This is Dixie (even though a boy) in the picture, my landlord and my favourite. He is a great dog and the best company any human can ask for. Sometimes he gets overly excited but hey, that's better than not being excited at all to see you.
Ok, school is really tough right now and I am not going to pretend it is not. Pharmacology is frustrating me beyond belief. All the drug names, the receptors/pathways, adverse effects and contraindications... I must get through this... the next week I am gonna be MIA because I need to put my game face on to prepare for our first Mini, which is in 8 days. Will update soon after! Love to all and enjoy the winter Olympics in VANCOUVER!!!!!!
A friend and I went to lunch together. While eating, we chatted even though we both knew about the rule of no talking with your mouth full. I mentioned that I liked her personality and her outlook on life. She took the compliment and thanked me, then quickly asked me, 'So, what do you think you know about me?' Now, she said that in the most non-hostile way, trust me. But that question triggered an endless discussion between us. We make friends and form bonds. Yet some stay and some don't. I have seen friends who turned on one another - well, now you may argue that these may not be true friends after all. Carefully, I listed a bunch of things I thought I knew about her. Guess what? I was right about a big portion of them! It is true that we do not know most of our friends well enough and people change as well. But I do think that personalities shine through most of the time. One can try and hide their true colour and act as someone else. But that sure won't last long. Of course, never judge too early but you can always start evaluating as soon as you feel like!
It is Saturday night and I am sitting in the big lecture hall with other students, studying or trying to study (I guess that is my case right now). I finally talked to my parents on Skype after a whole week of no talking and that makes so happy. My family is part of me. My mom also put Miho on camera. Oh that silly kitty! Always an attention-seeker. One more day of studying and a full week of class again. Our weeks are filled with about 8hr of lectures every single day. Kinda crazy if you ask me.
My tutoring session starts tomorrow. I am so excited! I need to remember to prepare for the session. Can't wait to see my students - they all made it to second semester! I am so proud of them. If you put in effort, you will get something in return. That never fails. On the coming Monday, I will be going to my first ICM lab to learn to perform a general survey on a patient. Can't wait! I am pretty excited about that.
I found the comic strip online and thought it somewhat relates to the 'how well do you know a person' talk I had with my friend. Just wanna share with ya! Good night!
Yesterday was such an exciting day, yet super packed for the most part. Our class was split up into 3 groups in the morning and each group was assigned to a different task - community clinics, ICM, or special interviews. Our group was part of the clinics, so we were shipped off to a village called Coulibistri to learn how to do patient interviews. The ride was not too bad as it only took about 25min. A strong feeling of sympathy grew inside me as soon as our bus turned the corner and started heading up a narrow dirt road pinched between small brick houses packed one against another. The area was definitely underdeveloped and some walls had holes in them. Our bus driver stopped in front of a small green house with chipped paint and told us that was our destination.
I walked inside with my team and saw 2 patients sitting in the waiting area. We greeted them and found out that they were the patients who were going to participate in our interviews today. Those 2 ladies were very sweet and welcoming, which made me feel at ease. By then the feeling of nervousness had almost disappeared completely. We met the nurse - a very gentle, caring Dominican lady. She introduced us to the patients and told us a bit about the village we are in. There were only about 600 residents in Coulibistri and one clinic (where we were at). The clinic was staffed 3 days a week with a nurse and doctor comes to the clinic twice a month. They did check ups and simple deliveries for pregnant mothers. The clinic, however, was underequipped - if there were birth complications, the patients had to goto another hospital not too far of a drive from the village. I took in the entire place as we had a little tour. The clinic was small and simple with only 3 small rooms plus one waiting area. Only the main 'delivery' room had a stretcher plus a small incubator-like container with small blankets in it. Other rooms mainly just had a few desks and chairs. Yet, I must say, although underequipped, the clinic was tidy and welcoming.
Anyhow, we divided up the group and went to different rooms for the interview. I was in a group of 3. Our patient was a middle-aged Dominican lady who couldn't really understand or speak a lot of English. Her mother tongue was Patois and she could freely communicate with the nurse (who sat in on our interview) without a problem. Even though it was a challenge getting information from her due to the language barrier, our team managed to finish the interview with plenty of data with a little of help from the nurse here and there. However, I must say that the patient made it easy for us because she was very cooperative despite the language barrier and tried to tell us as much as she could.
When we finished and got back to campus, we had a wrap-up session with a team leader - for us it was a Ross graduate who is waiting for his residency in ER medicine. He was an inspiration for me, most definitely. The wrap-up was great. It was a new way of approaching patient's conditions and made me feel like I had a LOT more to learn. Yet it was fascinating how our team leader could just put all these things together and come up with a differential. I can't wait to see myself do that! Anyhow, our session ran late and I had 15mins to grab a bite before the afternoon Behavioural Lab - a banana is always a good choice in those times.
The afternoon lab was also an interview session, but this one was slightly different from the one in the morning. We had our session in the ICM labs. There were 6 of us plus a facilitator, who happened to be another Ross graduate. Only one of us would be interviewing and the rest would observe and give feedback. I volunteered to go first (and I was a bit nervous at the beginning) and interviewed my patient in front of the entire group. The patient was a very nice lady and she was very kind and cooperative, once again! I almost drew a blank near the beginning of the interview because her case threw a curve ball at me - it wasn't the 'typical' example like the one we learned in class. So I couldn't exactly apply the format we were taught to do the interview. Anyhow I just went on to ask other questions, hoping that everything would come together and that what I was doing was at least close to the correct thing.
