grades

so here is the official screenshot of my final grades. not too shabby, but next term i'm going to work on getting fewer Bs.

Hash 6 photos

finals are done!

Woohoo! I did it. I can't believe how fast this term has flown by. I am really happy because I ended up getting a 93% on my physiology exam which gives me a nice B+ in the class. I also ended up getting an A as a final grade in anatomy. So things are coming up Dayna right now. I am still waiting on my Radiology grade but I don't think it went badly at all.

Now, I am going to relax and enjoy the weekend. Tonight is going to be a fun night of celebrating with my classmates, and then tomorrow I get to go HASHING! It's been 3 weeks so I can't wait.

Hope everybody else is having a fantastic start to their weekend. xox

nutritious

I got an A on my nutrition final and an A overall in the course. One more exam to go, then I am done Term 1. :D

exam update

- still waiting for my radiology exam to be returned. i am hoping for a good grade. it felt like it went pretty well.

- today was the anatomy double-header. i got an A on the lab part, and I think i did well on the lecture part too but i have to wait for that grade. I think there is a very good chance of me coming out with an A in the course. that is good.

- tomorrow is my nutrition final. it is all about equine nutrition (bleh). I still have to review my flashcards in the morning.

- friday is physiology. I like physiology so hopefully I can end the week with an A.

- friday night is a celebration at a bar on the beach with my class. Saturday is a hash (yay!). sunday = beach. monday: packing and moving my things to my new apartment for storage. tuesday = airplane to canada! I can't believe the term has flown by so fast. i'll be an actual vet before i know it. :D

histo

so I scored an 83% on my histology final. It is a good score, but I was trying for an 85 so I could pull my grade into the B+ range. B is still good though. no complaints. I am going to go for a snorkel as a reward. They put in a dock right beside my dorm a few weeks ago - it is nice to go sit in the sun and swim without having to go all the way to the beach on the bus.

After a bit of sun, it will be time to study radiology for the exam tomorrow. In this class the final is worth 100% of our grade. eek.

exam week

so exam week is here. in less than 1 hour I will write my first (and scariest) exam - histology. I have studied hard, and I am hoping to do well. Wish me luck!

horseface

so we found some fun things in the anatomy lab today. took a little break to take silly photos.
2 more days until exam-hell begins. I think i am getting stupider the more i study. each new piece of info I learn pushes something old out of my brain.

It is likely that I will forget how to walk soon.... but at least I know my cranial nerves.

finals

starting to feel the panic creeping in.
My first final is tomorrow and then I have one every day next week (and 2 on wednesday). I am sitting with great grades right now and hopefully I can score well on the exams and finish off where I want to be in all of my classes.

After exams, I have a few days before I come home to relax, and deal with moving my things to my new apartment off campus for next term. I also am thinking about purchasing a car, but I don't know how feasible that is yet.

I need to have a nap before the study marathon begins.
zzz

fail

i know, i know. i am failing at blogging.
well, its nearly time for finals and i have been crazy busy. i don't even know if i will be able to hash this saturday. :(

i will try to do a better update tomorrow, but for now it's bedtime. i went to class from 9 - 5 and then studied from 6 - midnight. i'm worn out.

in exactly 2 weeks i will be back in canada. crazy!

Clinical Orientation Final

I just wrote the final exam for my Clinical Orientation class. I got an A (90%) which means I have an A in the class as my final grade. It feels good!

We have the rest of the morning off, so I am going to go to the gym, then have a little nap. Then we have 3 hours of boring lectures this afternoon, followed by writing a research proposal tonight. fun fun.

Final exams start in less than 2 weeks. I can't wait for it to be over with.

hash 5 pics

Here are my photos from Hash #5.
I hope my foot heals in time for the next one.

7 sisters photos

The foot is still very swollen. I have some "nutmeg spray" that the locals use for sprains, as well as a tensor bandage. Hopefully the swelling will go down soon.

Today, I did some grocery shopping, had lunch with 2 of my friends, and then cleaned my room. Up next - studying and working on my resume. fun fun.

