By far, this is the most intense block of my med school career. Path keeps me busy with Renal diseases, Coagulation disorders and Female genital tract infections and neoplasms (list continues). In Neuro, we have covered the ocular and vestibular systems as well as the brain stem and cranial nerves in great detail. Then, my first Pharm exam includes the basics- Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetcs. We started bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic drugs in great depth. I have new wall hangings in my room (posters of drugs, drugs, and more drugs with their mechanisms of action, what they treat and adverse side effects). Exams are Monday. I'm looking forward to my Relay Race around the Island Tuesday morning!!!!

AUC Halloween Party @ The Red Piano

More Post-Omar Pics

The Mullet Bay Golf Course

Omar Category 3 Hurricane hits St. Maarten on 10/16/08

I'm preparing for my first hurricane here in St.Maarten. Omar is heading our way.


http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200815_ensmodel.html#a_topad

After 4 semesters, I am finally on a roll cooking lots of Mom's recipes and playing soccer :) :) I just took a Behavioral Science exam on Patient- Doctor Relationships... and how to communicate and interview with different types of patients such as those that have mental disorders or those that might be pregnant.

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital EMT buddies at the White Coat Party... We'll be back as doc's soon :)

My 2 week August break flew. I went to Palm Desert for a couple of days... I got some sun time and relaxed with the family, then headed up to San Fransisco for the Outside Lands Art and Music Festival.I had a blast with Shawn, a fellow AUC student!! We got to see Beck and Radiohead perform! There were thousands upon thousands of people at Golden Gate Park... by far the most adventurous and insane concert I have ever been to. (I snuck in a little shopping at Union Square as well)After our SF getaway, we headed home- back to Thousand Oaks. The sisters and I had a night out in Pasadena at a cute little place called Mojitos. Then, Alec came home for a couple of days! We went to the Jack Johnson concert at UCSB's Harder Stadium (the BEST concert I have been to thus far), then Alec and I headed up the coast to Pismo Beach! I am happy I got to spend some quality time with the parents, sisters and Alec, but, definitely not enough time as I would have liked (for the family and friends I did not get to see- I will be home mid- December). It was a fun- filled vacation and I can not wait to be back in California! Now, time to get serious about studying. I started Pathology II, Behavioral Science and Neuroscience yesterday. Let the sleepless nights, green tea binges and study jams begin!

I'm officially moving on to my 4th semester at AUC!! I am enjoying Palm Desert with the family, then off to San Francisco Friday! It feels amazing to be back home! I will be back in Thousand Oaks on Sunday evening. Hopefully, I will be able to spend as much time with family and friends until August 30th. Thank you all for the love and support you have given me.

This semester flew, but Saturday afternoon can not come soon enough! I am studying for my 3rd semester finals for the next 3 days, then back home to California on Monday! See all of you soon!!

I'm cranking out lots of study hours in a little computer room on the campus of AUC. As I find my comfort spot in this nice leather chair that this school has provided, I am studying Gastrointestinal diseases, Renal Physio and some Bleeding Disorders in Path. It's the end of the semester, so I'm mostly daydreaming about my vacation in a couple of weeks... driving up the California coast with my parents and playing with Nike and Chico. Hopefully, I'll end the semester strong! It's all about study endurance and stamina, with plentiful study breaks and lots of caffeine :)

I only have a couple weeks left of my 3rd semester! After my last set of exams I had a wonderful time relaxing with the sisters here in St. Maarten. Now, I am trying to make it through these next couple of weeks of classes ... it is easy to burn out here and I don't mean by the sunshine.

I had a pretty low-key 4th of July. I went over to a friend's house for a BBQ, then headed to school for the rest of the night to study. I'm trying to review this weekend everything we have covered since day one of this block. Okay, off to the Bagel Cafe with the roomie! Happy Fourth of July (sorry a day late)!!

Pictures from my trip to Barbados!

