3 Weeks Down

Whew! The past 3 weeks have flown by, I never thought I could take in and recall SO much information. Medical school thus far has been the most mentally challenging endeavor I've ever pursued. There have been days of discouragement, frustration, amazement, peace, and joy. In every season of life I choose to be content and positive, after all I am an optimist!

For those of you who may be reading this as future SUSOM students know this: there is no amount of preparation that will make you feel "ready" for medical school. If you are months or even weeks out of your first day or ship-out day enjoy yourself, before I started in January I made sure to have 2 weeks to enjoy the holidays with my friends and family before hitting the ground running. I heard from other students at competing Caribbean programs who after 1 week hadn't even started lectures yet. Not at Saba. Get ready to hit the books hard on day one.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Yes. You'll be overwhelmed, regardless of your educational background, know that everything you hear in lecture won't all stick, as much of medical school anatomy is guided group learning never sacrifice rigorous independent studying regardless of your particular learning style. I thought I knew how to learn based on how well I did in undergrad, but since day one I have had to dramatically change my study habits: created (and stuck with) a schedule, changed the way I take notes in class, prioritized self-care and sleep. I have kept an open mind, not limiting myself to doing what I've always done in terms of my life before medical school, writing notes, flashcards, and re-listening to lectures.

Stay positive! Yes it's a fire hose of information, drink from it one sip at a time and take each day at a time. Surround yourself with other students who are encouraging and who will commit to keep you accountable!

The Adventure Begins

We made it! Travels to Saba did not go as expected, thankfully I quickly made friends with other SUSOM students on St. Maarten and since then we've basically been inseparable. After connecting my flight from Nashville in Atlanta we touched down on St. Maarten earlier than expected. Went through immigration which didn't take too long, just flashed my passport and told them my final destination the hard part was tracking down the luggage. All luggage on flights into St. Maarten come out on one carousel which makes baggage claim crowded and a time consuming process. Ultimately three other SUSOM students and I were stranded on St. Maarten because baggage claim took entirely too long causing us to miss our ferry to Saba, but we made the most of it. Since the taxi from the airport we've been a solid family unit brainstorming the solution to our predicament. We ended up getting a room in a resort and taking a ferry out this morning which gave us the chance to explore St. Maarten a bit and relax before our first day of medical school. While waiting for our ferry today we were hanging out at a restaurant by the water and in the three hours we saw two rainbows, absolutely breathtaking! 

St. Phillipsburg Dock, St. Maarten

Immediately upon arriving on Saba we grabbed food at a local restaurant, went grocery shopping, then moved into our campus apartment. The scenery here is absolutely astounding! SO beautiful, the sky is so blue and foliage a deep vibrant green. I love how the red roofs of the houses make the green and blue pop. The people are so very friendly and approachable, there is zero crime here on Saba it's so safe one resident says her six year old daughter hitchhikes around the island! It's surreal that in just one week I'll take the Hippocratic oath and don my white coat. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to go to medical school in the Caribbean and live the island life for the next two years. 

The Bottom, Saba