Here are the photos from 7 Sisters. A few of them were taken by one of my classmates with a really good eye for photography. (thank you Sweet Louisiana!) Hope you enjoy them all.

Sunday update

I had a really good day yesterday. The whale watching was awesome. We didn't see any whales, but we saw a group of about 100 dolphins. They swam along side the boat for a long time and were showing off for us by doing all kinds of jumps n stuff. The weather was great, and the waves were small. It was awesome.

The hash yesterday was also good. We travelled all the way up to a rum distillery at the very northern tip of the island. It was SO beautiful up there. About 2 minutes into the hash though, I fell and twisted my ankle quite badly. I didn't want to be a wimp, so I walked off the pain until I felt strong enough to run on it. I pushed myself as hard as I could, and felt pretty proud for being a trooper and running as long as I did. Part of the hash was through a river... and walking on the round rocks was tough. After that, I had to limp the rest of the way back (about 45 more mins). I felt dumb for falling, and didn't let the others know i was hurt, but they were watching out for me and brought me some water and some ice for my leg. It was a lot of fun, even with an injury. This morning, the ankle was sooo swollen that I couldn't put weight on it. However, earlier this week I had signed up for a shift at the small animal hospital. I talked to the coordinator and told her about the predicament I was in, and she told me that because it was such short notice, if I didn't find somebody to cover for me, she would have to work the shift herself. She was recently hospitalized for having a stroke (she is in her twenties) so there was NO way I was going to let her work for me. Instead, I had a hot shower, and spent 45 minutes walking slowly to the clinic (normally a 5 minute walk). I did stop for breakfast and coffee at a restaurant along the way though. By the time I made it to the clinic, my ankle had loosened up a lot. I was able to stand on it for the whole 5 hour shift with minimal pain (but still lots of limping). Now I am back at my dorm and I am going to go celebrate being a trooper with some sushi and maybe an alcoholic beverage. I'll post the dolphin video and some hash pics soon!

Happy Easter to my readers who celebrate that kind of thing!
that's it for now!
Dayna

7 Sisters

So today was a fantastic day! About 20 of my classmates and I met up at 11am, and had 2 vans pick us up and take us to the "7 Sisters" waterfalls for the afternoon. It's called 7 Sisters because it has a series of 7 waterfalls all in a row - and pools for swimming at the bottom. They are near the Grand Etang National Park... about a 30 minute drive away, up in the mountainy part of the island.

When we got to the site, there was a half hour hike to get to the falls. First, we walked through some beautiful farmland and then down a huge muddy hill through the trees. It was very steep, and very lush, and very fun. everybody was super excited and having a great time. When we got to the falls, a bunch of us sat around for a while near the bottom of the largest waterfall and watched some other students who we didn't know jump off. It looked to be at least 2 stories high. Pretty scary stuff.

A couple of my friends got so excited to jump that they raced up the little path to the top of the falls. I was left behind because I was too slow, so I decided to wait at the bottom and get some videos of them jumping when they came down. I waited around, chatted with the girls in the sun, and just took in the amazing scenery. After everybody had jumped and swam back to shore (I got some great HD video with my sweet camera), we learned that the hike to the top of the falls was steep and windy, and once you decided to jump the falls, you couldn't change your mind because the rocky walls of the river were way too steep to get back to the path down. This made it extra scary, since the final waterfall was really really high. No chickening out at the last minute.

Two of the first group of jumpers had so much fun that they wanted to go again... and even though it looked scary, I knew I would be angry with myself if I didn't do it. It total, 6 of us decided to make the climb to the top that second time: my favorite friend - a fearless Texan, a hilarious girl from New Jersey, a young and sweet British girl, a wicked British guy who I really enjoy talking to, and a guy from South Africa who tells great stories. I really like all of them and couldn't have asked for a better bunch of people to make such a cool memory with.

