (loud pirate voice)!

So the housing battle is over...at least for now. If I get there and the place looks horrible me thinks I will have to reevaluate things!lol(pirate voice) Well I decided on eddie simon's. It seems very nice. (I included a few pics of it above) The landlord was nice. He is willing to work with me on the deposit and 1st mth's rent pymt which ia A+!

Um.. not too much new today besides that...

Side vent....I will be so happy the day I give me two weeks @ me sorry excuse of a job! I sell frickin swimming pools! haha.. If u saw me u'd laugh too! It's ok though all of the great docs had to start somewhere..right?

Shiver me timbers! I don't have to much longer and I can officially start my countdown. Sorry got very excited for a sec there.lol. Also, I officially register fri! Can you say booyah casha! lol.. I know.. I know...I am very silly... I'll remember to keep my humor along the way...

Until next time, love life and smile!

Time...How I love thee (*Sarcasm*)

So... as each day goes by I get even more anxious about the future. I am not rushing to leave the U.S. (I will def be sad to go...) but the mystery is just killing me. A great friend told me today that he was proud of me....*smiles* To know that I am making my friends and family proud just warms my heart...corny I know... but very true.

So here goes me status(pirate voice):

-Arggg...Still haven't sent off me VISA stuff...I dunno what my prob is...I need to get moving and mail the stuff in....
-I am still torn between this housing thing (leaning towards waiting even though they r saying I need to pre-book...I really don't see them putting me out on the streets...lol...*second guesses that thought*...me thinks I will think abt it a little longer (pirate voice)
-SYPE is up & running YAY! Tested it out with Lawrance! Hey hun! lol
-I did make a packing list, I still need to type it so I can post it on here.
-Tiffany(a current 4th semester ROssie) is going to get with me on shipping....btw Congrats on making it so far Tiff, and thanks for the info abt Ross u really made me feel comfortable abt my decision to attend.

Well, I decided to wait until July 21st to begin my official countdown. Tty soon.


FYI: *pirate voice* is a registered tradmark of Court, Inc. (lol j/k yall)

How I love new experiences

So I started this blog thing. I really think this will be a good thing while I am on "the rock." Just to get everyone up to speed. This entire blog is dedicated to tracking my journey as a caribbean med student. I will be attending Ross University located in Dominica (def not to be confused with Dom. Republic). I am nervous/excited about it all, but I know that it will be an awesome experience. Four years from now I will look back and say wow, I made it.

So here goes me status thus far(pirate voice..lol):

-Booked my flight to leave August 21st (very early but I want to get an early crack @ housing in case I decide not to pre-book....not sure how I feel abt not being able to see the place and it will just give me more time to explore the island)
-VISA app is finished I just need to make some copies and drop it in the mail.
-Passport is here..yay I was stressing abt it a little

I now am in the process of deciding what to bring(I will post once my list is finalized) and checking into shipping.

I only have two rules...
1)Uplifting/positive comments only. I will be under enough pressure no need to attack me with dumb posts.
2)Sense of humor is a must. Laughter IS the best medicine...take twenty million doses and see me in the morning (hey I think I just wrote my 1st prescription..lol).

Other than that, feel free to post any feedback/questions you may have.

Well wish me luck guys! Stay tuned.....