Knowing when to stop

Part of medical school and learning is to know when to stop.
to stop studying.

*picture taken from our physiology TA review. 

I think it's pretty accurate :)

Forcing yourself to study when you are mentally tired from 6 hours of class every day and then studying at night is not productive!! AND it makes you more tired. Knowing your limits is important in getting through medical school. Most students feel guilty sleeping 8 hours a night... because you can get by on 5 hours of sleep and gain 3 extra hours of studying right?
Sleep is crucial. Unproductive studying is a waste of time and energy. So tonight, a friday night, I will not feel guilty that I am taking the rest of the night off to hang out and have dinner with some friends. I will wake up early and be productive all day tomorrow. - I hope.


Stress gets to all of us, but being able to control it and clear your head is as important as passing medical school. (at least in my opinion)

signing off for the night,
IDL

The week's end.

Time for a quick post.
How does the weekend go by so fast all the time? This weekend I tried to relax, catch up on sleep and study as much as possible without tiring myself out. I think overall, it was a success :)
I went for a walk on Saturday afternoon and got caught in a summer downpour ... it was actually quite nice because the air was soooo humid that the rain was refreshing. So instead of going all the way down to the ladder, I explored the road near by and got some amazing shots to remind me why I actually like this island.

hiding out in a gazebo, waiting out the rain.

sun still shinning strong. I love these kind of rain storms

Hand break. - the Saba way

vibrant

such a calming view. Times like these I actually get to appreciate that I live in the middle of nowhere in the caribbean!

1 down. 4 to go

Monday was one of the longest days ever.

6am: wake up, review biochemistry notes
8-9am: write biochemistry exam
9-11:30am: @ the library reviewing genetics (I actually think this was my first time studying in the library!)
11:30-12:30pm: write genetics exam
12:30 -3: stuff my face with cafeteria food and LOTS of candy/ pop to get energy for the last exam (Oh and back to the library to review for physiology)
3-4pm: write physiology
4:01: DONE!!

3 exams, 1 hour each may not seem like a lot but when you have to be completely and utterly focused to give 110% for each one its draining!! Luckily the sugar kicked in right on time :)

As monday night was our only night off, some of us got together and celebrated... although we couldn't stay too late since we had class at 8am today! So much for our 'break' after exams. (I now understand why upper semesters told me to enjoy the free time in 1st semester)

well, 4 more to go.

PS. they went well :)

enjoying our night off :) very many people in one house without air conditioning = VERY HOT! (did I mention we are in the caribbean?!)

Amazing view from their house. The moon across the water was a stunning view.. Unfortunately this is the best my camera can do!

Study, study, study...

Summer in the caribbean is not quite like I imagined. It rains everyday (torrential downpours nonetheless), its windy, foggy and humid. So much for sunshine and getting a tan. But I have to say that some mornings are actually nice; the fog and clouds come very low and cover the mountain completely!
At least this weather is conducive to studying, right?

back to the books.

Fear

Fear is a funny thing; it makes us question our decisions, it motivates us to be better, it pushes our limits... but in the end, it just makes us scared. Fear is a good thing - at least from my perspective. It shows me that I care about something so much that I am afraid to lose it. So I work harder to do what I need to keep going.

I've been asked a couple of times how I study at home. "don't you get distracted?". Well, no. Distraction causes panic and fear in the end. So, my motivation? To not become afraid. To avoid this fear (which is pushing me to study in the first place).

So, yes, I am ranting and going around in circles (I guess studying physiology feedback systems can do that to your thinking!) but my point is if you ever start questioning if you made the right decision, ask yourself if you are afraid to lose it. So embrace your decision and push through.
Am I afraid of not making it all the way to becoming a doctor? yes, sometimes. BUT that's a good thing! Makes me want it even more.

If we didn't care what we were fighting and sacrificing for then is it really worth it?

just a little food for thought... literally.

