Repeating a class/semester: It's not the end of your world!

My apologies for anyone that follows my blog.  I have totally slacked on posting anything in quite awhile for a multitude of reasons.  But I'm back (for the moment) and want to talk about repeating a class or semester and share my personal experience with this topic.

It's the thought that drives many of us at RUSVM into stress overload as we gear up and take on finals week every semester.  We've attached quite the negative stigma to the thought of repeating (not sure why though).  We even (dramatically) figure our life will be OVER if it happens to us.

I'm here to tell you it's NOT the end of your world!!  In fact...I know now that there are MORE positives than negatives to this little hurtle that a significant number of us at RUSVM have jumped over (you are not alone if you ever go through this!).

 But I'm not going to sugar coat the whirlwind of feelings that run through your heart and head when you scroll down that grade site and there's that big fat "F" glaring right at you.

There I was...I had just started my travels from St. Kitts to South Africa for my trip with WildlifeVets (I'll post a blog on this experience later).  I was starting to feel feverish and sick probably because my immune system knew it was post-finals time and it could finally crash.  After all, finals week is when we neglect and abuse our bodies as we fill it full of any caffeinated beverage we can get our hands on, we eat every sugary snack and unhealthy snack that we come across, we get basically no sleep, and let's not get into the scientific aspect of what that kind of stress you experience in those days does to you physiologically!  When my plane landed at my first stop, I paid for the internet in the airport so I could get my grades as soon as the frenzy of facebook posts had began indicating our grades were available.  I can honestly say I wasn't concerned about the possibility of not passing any of my courses from 5th semester.  Like the classic novel, Moby Dick...THERE SHE BLEW!  The "F" in Small Animal Medicine.

It knocked the wind right out of me when I saw it.  Tears swelled up in my eyes instantly (and when I cry...it's not pretty...my face turns red all over, my eyes turn bloodshot, I get extremely congested...like I said, not pretty!).  My mind began to race with literally a thousand thoughts, fears, and questions.
"What now?"  "This sets me back 4 more months from my original date to leave the island and begin my clinical year"  "This sets me back 4 months from seeing my family...from seeing my stateside pets...from being reunited with friends...from being back to my boyfriend's side." "Where did I go wrong?"  "Should I still go to South Africa?"  "Should I just go home to be with my family?" "What is everyone going to say or think about me?"  "How is this going to affect me down the road?"

I was in a state of panic to say the least and stuck in an airport overnight to sleep on the cold floor.  I began contacting the people that I love the most, my aunt and uncle as well as the boyfriend.  Nothing they said made me feel better or helped me at the time.  I was inconsolable (thank God for patient loved ones!), but at the same time I still didn't want my boyfriend to get off of Skype with me and leave me alone with those thoughts of worthlessness, defeat, insecurity, and uncertainty.

Boy was that the roughest night being stuck sleeping on the hard, cold airport floor (gross!) while my fever was in full swing especially after my cry session that probably lasted a good two hours.

Like I said...not going to sugar coat my experience.  I'm truly hoping my honesty and insight can maybe help others who find themselves in this same hard-to-swallow situation.

The boyfriend talked me into sticking to the original plan and making my way to South Africa (EXTREMELY grateful he didn't let me ditch this amazing experience while I was delusional from my fever and the sadness and heaviness of my situation that filled my heart and mind).  So off I went...got on my morning flight and began the long journey, fever/sickness in tow...NOT FUN!  (don't worry it finally broke after a couple restful and cozy nights at the WildlifeVets lodge)

Briefly I want to describe the process that happens after you fail one course in a semester and answer that question resonating in your head from the moment you see that failing grade...WHAT NOW????

So you get an email from the registrar that gives you the options for repeating the semester (I opted to only take Small Animal Medicine because it is a 5 credit course and that would provide me with the full amount of financial aid...or something like that...I honestly still don't have a good grasp of all those details behind this part).  Then I sent an email to the coordinating professor of the course (for me this was Dr. Kelly) requesting a meeting when I returned to the island to review my final exam and discuss how to approach the course differently this second time around.  I mean you have the option to appeal your failure(s) in front of a committee, but I personally made the decision to not go this route after learning from that meeting to review my final that it wasn't that I was just one question off from passing the course.  I made the decision to live with it all and accept that this was part of my path to earning my DVM.

