And so I return again to haunt you with more tales of the caribbean. I feel like I should be sitting around a campfire with my friends and family, staring into their eyes with intensity as I regale them with the stories of my medical school career. They sit there shuddering as I launch into the horrors of what my life has become: cadavers coming back to life, murderous ax wielding professors, and worse of all – (This is where I throw a couple bang snaps in the fire for dramatic effect) – BLOCK 3 EXAMS! BUM BUM BUM.
Alright, I suppose I exaggerated a couple details. Block 3 wasn’t THAT bad. Once again, my class was tested in Pathology, Physiology, and Microbiology, and I’m proud to say that this was my highest micro score! Yay! Having another week to review the material really helped me get those bugs down!
Unlike 1st and 2nd semesters, us big bad 3rd semester students take our exams from 1 pm – 5 pm (instead of 9 to 12). I personally love this set up because I have a hard time falling asleep the night before an exam if I know I need to wake up early the next morning. The downside is, this exam period falls right in the middle of the day when I’m the sleepiest! So when I get home afterwards after putting all of my mental capacities towards doing well (and missing my afternoon nap I might add) all I want to do is lay down and not use any energy whatsoever. Unfortunately, this is the one opportunity I have to go to the beach guilt free and it takes every ounce of my being to get my butt down to Mullet Bay. We ended up taking our Brutus to the beach and he fell in love! I swear this dog has overtaken my life. He has so many little quirks that I have come to adore.
If you’re a student with a spouse from home to support you in your quest, you are also aware of the hellish tension that occurs between you and your lucky partner during block weekend. I try to tone my stressful emotions and keep it civil for Tylor, but the poor guy gets wrapped up in a tornado of negativity regardless. One of my classic acts is the belief that I’ve failed an exam. Do you know that feeling in undergrad where you walk out of a testing center KNOWING that you aced that test? Yeah.. you’ll never experience that again. Medical school is not necessarily about choosing the correct answer, its about choosing the most correct answer. So you can imagine the turmoil that our minds go through until those grades are finally emailed. I can’t relax until I receive my scores and know that everything is going to be ok.
The one thing harder than taking exams is the motivation to pick up where you left off and get back to class. After such a brutal day, it was not surprising that the majority of my fellow comrades decided to stay home today. Those who came to class this morning were in a daze. Weary students with heavy eyelids and slow reflexes were everywhere. I myself need at least 2 days for the mental recovery process. I actually worry about my well being during this time, like I’m on autopilot and so unaware that I’ll walk into traffic or something. The professors seem to understand and tend to go light on the introductory material for the new section. Thank god because I absorbed zilch today.
As my title indicates, we’re halfway through our time here in St. Maarten! Of course, this only means we’re almost done with the book part of medical school, the clinical training is yet to come! I’d like to spend my 2 clinical years split between the UK and New York. I’ve been told that the UK offers great hands-on experience, but I would also like to be close to my family back in Vermont; its been way to long and Tylor and I are getting a little homesick. He’ll never admit it, but I know its true. Speaking of Tylor, our 7 year anniversary will be here in 5 days! Its truly unbelievable that we’ve been together so long. Its so natural at this point that I think I would go into shock without him by my side.
Well, we’re off with some friends to watch the new Terminator movie! But don’t worry.. I’LL BE BACK.
Smiles 🙂
CG
AUC Survival Guide 