Terraannosaurus

Hello friends and family! I am sorry to report that there will be no video this time around. I lost all my footage by means of some technological voodoo magic that I do not understand.

As you can imagine my transition to island life and to vet school has kept me fairly busy. Here is a blog to keep you all in the know until my next video.

I have officially been living on the island for 2 months and my life here is going well. Admittedly, I struggled with the adjustment (and still do struggle with being so far away from home). However I’m thankful for the opportunity to live and learn here at Ross U.

During my first week in orientation we explored the island and all that it has to offer! Here is a list of some island observations I made during my first week of frolicking around the St. Kitts:

"The Split"-Atlantic Ocean (left) Caribbean Sea (right)

The goats here look like sheep...which also look like goats.
They drive on the left side of the road.
Everybody knows everybody! And it is a polite and common practice to honk at people you pass on the road to say hello!
There are a few things to avoid: centipedes, fire ants, and jelly fish. (Unfortunately I learned about the last two the hard way!)
Monkeys (Specifically green vervet monkeys) and mongooses roam the island!
Radio DJ's will at times turn down the music of a song, say something or sing, and then turn the music back up again.
A lot of restaurants have the word "Shack" in their name, especially on campus: Spice Shack, Burger Shack, Shiggity Shack, and even Shack Shack!
The busses here do not run on a set schedule. To catch a bus you can just walk up to the main road, and wait for one to come. To flag one down, you hold your arm out horizontally and move it slightly up and down.
A lot of streets don't have names, so landmarks are the main way you learn how to get from point A to point B.
It typically stays between 75-90 degrees F and is humid. If we get a rain storm is usually passes over us in less than 10 mins.

My orientation group!

Life post orientation has mainly consisted of studying, caffeine consumption, grown up doctor words, and animal parts. The one main difference between vet school and undergrad thus far as been the amount of material we are expected to know. I often feel like my brain will never be able to hold it all. I have had to come up with some pretty interesting and embarrassing methods to remember things (sometimes involving accents or dance moves).

It all sounds (and looks) silly, but it helps!

Outside of coursework I joined the ZEW (Zoo, Exotic, and Wildlife) club! Through this club I do feedings at the zoo here once every two weeks! It is definitely a highlight for me.

That's about all I have for now! Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll have a video up before I head back to the states for winter break in 2 months. I miss you all very much and can't wait to see you again! See you next time!

-Terra

STOP, picture time!