Alright...time to change tunes and get into the truly positive positives of repeating a course/semester!!  This is going to be a long list!  And although many of these things were not obvious to me immediately when I found myself lost in the land of emotional limbo, I can proudly say that I can fully appreciate all of these now that the storm has passed.

1. For me one of the initial positives that pulled me up off the ground was that I was going to be reunited with my bestie in my new class.  She had been through what I was going through and being the friend that she has always been from our Vet Prep semester, she was right there to help me dust myself off and get back on my horse.  I know she's going to read this blog and I want her to know that if it wasn't for her, I probably would have crumbled upon returning to school and the island.  Thank you so much for not letting me crumble.  I hope I can always be the friend to you that you have been to me.
2. Free time=me time!  Well...normally this would have been the case considering I was only taking one course and it only took an hour of my time every day of the week (8a-9a course).  But I'm kind of a workaholic and don't know what to do with so much free time...soooo
3. I kicked off a doggy daycare business!  During my downtime in South Africa, I decided that I could use my time to help my fellow Rossies as well as help their beloved dog(s).  So, I put together a whole list of services/prices/policies and my client contracts/pet forms.  I came up with very affordable prices and started spreading the word about my intentions.  It was a hit!  I had a crew of regulars for my doggy daycare before I knew it!  By far the best way I could have spent my free time.  Each with their own personalities, I loved my doggy daycare pups!  Not a single day was boring and have you ever just watched a group of dogs play and romp around with each other...so entertaining!  Not just was I giving these pups tons of attention and playtime, I was also giving their owners a peace of mind that we all struggle with as we stumble around finding a balance between studying and giving our pups the best we can.  Personally, when I know that I've helped someone out in any way, it fills my heart with so much joy!  (yes, I know that sounds cheesy...just who I am though)  So all semester long...my heart was extremely satisfied with the thought of all the pups and owners that I was really giving a helping hand to.  Another great aspect of this little business plan that I put together is that it really put my organizational and communication skills to work (don't get me wrong, there were bumps along the way...scheduling errors and even having to tell a couple clients that I couldn't continue to help them or their pets because of the way that they handled themselves when an human error had been made).
4. Time to focus on Small Animal Medicine!  I was getting the opportunity to be exposed and taught some really significant and clinically relevant information again (taught by some incredible professors and definitely knowledge that will carry you through some rotations in clinics and even help you with the NAVLE).  It was my job to take total advantage of this.  I knew after meeting with the course coordinator where I had gone wrong and where I needed to really strengthen my knowledge this second time around...it was go time!  It was not the time to dwell on the shoulda-woulda-coulda's of the previous semester and beat myself up over where I fell short with this course in the previous semester.  As my good friend, Dee, has said to me:  "Put down the baseball bat!"  I've always been really hard on myself, but I needed to let those thoughts go and push myself to focus and achieve the best grade possible NOW.
5. RUSVM's JOSH PROJECT!  My heart has always been in this wonderful organization and it's mission.  Repeating 5th semester gave me the opportunity to really guide the student who was taking over my position as chair and all it's duties and responsibilities.  It gave me the chance to truly push her to being on her own in the following semester and ensuring that she had a good handle on everything (with the peace of mind that I'd be around and still a part of Josh Project for another two semesters while she was running the show :) ).  Sticking around for another 4 months also meant I got to attend more hospital visits to the children at the pediatric ward at JNF General Hospital...I can't resist those smiles!  I also had a couple random projects that I wanted to nail down before I had to go off to my clinical year...now I would have 4 more months to make sure these came together!
6. I have a slight weakness and obsession for the delicious margaritas and Indian food that is made with love at Bombay Blues.  So repeating a semester meant I got to enjoy these amazing people and their restaurant for another 4 months!
7. A new class to be a part of!  Much love to my former semester, but who doesn't like getting to know and work with a fresh batch of faces??!!  I actually knew some that were in my new semester because of Josh Project.  Luckily, with my position with Josh Project I've had to interact with a lot of the student body at RUSVM and that has meant not limiting myself to just those in my former semester in order to be successful with our fundraising events, creating awareness of our organization, and also recruiting new students.  Anyways, I was excited to be in a new class :)
8. Clinical placements!  My GPA took a hit, but nothing that I couldn't bounce back from (improve my grade with Small Animal Medicine and still have another semester to really put in work towards my GPA that will be presented to the clinical schools that I put on my application in 7th semester).  There are plenty of schools that are affiliated with RUSVM that will still take me based on their minimum GPA requirements.  Lastly, in the words of several 7th semesters that filled out a survey recently for our semester, placement is "a crap shoot" LOL.  Not even being the top of your class necessarily guarantees you your "first" choice clinical school.  So I'm not really getting the short end of the stick for clinical placements because I repeated a course/semester...I'm in the same boat as my classmates still.
9. I rescued three puppies!  With the help of my friend who is also in charge of one of the amazing stray rescue organization at RUSVM, S.A.F.E (their official website), we cleaned up these three scrawny, tick infested, and mangy (but adorable, of course) boys and started them on the road to a new life!  Don't worry, I didn't keep them all...just one.  Wait...what did I sign myself up for!?  I really had no plan as to what I was going to do with them, but I couldn't let them fend for themselves for another day...life was going to turn around for them because I said so!  I've watched so many fellow colleagues rescue/foster during their time at RUSVM...how hard could it be?  It wasn't hard at all :)  A friend helped me transport the puppies back to my apartment and she instantly fell in love with the first one she picked up and placed in her arms (now named Zante)...one down, two to go!  After reaching out to another organization at RUSVM that is in the business of rescuing strays and neglected animals, PAWS, they were happy to take in the "runt" (who I named Johnny Ringo...Ringo for short) and place him with an amazing foster mom.  After letting them know that I'd be happy to foster the remaining pup (who I named Pistol Pete...Pistol or Pete for short), they agreed to take him into their adoption program.  Did I mention that I kept one?  Yea, I was a foster fail.  Whoops!  I loved Pistol from the moment I met him and knew I'd never be able to give him to another home.  He's the best cuddle bug, loves playing ball, extremely intelligent, and has the big island dog ears that stand straight up.  He has made a lovely addition to my small zoo :)
10. Although I didn't go home the previous break (went to South Africa), I jumped on a plane and flew home for midsemester break.  I got to see some of my best friends from back home, my family, my pets, and my boyfriend.  A much needed visit with loved ones that recharged me mentally.
11. I have a better understanding of how to study for these more clinically relevant courses!  You guessed it, I passed the course that I repeated and am now in 6th semester.  I can honestly say that I have a much better grip on how to prepare for the exam questions this semester because I now know what to focus on with the material as well as what to take away from the information.  PS.  I love 6th semester...by far my best and favorite semester yet (we are only half way through at the moment and I'll be writing a blog specifically focusing on this semester later on)!
12. Support!  I had support from all directions and I know that this was a very important component to my success and ability to bounce back from the little set back of repeating.  I had people the entire time throughout the semester cheering me on, pushing me to carry on, and demanding I do my damnedest.  What was so awesome was that the support even came from newly found friendships.  I am so grateful for those that gave me words of encouragement and even shared their own experiences with me.

