Super-high-tech jet fighters

I've kept you all waiting for 3 weeks because I really wanted to have some juicy tidbits to share. First of all, over about the last week the U.S. Air Force has been on the island to keep the area secure for Obama's visit to Trinidad for the America's Conference. So we had a few F-15 fighters that made the airport very near my apartment into their temporary base. They'd take off in pairs, and due to their proximity we could always tell when this was because they were very loud. I got to see them a few times from my balcony, once even during the night, so that was interesting. Here's a video of 2 jets picking up 2 more of their buddies at the airport. The path that the guy is shooting from is the one I walk to class every day. You can even see one of the local cows in the video. Secondly, Kristen's parents were in town for the Easter holiday. It was the first time I got to meet them, so It was a nice opportunity. We also had a lot more fun than usual because unlike most of the time when we're sitting around with fellow students whom have been pushed into the red by student loans, they actually had money. So being a proper mooch, I got to eat at a few restaurants, and it was delicious. Plus, we also got to do some touristy things like head to Grand Etang National Park. It's a rain forest on the top of one of the volcanic peaks on the island. We got to trek down to a waterfall while the guide told us about some of the various spice, fruit, and flowering trees. There was a possibility to see monkeys, but he said they're usually not keen about hanging around people. The trip was one of the better times I've had on the island, and the included picture (pending) is of us swimming at the falls. Other than that, not too much more to talk about before I come home. I have an immunology final on Monday, and after that I only have 2 classes left to take finals for during my last week here. See you all after I do wonderfully on them (knocks on wood.)

The Home Stretch

I only have about 7 weeks left until I fly home for the summer. Granted I only have 6 weeks off before returning for 6 straight months of classes, but at least I get a little taste of home again. The week since midterms has been enjoyable. I got to go on another hash run through the forest again last weekend. We skipped the sandblast party on the beach to do this, but I think this decision was for the best. I really had a good time, and it was probably more relaxing than the party would have been. Midterms went fine, I've done well enough to have a good shot at the deans list this term. There isn't a lot more that's worth noting. Although I did get a used blender from another student. I've actually gotten a lot of use out of it, and I've been perfecting a piña colada recipe along with a variety of other fruit smoothies. All I need are some paper umbrellas and I'm ready to host any visitors willing to make the trip down here. Now that I've hopefully enticed some of you down here I don't want to scare you off again. This last picture I just took tonight. It's a giant cockroach that I stepped on in the parking stall in front of my apartment. This is the first one of these I've seen. Suprisingly, there haven't been many bugs down here like I expected. I can usually leave my balcony door open at night and not have a problem, but evidently we still have some mutant sized bugs like other places in the tropics. See everyone in a few, until then I'll keep you updated.

Hurray for Midterms

I'm going to be able to enjoy midterms again this coming week. Things get rolling on Monday with physiology. I've found that these things don't seem to be getting any easier to face. I still feel a little bit of anxiety before every round of tests, but I guess that's good in a sense. I won't be getting complacent. I've also realized that I'm coming home in just over 2 months. It seems like this term has flown by really fast, and It's a nice carrot at the end of this midterm stick. Not much has happened in the time since my last post. I've just been going over all my lecture notes in preparation for the exams. The lecturers for the courses I've had this term haven't been as good as last term, so I've had to do a lot of self teaching from the lecture notes, and there is a lot of material to sift through for those testable tidbits. Oh, this is kind of old news, but Kristen (the girlfriend) and Crystal (her roommate) adopted a pair of kittens about a month ago. They've been fun to play with and they're pretty good company when they're not being the destructive forces of nature that they can be. Here are a few pictures of the little devils. Eris is Kristen's, she's the one with the black spots, and Otto is Crystal's he's got shorter hair and only orange spots. So they keep things from getting too boring around here. Hopefully in the post midterm lull I'll be able to go on a few more of those hash runs through the jungle, or attend the sand blast party next weekend. Until next weekend, I'll catch you all after the studying has subsided.