Baked some cookies for a saturday night study snack :)

3 months left in 2nd semester... but who's counting?!

 It's been a week and I still feel like I am back in first semester. Starting over again, learning how to study and what to study. Each course in second semester (Biochemistry, Genetics, Physiology & epidemiology) has a different way of presenting the material. What concepts are we supposed to know? How many details do we need to memorize? The course load is bigger in 2^nd and time management is MUCH more important.

For the past week I have been altering my schedule, trying to see what works. Instead of studying alone, we have formed a study group. So far its working well! We force each other to sit down and slowly go through concepts, questioning each other and forming hypothetical scenerios – very helpful. But, as you can imagine, it takes forever to get through one lecture! We have been studying every day from when classes finish at 3pm until 11:30 at night. Insane!

(not that I am trying to make excuses about my lack of blogging this semester J )

Hopefully digesting the amount of information coming at us will get easier as the semester progresses...

So, yes, I feel like a 1^st semester all over again.

I also wanted to thank all those in first semester that have come up to me and told me they read my blog! It’s such an amazing feeling that I helped you prepare a little better for living on this rock ... and getting by.

I know your first exam is coming up in one week and panic might be setting in. My two cents? Don’t worry. The first exam is made to show you how and what you need to study. (trust me you will understand this soon!) Don’t get discouraged.. keep going.

The only thing I can help with is to share some of the online resources I found last semester for anatomy:

Good practice questions:

http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz/practice/u2/quiztop2.htm

http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/

Embryology:

http://www.embryology.ch/indexdu.html

http://www.embryo.chronolab.com/

http://www.indiana.edu/~anat550/embryo_main/

the Kaplan videos are also really gooda

Promise to post more regularly now. I am hoping to go on a hike this weekend (or ANYTHING that involves sunshine!) :)

Back into the Wild

I am back on the island for round 2! Finally (somewhat) settled into my new apartment in The Bottom and trying to get used to the all the changes... new place, new classroom, less classmates. I arrived yesterday morning on Saba after a relaxing stay over in St. Maarten. I stayed at the Royal Turtle Inn which was a really nice surprise. The rooms are clean and good sized, they have a restaurant as part of the Inn where they serve the complementary breakfast (which is amazing!) AND there are parrots, rabbits and monkeys on the property as well as a pool! I would definitely recommend staying there. Very affordable and a 1 minute taxi ride from the airport - definitely walkable if you don't too many bags

As expected I arrived on Saba without my luggage... again. Although this time it managed to come with a later flight the same day! That was great because I packed a lot of food which would have gone a little bad or at least mushy from the heat.

It will take some adjusting to get back into a routine and to sink in that I am back on an island in the middle of the Caribbean! I have to admit, very strange feeling to go back home just for 2 weeks and then find yourself here. It feels like I just left. Back into the craziness of medical school. Back into the wild...wish me luck!

Home-bound

The caribbean way..."Don't worry, be happy"

First semester is done! Only four more to go haha. Looking back it seems like it went by fast, let's hope the rest will be the same.

Looking forward to jumping on a flight home tomorrow morning. A little surreal to say I am heading home tomorrow... especially since I am typing this while sitting in the living room of my new apartment :). My new home for the next year. I moved in last night, unpacked this morning and spent the rest of the day hiking "The Ladder" down to the caribbean sea. Nothing better than to lie in the sun with the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. Although I have to admit it felt a little weird just sitting and enjoying the weather!


Class of January '11, congratulations!! To the incoming 1st semesters get ready for a fun ride. See you on the rock in 2 weeks

Class of January '11 

A little taste of home

I realize I live in the caribbean where 30 degree weather is considered the norm but this is a nice reminder of home :)... not to mention a great way for a sugar induced energy boost for the last portion of study time for the night!

Hot Chocolate & marshmellows :)

Looking out

looking out at the sunset during my run on friday afternoon. It was gorgeous...

the spot I stop and take a breath.