MYTH BUSTED!  It wasn't the end of the world to repeat a course!  And there were so many positives that came from this slight change in my path/plans.  Wouldn't change the way things happened or turned out at all.  I'm grateful for the new perspective the entire experience provided me with and the opportunity for academic as well as personal growth that were part of the package too.

The many emotions of veterinary school finals week brought to you by Will Ferrell

You're welcome.

1) Two weeks before finals

2) One week before finals...denial that the semester is coming to an end and you have finals

3) Second thoughts about vet school

4) You're pretty much loosing it while you sit in one place for ungodly hours at a time to study

5) A desire to burst into tears at any given moment

6) What your diet consists of and your meal/break time looks like

7) It doesn't take much to push you over the edge

8) When someone tells you that they didn't think the final for a certain course was all that difficult

9) Each night before an exam

10) You get a little desperate

11) What your insides are doing before you walk into the exam center

12) When they say you can flip over the exam and you read the first question

13) How you usually feel after your exam when you look up answers for questions you weren't sure about

14) Coping mechanisms when its all over

15) On your way to the airport to go home

Josh Project: End-of-the-Day Thoughts

Busy day of classes, but such a perfect ending visiting the children at the JNF General Hospital Pediatric Ward!  I really wish that sometimes other students could see things through my eyes when it comes to St. Kitts.  I have the best view ever!  RUSVM's Josh Project (branch off of Josh and Friends) has really given me a whole new perspective and appreciation for those that I share this beautiful island with.  These little ones that I meet at the hospital and their grateful parents/family members really fill my heart with an overwhelming sensation of joy and accomplishment.  I can't get enough of them. I love sitting back in my chair in the playroom during our story time with them and watching them follow along as the story is narrated for them.  I love watching them get a huge smile on their adorable faces as Josh comes to life with a little bit of their help (ie. wagging his tail).  And I love the look of peace they have on their faces as our Josh Project group says our goodbyes and I know that they will be brave with their new friend Josh for whatever awaits them the next day whether that is surgery or the possibility of getting to go home after their hospital stay.  I am so very thankful for all these memories that I get to make before my stay here is over.  And I'm so very thankful for the way that these awesome children have made such a huge impact on my life while I've been here.

