Success is a journey, not a destination

We finally made it to mid-semester break! Time has been flying by down here. It seems just like yesterday I was packing my bags to move down to St. Kitts but here I am finally through with my first round of exams. Vet school is tough...well, it's more like a lot of information thrown at you that you must understand within a matter of days because before you know it, you're back in the LRC filling out your scantron. But when you put life on hold and study your brains out day after day and not just memorizing the information but understanding and utilizing the information, you're bound to ace your exams without breaking a sweat.

I woke up today hoping I was caught up on that thing called sleep but I'm a little glad I didn't. For how crazy life has been flying by the past few weeks, I can say I finally have time to stop and smell the roses...or a better case, stop and watch the sunrise.

There's never a dull sunrise or sunset here in St. Kitts, as long as you never forget to watch them. This weekends festivities consist of a catamaran trip from St. Kitts to Nevis. A full day on the sea, swimming, snorkeling, getting sunburned, making long-lasting memories, and drinking copious amounts of....caribbean kool-aid of course. It doesn't end there either. Saturday is the paint party. So, think of a light show, with a rocking DJ, and paint being splattered everywhere and on everyone. Oh yeah, and more caribbean kool-aid, can't forget that stuff. Hopefully Sunday morning I'll be recovered to take on a hike....but who am I kidding, I live to hike. It's about time to see St. Kitts from the top of the world. 

I'll keep this short and sweet. Vet school is going amazing, I love living here, the friends I've made are a blessing to say the least, yes I do miss home but I must not forget this is my new home for now. It's killing me not having my pets with me every day. The hardest part about coming home, going to bed, and waking up in the morning is without my fur kids being there. It will be a miracle for me to leave this island without rescuing a kittitian kitty or island retriever. 

To everyone back home, just remember if you can't start your car or find it buried underneath the snow consider yourself a snow day. 

Much love from the rock <3

Vet School is like

A full time job. Literally. There's no time to take a break, you can't catch up on sleep or get any for that matter, and who knows what your next meal is going to be if you have time to make one. Honestly, it's not that bad. I absolutely enjoy it. My favorite thing about Vet School is learning so much I didn't know before but now I can apply it to real life and it all makes sense to me now. I managed to survive through my first exams, with the exception of one more next week, and have successfully aced them all. :):) It's a lot of keeping up to do with classes, late nights at the lab, and constantly reviewing previous lectures from before but it's possible to do and worth every second of it. Besides school itself, I couldn't be more happier with where I'm at in life. I love living here in St. Kitts, it's so beautiful here and there's so much to do. Every where you look you're reminded of paradise that you're living in. There's a never ending list of activities to do around here from snorkeling, to stand up paddle boarding, endless beaches, hiking, catamaran trips, and bellying up at all the beach bars. :) Beach fest, for example, was a blast in a glass. I tried stand up paddle boarding for the first time and I couldn't walk for a week straight. In all, it was one hell of a day from sun up to sun down with an open bar and an endless supply of Rum Punch. I get to look forward to that day at the beginning of each semester. Sorry liver and with that being said, sorry Dr. Reich.

Red Semester Class of 2017

It may seem all I do is go to the beach right? Wrong. On occasion us vet students manage to crawl out of our caves and make an appearance to the world but it doesn't happen every weekend as they mostly consist of catching up on the previous lectures or studying for an upcoming exam. But it doesn't hurt to study at a beach either ;) 

Or the Marriott Resort

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to volunteer at the Joseph Wilder Memorial Scholarship fundraiser at Bamboo Lounge last weekend. We raised a lot of funds that night, danced our asses off to open mic night, and poured a lot of beer, all for a great cause. I met a lot of awesome people that night too. Dr. Nick Spaccarelli is one hell of a guy and certainly someone that everyone should meet. More info about the scholarship: http://www.rossu.edu/news/Launch-of-the-Joseph-Wilder-Seventh-Semester-Scholarship.cfm?grp_id=290 

Spreeti, Chris, and I managing the beer station

I love the friends I have made here. Always willing to help anyone in need, make you laugh, or just have a good time. It's only the beginning but I can't wait to make more memories down the road with everyone. Don't get me wrong, I do miss home, a lot. But it's hard to miss home when you're so busy all of the time and don't have time to think about it which is probably my only saving grace. I can't thank my dad and Ben enough for taking such great care of my pets and always sending me pictures of them or skyping with them. Words can't describe how much I miss them and I can't wait to see them again. It's crazy to think that I've only been here for a little over a month but it seems like a year. Time certainly flies by and its not wasted to say the least. I wish everyone could enjoy an experience like I have, it's totally worth it to travel in life or even just studying abroad somewhere. You have nothing to lose but maybe your luggage getting there. Every day in St. Kitts you wake up and are bound to see a beautiful sunrise, rainbow, or a sunset at night. 

I'm still searching for a trail to run on although, I learned in lab today to watch out for the bushes when running by them because you may get charged by a cow...........maybe the treadmills will suffice in the meantime. I miss you home but I'm loving life down here too much. Just never forget mi casa es su casa for those of you unlucky souls buried in snow back home ;) Back to the grind of studying for probably my hardest exam thus far this semester...I'll be sure to keep in touch from hell.