After a lovely weekend in Barbados visiting Elda and the Barbados Sea Turtle Patrol, I am keeping busy with Pulmonary Physio-ventilation,perfusion, gas exchange; Pulmonary Path- Congenital Lung Diseases, Cystic Fibrosis, Adult Acute Respiratory Syndrome, etc.and Med Micro- Hospital,Community, Occupational and Regional and Opportunistic Pneumonia. I am partaking in the AUC Olympics this weekend...so looking forward to a little friendly competition :)

The Countdown...

Less than one month until my sisters come out to St. Maarten to visit. Risy and Moni- I can't wait for you to be here with me. I love you and miss you both so very much!!

Big Mama's Reef and Proselyte Dive off the coast of St. Maarten- 6/14/08

UPDATE: I will be coming home this August!! Tentative dates are August 18th- August 30th. I am in the process of purchasing my ticket home :)

To Family and Friends and all others visiting... this is my life 80% of the time here on the island...

I'm studying for my first block exams of my 3rd semester. My schedule:
Independent study, group study, gym and some sleep ... I'll be in hibernation for four days :)

Bita, Farnaz and myself at the May class's White Coat Ceremony

Dinner at Halsey's

I completed a half marathon (13.6 miles/21K) this past Sunday, May 18th with three other AUC students!! I am looking forward to doing more runs on the island!!

I'm two weeks into my 3rd semester and loving it! My day starts at 8am- Pathology. We are learning some pretty neat stuff about what happens to organs in our body when they get damaged and how our body works to repair them...with an entertaining professor that has lots of interesting stories, the class is definitely intriguing. Then, follows Physiology II. We had a visiting professor who started us out with the Endocrine system (hormones) and how it works to maintain homeostasis in our bodies. Absolutely fascinating!! Then, in Med Micro we started out with Epidemiology lectures and now we are venturing into the world of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. I thought I would include a day in the life as a med student here at AUC:
I wake up around 6:30 or 7:00 am (read online news, listen to music to wake up, eat breakfast or look at some notes before I begin my day). I did one morning run before classes thus far, and am planning to do more! I go to class from 8:00am - 11:20am usually with some snacks and green tea in hand. After class, I grab lunch at my apt. or with some friends, then off to Office Hours and then study until I get antsy. For study breaks I usually work out, visit friends, play on the internet and occasionally do housework. I try to go bed around midnight, but my sleep schedule is usually all over the place. Right now I am crossing my fingers that a volunteer position opens at a school down the street. I miss working with kiddies!

Mom and Dad in St. Maarten!

Greetings!
I am about begin my 3rd semester here at AUC! Time is flying! One more year and I will be back in the US. I had a lovely 2 week break after completing my 2nd semester. I went back home to Thousand Oaks, CA for 10 days, then returned to St. Maarten with Mom and Dad last Monday. We had a wondeful time exploring the island and visiting Anguilla. Now, I must get ready to take on another semester of classes. I will be taking Pathology, Medical Microbiology and Physiology II. I promise to be more attentive to my blog this semester. I will be enjoying my last evening of peacefulness tonight :)

...I'm studying for my Molecular Biology Shelf Exam and 2nd Semester Final Exams...

This past weekend was of the most productive weekends this semester. I reviewed many of the genetic and molecular defects that cause cancer as well as the clinical manifestations of certain cancers. In Immunology, we covered Immunological deficiencies and Autoimmune Diseases such as SCID, Multiple Myeloma, AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis. We have covered in depth the cardiovascular system and how it maintains arterial blood pressure, supplies our organs with blood and its response to changes such as gravitational force, excercise and hemorrhage. This just scratches the surface, but it gives you a good idea of what I am studying right now!

Family and Friends-

Just a heads up...you probably won't be hearing / seeing me (on skype)for the next month. I am going into a deep study mode until I finish my 2nd Semester. I have my last set of quizzes, block exams, Shelf exam (cumulative of my Molecular and Cell Biology Class I and II) as well as my final exams on April 17th. Pray for me!!! I love you and miss you all. I'll post updates/pictures on study breaks ;)

I'm taking a study break with my friend, Peter at Cliffhanger in Cupecoy. We were watching some of the sailboats during Heineken Regatta.