5th Semester: Time to Apply Your Knowledge!

5th semester is well underway and proving to be way more exciting and hands on than the last couple of semesters (1st and 2nd you have anatomy which allows for live animal handling and use, but beyond that it is books, books, books).

Several classes this semester are demanding my brain to reach into my vast storage of knowledge and apply it to live animals.  In the Introduction to Clinics I class I have already had the majority of my labs.  We have focused each lab on a different species and skill sets.  These labs have really given us an opportunity to hone in on building consistent and thorough skills with each species.

My first lab was a phlebotomy, skin scraping, and halter tie lab.  We practiced best-practice techniques with phlebotomies from simulation models for both cephalic veins and jugular veins.  Then we were able to practice the proper techniques for superficial and deep skin scrapings as well as discussed when to use either approach.  We were actually given cadaver skin to practice on that was stretched over a structure to simulate the actual animal (probably from those specimens that end up being utilized in the anatomy labs for 1st and 2nd semester).  And the halter tie was extremely handy as we will be using this skill in future labs and semesters when working with the sheep, donkeys, or horses on campus.

There's the Canine Physical Examination lab.  Using the wonderful kennel dogs we performed distance examinations and then the hands on nose-to-tail physical examinations.  Getting into a routine in evaluating each system as well as taking into account the normal parameters for temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, etc.  The one thing that I really took from this examination was something I was not as familiar with nor had I done in the past, a good ole rectal palpation.  It's actually really amazing what information you can get from this examination!  From the ability to feel the urethra on the ventral aspect of the rectum to a general examination of the colon wall.

The suture lab provided information on a variety of suture patterns and situations that each pattern can be used in.  To be honest we have had a great amount of practice with hand-ties since our 2nd semester, so now it was time to learn about the different suture patterns used in practice for the different tissues we will encounter.  From tension relieving sutures such as the vertical mattress to the far-near-near-far, needless to say this skill set takes a lot of practice (many of my friends and I have had suturing parties where we study for a certain class together and then end the night practicing our suture patterns on our ROSSie models...this is acquired in your Clinical Skills course during 5th semester).

ROSSie spay simulator.  Use this to practice your suture patterns as well as working with the various "tissue layers" you'll encounter during a spay (in 6th semester you learn to "spay" your ROSSie)

 Don't mind that it looks a little beat up...this is what happens when your island pup discovers your ROSSie and uses it as a chew toy :)  But wanted to give a side view to show the layers of the ROSSie that are present (the tubes you see sticking out are simulating the uterine horns...but these ones have been a little damaged from said island dog)

There's a Ovine Physical Examination lab.  Not only did we get to learn how to properly restrain a sheep (please note that the video link is not the video we were provided with to study before the lab in preparation for this procedure), we got to understand the normal findings in this species.  For me the best part of this lab was utilizing that same skill set during my examination with our kennel dog and transferring that to this species.  We were able to estimate the age of our sheep (under 2 years of age) based on the eruption of certain teeth.  By far the most interesting part of this lab was evaluating the testicles of our sheep for symmetry, pliability, and uniform temperature and then extruding the ram's penis to evaluate the urethral process at the end of it's penis.

There's an Equine Physical Examination lab.  Again another opportunity to utilize our nose-to-tail hands on physical examination skills while looking at unique characteristics to this species such as the Purkinje reflections.

I have really only touched on the surface of these labs.  They are full of amazing information for each species.  From safe handling approaches to thorough evaluations of each system, these labs are awesome!

I have 2 labs to complete still for my Introduction to Clinics I course, one in communications and the other in emergency management.

Another hands-on course this semester  has been Anesthesia.  The lectures have really highlighted topics taught in previous semesters but what really makes you think about these topics is when you get to anesthetize a live animal.  Under the supervision of our anesthesia professors and after weeks of becoming familiar with the anesthesia equipment, drugs and their side effects, etc etc, we are assigned to groups and perform a canine and sheep anesthesia (on separate occasions).