Hey, sorry long time no see. It's not that I've really been avoiding posting or anything, it's just nothing really interesting has happened since my last post. But, I'll fill you in on the little tidbits that did happen. I just took another final for my last 1 credit class of the term. It was titled Community and Preventative Medicine, I had a similar class in undergrad, and I've actually both times taking them. They kind of put my role in the health care system into perspective, and they emphasize doing the greatest good with current technologies and funding. I actually got a 102% in the class. I aced the final and went to the 1 point extra credit counseling seminar that they had. It's my first 100% on a test maybe ever, well except for maybe middle school, but nevertheless I was pretty excited. Other than that not much has happened. I stayed in and cooked dinner for Kristen on Valentine's Day, I set the table all pretty and had folded napkins and everything, but it was my one chance to act cheesy all year and still feel justified. Other than that I have 3 weeks until the start of midterms, maybe I'll do at least something moderately interesting to fill all you in on in the meantime. Until then, I'll catch you later.

Grenada's Independence

Well I wasn't able to get to the market in St. George's as planned this Saturday, but I'm serious about next Saturday. Bus rides at 9 AM on a Saturday morning just aren't as appealing as my pillow. I also didn't catch the Superbowl over the weekend. We went out for dinner for Alex's (vet student friend of ours) birthday instead. We made it back in time, but none of us have cable so the other guys went to watch it at a bar, but I didn't care about either of the teams so I just watched the funny commercials online today. Kristen and Crystal got cable today, so that was really unfortunate timing. As for school, this week will be my first set of labs and small group discussions, so soon my free time will start to disappear. Grenadian Independence Day is this Saturday, which is a waste of a perfectly good holiday since now we don't get a day off of school. There are a bunch of red, yellow, and green flags hung around town and campus, but other than that I don't really know what goes into the celebration. I hope it's a fun time though. My included picture today is of a walking stick bug which was crawling up the exterior wall of my apartment. As you can see my building is painted a bright sky blue, so I don't believe the insect fully understands the concept of camouflage. Also included is a little parade of goats that wandered underneath my balcony last week. I see them grazing a lot on the back road that I take to class in the morning. My favorite is the little brown one.

A fresh start...

Today I just completed my final for parasitology, the last of my 1 credit courses to start this term. Tomorrow I start in with new courses, so tonight I have nothing to study! I was up studying a lot last night, so today I've been pretty exhausted, thus I haven't really taken advantage of my temporary freedom from school work. This weekend I did take a break on Saturday to go hiking with the girls. We actually took part in a hash run. You can read about it at the link, but essentially it was a hike through the jungle on a trail marked out with symbols drawn on the ground with shredded paper. Sometimes there are false trails marked, so we had to do a little navigating which made it more interesting than a regular hike. They have them every two weeks, so we'll probably be doing a few of them this term. It felt good to get a little exercise for a change. I've included a few pictures from that day, and as usual I didn't take the pictures because I never remember my camera (thanks Kristen.) I don't really have much more exciting to report. This coming Saturday we might return to the market in St. George's. I hope to see some more of the produce they have this time. The only other time I visited all I bought were spices to bring back for Christmas. I also really want to visit the fish market they have here some time. I've been down here surrounded by water for nearly 5 months and I can probably count the number of times I've had fish on one hand. That's it for now...I'll post again on Saturday hopefully with some pictures of the market. P.S. I couldn't resist the picture of the wiener dog since I actually found one on the island.

Back in Grenada

I apologize for the length of time it took me to post since being back here, but I've been getting things settled in my apartment and hanging around with friends in the free time when I'm not in lecture. I've been back for a little over a week now, and it seems like I never left. My winter break went by a little too quickly for my taste, but judging by how fast last term seemed to go by, I expect my time down here in Grenada to be over in no time. It's also nice to see the looks on the first term students' faces during their first week here. I know how overwhelmed they feel, and it's nice not to have an unfamiliar environment to worry about in addition to course work. Speaking of course work, I'm currently in two 1 credit courses, parasitology and genetics. I only have these 2 courses for the first 2 weeks and then we will be taking the finals in them next Monday and Tuesday. I've had both of these classes in undergrad, so I'm enjoying how the familiarity is letting me ease into the semester a little. Nothing much more of note has been happening. Here's a picture of a view from my balcony to let you get a idea of where my humble abode is.