Good afternoon(at least in Caribbean time)! I know I have been MIA the past couple of weeks, so I am here to catch you all up on my life on the island. My second semester had been somewhat of a different experience than my first semester. Now that I live off campus on my waterfront villa, I feel I have a home outside of school. Michelle (my roommate) and I really enjoy living together. Whether reviewing for an exam or cooking for each other, we always have a good time! My classes require a whole new level of thinking and understanding. We have to apply many of the concepts we learn in class on our exams. On our past exam, we were tested on the cardiac cycle and electrocardiogram and the factors that influence these systems. We were also expected to understand how diseases are caused at a genetic level and how to comprehend diagnostic procedures that are used to identify these diseases. Lastly, we learned about the characteristics of bacteria, viruses and fungi and how we amount an immune response to them. This is just a taste of what I have learned the past couple of weeks! Outside of school, life has been great- I plan on doing many fun things on the island while Alec is here this week ;)

Right now, I spend more time studying in lecture halls and in the library than in my own home...I am trying not to hit the wall...I still have a whole evening and a day before my block exams. Check back here next week for a big update!

Schoolwork is getting more intense...

so my apologies to those back home who have not heard from me. Currently, my life is consumed by genetics, cardiovascular physiology and viruses. I will update with more soon...bear with me please! Sending my Caribbean Love-
Karina

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but my classes are giving me more work than ever before. I would like to highlight some topics that were on my exams last Monday...We just finished up learning about Diabetes Mellitus Type I and Type II, steroid synthesis, fatty acid metabolism, the innate an adaptive immune response, B and T Cell Development, action potentials in neurons, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and in a pacemaker to name a few. I went on a 2 tank dive this past weeekend- at Charlie's Shoal and the French Reef. Enjoy!

Now that I have completed and passed my Biostatistics course, I am studying for 2 quizzes this week, one in Physiology and the other in Immunology. On top of that, I have to study 7 weeks worth of information for my block exams on Monday...just another week as a med student!

Besides the normal classwork, I had a wonderful week! After my grand purchase of buying a new bed (I got rid of my stiff, ??-year old, wicker trundle bed), I went to a great Burrito/Taco trunk right along our main road in Simpson Bay. The family that cooks there is from Ensenada and makes fabulous food! Some of my favorite places to eat out here are from trunks...I will let that one sit for now. In my ICM(Introduction to Clinical Medicine) course, I conducted my first patient interview! It was a brief, introductory interview that lasted about 2 minutes. Every week, we will continuing building our interviewing skills. I just finished a long weekend catching up on nucleotide and lipid metabolism and steroid hormones for my MCB class. Two more weeks until my first set of block exams for my second semester!

Another beautiful day in the Caribbean ...one long day in the library! Classwork is keeping me busy as usual. I think that this semester was definitely an easier transition than last semester. Now that I have established my study skills and understand what I need to do to succeed in medical school, I am the happiest I have ever been in my life (next to meeting Alec ;) We just completed our first set of quizzes and since I did so well, I treated myself to at night at our local favorite- The Red Piano Bar! Now, this weekend was spent in the library preparing for my Immunology and Biostatistics quizzes, while also keeping up with my other classes. I am definitely enjoying Immunology and my Introduction to Clinical Medicine courses. In ICM, we are in a group of 14 students with an instructor who will begin to train us on basic medical assessment (taking blood pressure, checking ears, eyes, nose and throat, etc.) and interviewing skills!!! It is a nice change from everyday lectures and reminds me of what I came here to do...become a stupendous doctor!

Living Room View of the Lagoon

My Cote D'Azure Marina Apartment

2nd Semester at AUC Begins!

I had a wonderful Christmas vacation with friends and family. I finally have my new apartment in order and will have pictures up shortly! I have already begun my classes for 2nd semester. I am taking Molecular/Cellular Biology II, Immunology, Physiology, Biostatistics (one month duration), and Introduction to Clinical Medicine. Thank goodness I am on a beautiful island to find some serenity during studying. Here we go again...I added a picture from the airplane (this island is located off the coast of Sint. Maarten- I was not able to identify the name)