First was our canine anesthesia.  We were given a specific protocol to follow for the pre-meds, induction, and maintenance drugs.  So my group got together one night and discussed dosages based on our patient's weight as well as decided who would take on which tasks for the procedure.  One individual would place the IV catheter, someone would give the pre-meds, someone would give the induction meds, someone would place the endotracheal tube (ETT), and everyone seemed to take on placing the various monitoring equipment (capnograph, pulse oximetry, doppler, EKG, etc etc).  Really awesome aspect of this procedure (other than the entire thing!) was that all of us took turns monitoring and recording our patient's vitals.  Our patient had respiratory depression (probably a result of the induction medication utilized) so initially we had to breathe for our patient to make sure that the inhalant was taken in.  We also ran into hypotension with our patient but were able to discuss with our instructor what should be done to correct the hypotension.  Before we knew it our patient was breathing on it's own and the hypotension was resolved!  We also took our patient from a non-rebreathing system to a rebreathing system after a set amount of time.  What lasted for about 3 hours (from setting up our equipment, preparing our station for IV catheter/ETT/etc, the physical exam, having our protocol approved and a discussion with the professor about complications/etc., acquiring the drugs from the pharmacy in the veterinary teaching hospital, etc etc.), felt like it flew by!  Before we knew it we were waking our patient back up and cleaning up our lab space and equipment, making sure to leave everything the way we found it (just as important as the rest of the procedure!).

And last but not least is our Diagnostic Imaging course.  We have used a kennel dog on separate occasions to learn about our digital radiograph machine in our teaching hospital as well as to become familiar with the ultrasound equipment.  For our radiograph machine lab we discussed proper positioning, how to take measurements of our patient for the settings when taking a radiograph, how the image can be adjusted after it is taken, etc. all while discussing the basics of the x-ray machine (anode, cathode, mAs, kVp, and so on).  We talked about very important safety measures to take when performing a radiograph (measures that I have seen not taken seriously by clinic employees...so important to know the dangers of radiation from x-rays and how you can protect yourself and staff).  During the ultrasound lab we focused on the abdominal structures such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder, stomach, intestines, etc. while applying knowledge that we have gathered from class such as artifacts on an ultrasound image (each of us in the group took turns finding the big ones:  liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder).  In the classroom, learning about ultrasounds, the equipment, and the images that the machine gives you did not come easily for me.  It was like a foreign language!  The only thing that really helped me were some YouTube videos that a fellow colleague shared with me.  It really helped me to put together what I was learning in class.  I absolutely love this class and you are taught by the very man that wrote the book you use for this class (and that other veterinary schools utilize!), Dr. Donald Thrall.

I'm extremely thankful for the learning experiences all of these labs have given me.  I am also so thrilled to finally be putting my classroom knowledge to use in clinical situations.  This semester has definitely been a change in pace for me.  Semesters in the past have felt like an uphill battle at times.  Where last semester (my 4th semester) had a marathon of exams from like the 3rd week to the 13th week of the semester, this semester is much more relaxed and not overwhelming.  The professors are wonderful and all the classes have been so very informative (not to say previous semesters are any less).  I feel like this semester is the beginning of the semesters that are meant to teach us students how to take our classroom knowledge and apply it to clinically relevant situations and really understand that knowledge to its fullest.

Being an Orientation Leader

Before I knew it, my short December break visiting with loved ones back home flew by and I headed back to the island before most students return.  I applied last semester for the position of being an Orientation Leader (OL) and was selected from the applicant pool to participate in the orientation week for the incoming class of January 2013.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the position, but since its completion I can honestly say it is one of the best times I've had since attending RUSVM and living on the island.

Arriving back on the island on December 27th, I had a meeting with our orientation week coordinators and the other OLs on the 28th.  Here we were given the Digicel bags full of goodies for our students and discussed the upcoming week's schedule at length.  On the 29th I was picked up from my apartment by our bus driver, Jerome (In De Mix) and off we went to the airport to begin picking up my students as they arrived on their various flights.  Pick-up from the airport was painless, only one flight was slightly delayed and only one of my students had a flight rescheduled for the following day.

After everyone and their bags arrived, we loaded their luggage onto the pick-up trucks that would meet us at the dorms and off we went in In De Mix to get everyone to the dorms!  In total I had 11 students, 2 VIPs (one living on island with their significant other, the other staying for the week), and 1 student's father.

