SCHOOL | Term 4 update

Happy October everyone! It's my absolute favorite month (and also the month of my birthday!) I've been doing too much online shopping for boots, coats, and sweaters. The Caribbean doesn't really allow any enjoyment of the season, but I'll be visiting home a couple of times in the next two months, so it's completely justified. Right? hah.. I feel as though nothing ever changes here. 86 degrees (but feels like 100), and ridiculously high humidity. Every. single. day. I'm not really a warm weather kind of girl, and so I can't wait for my visit back home to NYC at the end of next week. It'll be a nice little break from school.

ANYWAY.  I didn't mean to ramble. We just finished midterm exams, and I'm excited to say that they went well. It's been the word around campus that this is the most difficult term, but so far I don't feel like that's the case. There's definitely less time in the day since lectures are daily 8am - 12pm and labs 1pm - 5pm and much more volume of material, it's not nearly as difficult as the material from Term 2. I'm so excited that I've come this far, and there's only 55 days left in the term! (Last final is Dec 6).

Keep pushing everyone, we can do this!

WEAR | Caribbean Medical Student Wardrobe Staples

• A good pair of leggings and yoga pants. My personal favorite are by Zella, sold at Nordstrom. They're super comfortable to wear, wash and dry well, and doesn't make you feel too frumpy! The workout-wear material also dries faster than the traditional cotton legging, making it a perfect choice for tropical weather (and the unexpected rain!). 

• Tank tops. Back to the basics guys. Throw one on with a pair of yoga pants, and voila! An outfit for lecture. My favorites are from Target!

• Sports bra

• Workout tops. Sweaty Betty tank pictured above.

• A comfortable, light weight sweatshirt. I always have one of these either on, or with me for classes and studying. Study halls can get chilly with the AC (definitely not complaining though, I'd much rather it be cold than warm!). I can't get enough of the basic Wildfox ones.

• Rain jacket because it pours unexpectedly.

• Shorts because it's permanently summer down here. The ones pictured above are from One Teaspoon.

• Sweatpants. Enough said.

• Bathing suit; do go to the beach from time to time!

• Flipflops. The Old Navy ones are my go-to. They're comfortable and inexpensive, which is important since I tend to go through them quickly on the island.

• Birkenstocks because it's nice to wear something more substantial than just a flip flop sometimes. Available at Nordstrom

• Slippers to be comfortable in my dorm. 

• Athletic shoes to wear to the gym. I love my Nike Theas. 

• Large, water resistant tote. Absolutely necessary, especially the water resistant part. Don't want your notes and electronics ruined because of the rain. Longchamp is fantastic, but I'm currently using the "Ryan" diaper bag from LeSportSac. Don't judge until you try it! There's so many compartments for everything, and two sections for bottles; one for my water, the other for an umbrella. Love love love this bag. 

• Sunglasses to hide behind because we're all going to wake up with bags under our eyes from long nights of studying. And nobody wants premature wrinkles!

Princess Cruises: Norway

I've always been a big fan of cruises. It's a fabulous way to see a bunch of different places all at once, with very little planning required. Therefore, I figured what better way to celebrate the fiancé's birthday as well as completing final exams than to get back on the boat. I can't even begin to explain how much I miss colder temperatures, especially since I'm totally not a hot weather girl, and I go to school in the tropics. After browsing a couple of options, we booked the trip to Norway, and it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

Olden

Our itinerary began in Southampton, England, and included 4 Norwegian ports:

• Stavanger
• Skjolden
• Olden
• Bergen

Old Stavanger

Olden

Olden, Picture taken from the bus!

At one of our hikes

A selfie, of course

Glacier hike

Stave Church

Bergen

Unfortunately we didn't get to visit Oslo and the other side of the country, but that just makes for a great excuse to go back. Where are you all up to this summer?

What to get a Medical Student for Valentine's Day

Happy February! Now is the time to freak out over Valentine's Day right? Hah. Just because there's an exam the day after doesn't mean we can't enjoy the day. Here's my little love list of medical student approved gifts; for that student in your life, significant other, bestie, yourself, whatever. (Everything is linked below)

•  
• Cute lingerie, great for any occasion (actually, feel pretty while studying). This pretty red set is from AdoreMe 

• A watch! Very, practical, I love this one from Daniel Wellington

• I'll probably be spending the day in sweats, so we may as well make them nice ones; Wildfox

• Perfume! This one is my favorite. Chanel Chance

• Diptyque's limited edition "Rosaviola". They come out with one every year that's a variation on the Rose scent, always beautiful. 

• Le Pen. For that planner/student/organizer in your life (which I admit, I am one)

• Best. Slippers. Ever. Ugg Scufette II

• Simplified Planner, by Emily Ley. I can't tell you how helpful this planner has been. The hourly layout and minimal design has done me wonders. I talked about it a little bit more in this post

• Longchamp Le Pliage- to shove all your stuff in. 

xoxo

It's Been A While...

...but that's okay. First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's been quite an eventful year. I don't want to get into the details or anything (well, if you're interested, feel free to send an email), but we'll just say it's much easier this year, than it was last year.

I just wanted to mention a little about a student's mindset. I'll be the first to admit that during my first term, I was physically here, but mentally, I was everywhere else but here. Arriving on the island felt like a bad vacation, or summer camp that never seemed to end. I mean, my first day here, the bus had dropped off my roommate and me on the side of the road, a good half a mile from our new dorm...with 40lbs of books in tow, each. Not exactly a warm welcome. I'm also not the biggest fan of warm weather, but that's a whole other story.

I didn't start this post to bitch about year 1 or anything, I just wanted to make the point that a student's mindset can make all the difference. I found things difficult that actually aren't difficult. I couldn't make myself do simple things, or even figure out any good ways to study. I was dragging my stuff around, switching rooms, figuring out my way, and all of a sudden, classes began at full swing. Of course my situation wasn't unique, I can probably say it's similar to a lot of people's experiences when they get here, but for one reason or another, it affected me. To put it simply, I wasn't mentally ready to start medical school. But I kept going.

If I had the choice to start the process all over, I would put in some more thought. Really think things through. At the time last year I figured I would just start (my acceptance letter came a little over two weeks before the start of school). Take the opportunity and jump in! It could be argued either way whether or not that was a good idea. I do make rash decisions once in a while, but never of this caliber. Usually it's about chopping off 10 inches of my hair, or booking a last minute getaway. I'm happy that I begin when I did, but I will say that medical school is not a last minute getaway.

I'm not trying to deter anyone at all! Just putting forth that starting school is the last step of your "getting-into-medical-school" process, and it's not one to be taken lightly. We all put so much effort into essays, grades, applications, interviews. Why rush the last part? Put in all the thought, make careful decisions, and really prepare yourself and you'll get the best results.

To everyone starting school this January, congratulations! You have great things to come.