Weeks 2 and 3

I think that I am finally, to some degree, acclimating to life here on the island. Things that just three weeks ago would have seemed completely outrageous, like walking a cow down the main street while wielding a machete, are now just a part of the experience. Sarah and I have tried a number of the local restaurants and shopped at each of the three main stores in town. As with everywhere each establishment has its pros and cons and chances are if you talk to any group of people you will get mixed reviews about all of them. There are a few things that still really freak me out, for example eggs are not refrigerated here and if you buy them at the market they come in a bag—like a goldfish

Since my last post I have got to tour several amazing parts of Dominica. We hiked to Syndicate Falls and through the nature park there. I went on a tour of the Indian River which is the river in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. I have spent several hours snorkeling on the reef just of shore from campus. Most recently I went river tubing in the pouring rain. As we got off the bus they handed each of us a helmet and a life jacket—I knew right then that it was going to be a great day.

Classes here have commenced and I now have to agree with the number of people that warned me that learning in medical school is sort of like trying to get a drink from a fire hose. It’s a tremendous amount of material but if you can handle it, you will be quenched. As for me, I am loving it! The intense mental stimulation combined with the community of like-minded humans is really great. I joined two of the many campus clubs: the wilderness medical association and what I call the blood group. I don’t know if the blood group has an official name or not but Dominica doesn’t have a blood bank so if you need a transfusion you also must provide a donor. The provision of donors not always being an option the hospital calls the university with a blood type and if yours matches, you are notified and if able transported to the hospital to give your blood to save a specific life. I think it’s awesome.

Outside of the classroom I am constantly learning about practical things like how to keep the ants out of your food and what to do if your preventative efforts fail. I have overcome the anxiety associated with removing millipedes and hundreds of flying ants from my apartment and have come to love the geckos on the wall for all of the bugs that they eat. I am still getting used to all of the cows, sheep, goats, and chickens that just roam free around town and still jump when one such creature stirs in the bushes along the path I am walking down.

Here are a few random notes from the last two weeks. I am experiencing severe volleyball withdrawal because it has now officially been over a month since I have played. The one pan in my kitchen is a frying pan without a handle and I am afraid to use my oven because the thought of lighting it by hand with my little matches conjures metal images of my face being blown off. Finally, I now no longer eat olives of any kind because to me they now taste like the smell of the gross anatomy lab--death.

Until next week,

Shannon

Week 1 of Island Life

I arrived at the Melville Hall Airport on December 30th just before 4:00 pm. As I climbed the stairs down to the tarmac I was engulfed by a blanket of humidity! It was 80 degrees and at least 80% humidity. I checked in with a Ross representative, went through immigration and got the second stamp in my passport. Baggage claim is just behind the immigration officers. The sliding metal door was wheeled open and the bags brought over. Empty handed, I watched as all of the bags were claimed and the door was shut. Now with both of my bags missing, myself and a few of my peers waited outside in hopes that our luggage would arrive on the next plane. Two hours later I had claimed one bag and filed a missing luggage report.

The last of us boarded the vans that shuttled us to campus and we began the hour drive along the coast and through the rainforest. The sounds of the rainforest at night are like nothing I had ever experienced before- the closest thing I can think of is the sound effects played at Disneyland. Once to campus, we got our bags, made our one phone call, and were taken to our apartments. I was pleasantly surprised by my little studio apartment despite the fact that it wasn't the building that was in the picture on the housing database.

Getting to campus early allowed for some time to unpack, settle in, and explore the area a little bit. One of the first necessary tasks was to buy electricity and figure out how to add the purchased units to my pay as you go meter. This turned out to be relatively easy although completely foreign. Then groceries which was straight-forward enough and choosing a laundry service. The locals here are extremely friendly and they all assure you that their service is the best of its kind.

Thankfully, I am not trying to figure all this out on my own. We are the largest incoming class in the history of Ross University and all 500 of us are in the same boat. I met Sarah on the plane from Huston to San Juan and we instantly bonded in a way that might only be possible if you just picked up and left everything you ever knew in life to go to a remote destination.

Other then that there have been a few minor things that have taken some getting used to like turning on electrical outlets as well as the hot water heater. Checking the availability of any and all menu items at any eating establishment. Remembering bug spray (lots of it!) so as not to end up with several hundred mosquito bites. Ensuring that the appliance you are plugging in is actually 220 volt because if it's not, and I am speaking from experience now, you blow the circuit and spend the rest of the night in the dark.

That's it for now, more to come soon :)