You could definitely see the exhaustion on everyone's face from traveling, but counteracting that I believe was definitely their excitement of starting their journey here at RUSVM and learning all about the island.  To get started, I had everyone just drop off their luggage in their rooms and we went straight to the grocery store (Best Buy, closest to campus and is not the Best Buy like back home lol...it's one of several grocery store options here in St. Kitts).  Before we started our shopping I suggested everyone stick to some essentials and quick easy snacks or easily prepared foods as most our nights we would be going out to visit some of the awesome restaurants on the island.

After grocery shopping, we went back to the dorms and let everyone get settled a little before departing for our first dinner destination, Buddy's Beach Hut.  Dinner was delicious and service was very nice (it was my first time eating at Buddy's as well).  We followed it by walking down the strip (a strip of beach also known as Timothy Beach) to a local bar called Vibes (also my first time visit since it's management and name change from Ziggy's).  Some students retired early for the night (totally understandable!), others remained at Vibes and enjoyed trying out the famous rum punch drink that many shops sell...kind of a local specialty and recipes can vary across the different shops.  I did warn my group that they call it rum PUNCH for a reason...lol.  It does sneak up on you although it tastes so good!

December 30th
The next day we toured the campus with most of the emphasis on the classrooms that their classes would be held in.  After our tour we got all their electronic devices configured to be allowed on the campus networks.  Next up, THE BAT CAVE HIKE!  We met up with another orientation group and walked from the dorms to the main road where we picked up one of the buses whose route is on the main road and headed towards the countryside.  The buses on the island only cost $2.50 EC to ride.  The downside is that they only drive on a certain route (I am not totally sure of all the "routes", but most bus drivers are super helpful when it comes to directing students how to best get to their destination if the bus doesn't drop off exactly at that location).  The other option for transportation (prior to purchasing your own vehicle) is a taxi.  The upside, they will pick-up and drop-off from any location.  The downside, the cost can vary from $10 EC and higher for just one way.

I wasn't totally sure where we were going but the other OL who was with us knew her way.  The path off the main road that led to the bat cave was initially very overgrown with grass and hadn't been cleared with a machete in a while.  But once past that, we entered the rainforest!  Any pictures that I took truly don't do the hike and scenery around us justice.  The hike was amazing!  I would totally do it again!  There is a small obstacle about halfway through this hike that does intimidate new hikers to this hike.  It is a giant rock that you have to climb up over.  BUT you have some help to get you to the top.  There are 2 ropes that are secured on top of the rock, and then you have a couple people that are strong already at the top of the rock and then friends below you to give you a boost if you need.  You almost wedge yourself in this worn out space in the rock and as you pull yourself up while finding your footing along the way, you have those at the top grab your hand and, in our case, your right thigh to kind of help us with the last bit of the challenge.  Those below you act as spotters as you climb upward.  We joked around that it was a team building activity but really it did put everyone in a position to work together to get on top the rock for the second half of the hike.  So off we went after climbing up on top the rock.  Before we knew it, we were at the bat cave!  It was absolutely cool!  You could see the bats flying back and forth and hear them.  We took a quick group photo and off we went back down the path because the sun was fading quickly and none of us had brought headlamps or flashlights.

We got back to the dorms and gave everyone a chance to get ready for dinner and then headed off to Fisherman's Warf where we met two other orientation groups.  The dinner was delicious and is definitely one of the must try places to eat while you are attending school at RUSVM.  They also gave a significant other of one of my students a free dinner because it was his birthday!

December 31st
Most of the morning was dedicated to my students getting their "One Stop" tasks done (ie. getting a drivers license, student ID, etc.).  Afterwards, we headed to Shipwreck Beach and enjoyed the ocean, sand, and sun.  For dinner we stopped by the new restaurant on the strip (Timothy Beach) called Chinchillas.  To celebrate New Years Eve, my group and myself went to the Marriott.  We bought 2 bottles of champagne and hung out on the beach under the stars and moonlight while we waited for the clock to strike midnight and the firework show to begin.  We made a lot of toasts...to our futures as veterinarians, to my groups' success during their time at RUSVM...but the toast that touched my heart was when my students toasted to the best orientation leader ever.

