Meet Mr. Murphy

So Ross has been quite the adventure so far. The first week of class is done and wow is there ever a lot of work to do.. My schedule is typically get up at 6:30am, eat a little and then get to class for about 7:15 (after that it just fills up too much and good luck finding a seat..). Class goes from 8 until noon, and then afternoons are variable. Sometimes there will be another lecture or two until 2-3pm, other times you will have them off, and yet other times you will be in the cadaver lab from 1:30 until 5.

Oh the cadaver lab. Some people are totally scared by it, and some can't wait to get in there. I for one was excited, but at the same time worried about how I would react to cutting up a human being. The smell was something awful, but went unnoticed after about 5 minutes. People were funny, some touching everything, and others trying to stand as far away from the bodies as possible, but once dissection started, it was great. I must say that I was reluctant to touch the body at first, but I put myself in the frame of mind that those ribs I saw were just baby-back ribs and all was good from there. I even caught myself leaning on the corpse for support as I reflected the semisplinalis capitis to uncover the occipital triangle. Like straight up leaning, with my bare arm, on what used to be this old man's posterior rib cage and intrinsic back muscles. Cool. There I was, trying to stick my finger as far as it could go between Mr. Murphy's skull and C1 vertebra to make room for us to identify the vertebral artery (I named our cadaver Mr. Murphy for his resemblance to one of my regular clients when I worked as a bartender..) Too cool. Yes I got home smelling like death and preservatives, and the smell of formaldehyde actually permeated through my nitrile gloves and made my hands stink, even after repeated washings, but it was awesome.

For all those going into a similar lab feeling a bit reluctant, don't worry. You get over it fast and it may well be the best part of medical school.

Only in Dominica...

Well, I've now had my first week on the island of Dominica, going to Ross University and I must say, it isn't so bad!

I will admit that the first night was absolutely awful... I walked into my apartment, which smelled like old refrigerator and mold, and almost walked right back to the airport. The place was small, it stank, and still had someone else's clothing and other personal belongings in it. Even the shower curtain was covered in mold up until about half way to the top. There were dishes in the sink, and all the doors were open, letting in bugs of all kinds. The best part was that after my 12 hour trek to get here, I was hot and sweaty and felt as disgusting as my apartment was, but there was no hot water. Anywhere. It was enough to make me doubt my ability to live on the island.

Luckily enough, some stores were still open and my girlfriend and I managed to find bleach and other cleaning products/accessories which we used to their fullest potential. I cleaned this place for hours until it smelled like bleach and disinfectant. The next day, our packages arrived via Amerijet, as did my dog, and things started to feel a lot more like home. We have no bugs of any kind in here, and we are getting the hang of finding food and places to hang out.

The beauty of the island is irrefutable, and you really can't beat the 3 minute walk from my front door to the beach on the Caribbean sea! I've been on tours to different corners of the island and taken transports to different areas around Ross, and all of it is really cool and new as long as you can keep an open mind. I mean, where else can you get an ENTIRE Ahi Tuna for less than 10$ US? You pay a fortune for this stuff back home, and it is fresher here than you can get almost anywhere. Where else can you step onto your back porch and pick a mango or banana out of the tree growing in your yard? Definitely not in cold Montreal! Tropical fruit can be bough for pennies, fresh produce as well and nobody is starving here. Even the damn beer is good! Actually QUITE good, and when bought at a bar, bottles are less than 2$ US. Buy 'em at a store and they are sometimes less than 1$.

Sure some of the people are distant and rude, but the vast majority are very friendly and say hi as you walk down the street. Be careful at night, as like any city, and don't leave your stuff lying around, but other than that, this place is as safe as can be.

It is true what people have said, this place is definitely not home, but it is manageable. If you can get used to not having everything available all the time food-wise, and maybe living off of fish instead of beef and fruit in the AM instead of cereal and milk (because the first costs a fortune and often has bugs in it, and the milk is not quite the same here), it is totally doable.

Hell, I even have HBO and TWO ESPN's! It's better than TV in Canada.