When I finished the interview, I was ultra nervous about what kind of feedback I was going to get from the facilitator. And surprisingly, he told us that I did 'a really great interview'! But of course there were things that I shouldn't have done or missed - I definitely took notes on those :) Oh, did I mention that we had to dress up the entire day for those interviews? I was not very comfortable in formal clothing! Definitely missed my T-shirt, shorts, and flipflops...
Alright, I need to get back to studying. Haven't had time to upload any pictures yet. Next time! Hope everyone is having a good day/night at the moment.
Second day of school and I am liking what I am learning. Truthfully, despite all the 'fear factors' passed around among the student body about the 3rd semester, I am super excited about what this semester holds. Maybe I will be laughing at myself for saying this later on in the semester, but right now that is precisely what is on my mind. Not a single bit of fear, just pure anticipation!We have 4 subjects: Microbiology/Immunology, Behavioural Science, Pathology, and Pharmacology. Don't be fooled (as we are told by the upperclassmen)! Even though we only have 4 subjects, the load is as heavy as last semester. Not to mention the content is completely new! 'It is like learning a new language', one of our professors said about Pathology. And it is true. This challenge is making me excited! Besides these subjects, we are also starting ICM or Introductory Clinical Medicine, where we will begin to learn how to properly interview patients regarding their illnesses. Finally, I am touching fingertips with real medicine :) This entire patient interview deal brings back memories for me of the years I spent working beside the wonderful cancer patients. And I miss them. I miss that sort of interaction. Sometimes, I wish (very naive..) that I could keep in touch with every single person I have met and liked since the day I could process my own thoughts. Obviously impossible... but one can certainly dream!
Also this semester my biggest goal outside the academia is to live a balanced life. Hurting my back severely during this winter break has evoked something in me, and that special something is the motivation behind my goal. I have been attending yoga classes twice a week since I got here. Even though the starting goal is to help my back recover, I know I will try my best to stick to this routine because it is making me feel refreshed and pumped for the load I am getting.
This semester I will be TA-ing again for Neuroscience and Biochemistry. But I think for Biochemistry I may become an appointment-only TA. So instead of having a session every weekend, I hold tutor sessions for those in need and those that contact me to schedule a meeting. That way I will have more flexibility overall. Hm, so much to anticipate for!
Ok... I should get back to studying. Already spent 2.5hrs doing yoga and cleaning up. Ready to dive back into the game again. And tomorrow will be a GOOD day!
I finally landed in Dominica after 36 hrs of (mostly) sitting in boxes on wheels or giant flying machines. One thing I can firmly say is that I did not enjoy any minute of it. Traveling is a pain in the butt until you actually reach your destination. Interestingly, I feel at home here on the island. When I was in Vancouver I wanted to come back to the sunny weather. And here I am, closing my eyes and enjoying the heat evaporating the moisture on my skin. Ah... a hot winter - that's how I like it.
Ross changed its printing system and I like it more than the old one. Now we can print from any of the classrooms or the library. This way it's less messy, less crowded, and more efficient. No more 'where are my print-outs??'. The new students have arrived. I wonder how big this new class is. Probably close to the size of the previous class. I am also really anticipating the arrival of my friends! Already ran into a couple of them here. But most are coming on the last day of the week or first day of class.
So far I haven't yet finished unpacking. Last night I passed out midway on my bed in my dirty clothes. Woke up and found out that I had slept for 12hrs. I guess 36hrs of no sleep really gets to you. When I got home, our dog Dixie was so excited to see me. I was happy to see my landlord again too. I thought about her lots during my break, hoping she was alright on her own.
3 days till school starts. I hope my back recovers completely before then so I can sit for hours again... so sad ;) Anyhow, gonna go for a walk now! Ciao everyone!
ps. Miho is not ready for the new year! (see photo)
Have been home for 11 days. My break between semesters is almost over but the time spent with friends and family will always be the most precious. Last nite I went to a NYE house party with my closest friends, with whom I was hoping to spend the night with. I missed them. I missed the heart-to-heart conversations, the neverending sarcasm, the playful insults, and the arms waiting to be linked to my own. 2009 went by fast. And time will just go by faster from now on. However, I feel that I am better at catching the fleeting moments escaping between our fingers. Those are the best kinds.Most of my friends are leaving for another country this new year, and I know for a fact that we will not be able to see each other nearly as often as we did or we do. While that thought pulls out a helpless sigh from me, something also tells me that we will only become more connected. The world is not as big as it appears to be.
Anyhow, Vancouver has been cold... yet it appears to be slightly above zero most of the time. This Xmas we did not get any snow! Hm. Occasionally I catch myself missing the hot sun in Dominica. I guess I will see the island again in 5 days! Unless the US airports pull tricks on us again. The airlines have changed regulations and the security checks have become more detailed and time consuming. They are putting more limits on the number of luggages each passenger can carry. Sigh, why has it become like this?
My kitty Miho is so handsome and I missed him so much! Being home allows me to snuggle with him again ooooh so cozy! I hope the 2010 is going to be a great year filled with happiness and achievements for everyone :)
This is Dixie (even though a boy) in the picture, my landlord and my favourite. He is a great dog and the best company any human can ask for. Sometimes he gets overly excited but hey, that's better than not being excited at all to see you.