January 1st
GET TO KNOW AND LOVE THE ISLAND DAY!!  I had the whole day planned out...I know...kind of cruel to do this to my students the day after New Years Eve...buuuuut to start them off on the right foot, I woke up early and made them all hangover-recovery-breakfast!  I made like 2 dozen eggs worth of scrambled eggs, 2 packages of turkey bacon, and just one jug of this pancake mix.  Some were in pretty rough shape...not going to lie!  But we got them to crawl out of bed lol.

Off we went on our island tour in In De Mix with Jerome our driver!  Our first stop was Caribelle Batik.  I really loved introducing this gem to my group (it was something my group wasn't taken to during our island tour).  Then we made our way to the beautiful Brimstone Hill Fortress where everyone got to learn the history behind the fortress and explore its landscapes.  After Brimstone, we drove to Black Rock where there were tons of local vendors with tiny shops set up and different souvenirs available for purchase.  My only interest was some sugar cane and coconut chunks for all of my students to try...delicious!  Our bus driver showed us where he lived in a village called Sandy Point.  And we ended our travels downtown where we walked around Port Zante.  While in Port Zante, we located the famous "chicken lady" and chowed down on some amazing Johnny Cakes which we washed down with some local passionfruit juice.  We continued to walk to the streets to watch the Grand Carnival Parade part of the St. Kitts Carnival.  It was quite the show!  I had never been and didn't really know what I was getting my group into lol.  From masquerade dancers to the Mansion Bull to the moko jumbies (stilt walkers) to parades of troupes jamming down the street (this video does a good job of combining the various sites at the carnival)!  All in all it was a fun packed day even though some had to push through a little hangover in the beginning of the day :)

January 2nd
From the early morning until around 4pm, my students were in lectures for various things.  Unfortunately we weren't provided with transportation this day because it was a local holiday, so we made due.  A few of us OLs put together a fun trivia night plan for anyone interested and also ordered tons of pizza for those that came.  I have never done trivia night at a bar, but I think I might check it out sometime in the future after this fun little get together.  Although there was no alcohol because we conducted our trivia in one of the classrooms on campus, it was still a blast!

January 3rd
We spent our day at Gong Beach.  This beach is great because it is not covered in beach chairs, tourists (no offense tourists!), and restaurants/bars.  It's just you and the ocean.  This beach is located on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island.  The water was a little on the rough side but still fun to play in the waves.  We had a little scare when a few folks went a little too far out past the where the waves broke, but they all made it back to the shore safely!  There can be quite the pull from the ocean the further out you get and it can make you exhausted pretty quickly when you are fighting to swim back to shore.

After Gong Beach, everyone went back to the dorms to get cleaned up and we went out to dinner at Shiggity Shack for their famous Thursday night fire man entertainment.  It was pretty packed but surprisingly we got a table for all of us!  We also were surprised by a few guest performances from some junior masquerade dancers and a almost freestyle type of dance routine.  We hung out after dinner and danced the night away a little.

January 4th
We did a few errands in the morning to the bank, Harper's (the office/school supply store downtown), and then TDC (kind of a home goods store).  After dropping everything off at their rooms in the dorms, off we went to Reggae Beach Bar for the rest of the day.  I introduced my group to the awesome One Love Pets collar tags that are sold at the gift shop whose proceeds go to helping animals in shelters (definitely check out the website...it was actually started by a RUSVM alumni!).  We stayed at Reggae for their famous Lobsterfest dinner...seriously one of my favorite Friday night activities.

January 5th
My students went on their catamaran trip while I hung out with my furbabies at home.  After they got back, we went to the SCAVMA grill out for the new students to come to and hang out at (held at Vibes).  We hung out there for some of the night and then headed over to Bamboo for the back to school party for students.  All in a all a pretty low key and fun day/night to end our time together on.

Best Orientation Group EVER
I seriously had a great orientation group.  Everyone was enthusiastic and excited to be at RUSVM and in St. Kitts.  All my students got along and really formed a special friendship with each other that I hope they will carry with them through the years (even beyond school).  And I definitely feel like I did a pretty good job of introducing them to the next chapter in their lives.  I definitely benefited from this experience in that I have a new found love for St. Kitts, its people, and its culture/history.  I love it here now more than ever (no matter if I have the occasional hiccup or bad experience).  I think I did a pretty good job making sure my students in my group know that I will always be there for them even when I head off to my clinical year.  I had entirely way too much fun with them all week and am really happy to have met such awesome and well-rounded individuals that I have no doubt in my mind will make excellent vets in the very near future.  I'm truly looking forward to watching them progress through the semesters and fulfilling their life's dream here at RUSVM.