Before we made the climb, we had to strip down to our swimming suits and bare feet. Then we had to hike up a tiny muddy path to the top of the falls. On parts of the path, we were literally climbing up rocks and holding on to roots to keep from falling, on other parts, the mud came up to our shins and squished between our toes as we walked. We laughed and joked and had a great time. When we got to the top of the hill, we were really hot and the water looked sooo refreshing.

There were 5 falls that we jumped in total. To get to the first one, we had to climb on a bunch of rocks and shimmy across a little ledge to get to the "safe" jumping spot. This sounds pretty scary, but we had a local guide who was making the jumps with us. He told us exactly where to step and what to hold on to so that we didn't slip, he also called us his "soldiers" while he gave us instructions. hehe.

This first waterfall was the scariest one for me. After getting to the safe spot, we had to crawl over a fallen log, and then jump off of a small cliff, probably about 10 feet up. The guide informed us that the trick to doing this jump safely was to jump "out" from the ledge in order to miss the rocks near the bottom. We also had to tuck our feet in because it wasn't that deep. After watching three others jump, it was my turn. I remembered to do what the guide said, and I made a perfect jump! I felt the biggest rush and couldn't wait for more. After the first jump, the falls became a series of pools and rivers, with high rocky walls on either side. It was beautiful and I wish I could have brought my camera without destroying it.

The second jump was a piece of cake after the first one. We had to climb over a big round rock with water rushing over it, and then leap right into the middle of the pool below. We all cheered for each other as we jumped, and then swam around in the pool below.

After the second jump, we had to make our way down a narrow rocky passage with the water rushing through. The trick for this part was to keep a hand on each side of the rock wall, and step very carefully. The rocks weren't slippery at all, but as soon as I picked up a foot, the current of the rushing water (which was only about shin deep) would try to pull it. The guide made sure that we were all using proper footing, and at the bottom of the rocky passage we had another fall to jump. For this one, we had to jump in a sort of seated position because the water was only 4 feet deep. The jump was only about 4 feet though, so it was a piece of cake.

After that came the big jump. This one wasn't too scary because the water below was so deep, there was NO way you could hit the bottom. As long as you took a big leap off the top, you were golden. The scary part was looking down. It looked sooo much higher from the top. I was the third person to go, and instead of looking down and hesitating, I just decided to go quickly and get it over with. I leaped out, and it felt like I was falling forever! I splashed into the water, and everybody cheered for me. Then, after fixing the largest wedgie of my life, I swam to the edge and watched the others. Here is a photo that a friend took right before I jumped. :) After the big jump, there was one more tiny jump into the large swimming hole at the bottom. We leaped into the water, swam for a bit, and then had some snacks while we dried off.

I had so much fun and am SO glad I decided to go. My classmates and I made a pact to come back to the falls once each semester. I can't wait to go again.

After the jumping, we hung out in the sun for a while and then made the hike back up to the busses. I nearly fell asleep on the drive home, I was so tired from all the adventures of the day.

Tomorrow should bring more fun. At 8am I am meeting up with some girls in my class to go whale watching. The Exotics and Wildlife Club is hosting the event. I REALLY hope we get to see whales and dolphins. If we do, I will be able to cross one thing off my "things to do before I die" list. So, keep your fingers crossed for me. After the whale watch, there is a hash. I will photograph it all.

On Sunday, I am working a shift at the small animal hospital on campus. It is my first shift and I always have jitters on the first day at a new "job" but it is a great opportunity to learn and practice my clinical skills. I hope it goes well.

Anyway, that's all for now. i'll post 7 Sisters photos in the next couple days.
goodnight!

Hash 4

So I got an A on my physiology test today. Apparently I understand the kidney. woo! To celebrate, I decided to get a ticket for Unity Ball. I'm going to get all dressed up, look pretty, and have some wine with my friends. Nothing crazy though - we have a big day of hiking and waterfall jumping tomorrow.

Here are the photos from last Saturday's hash. It was a fantastic hash, but walking through dense hilly jungle does not make for great photos. Anyway, hope you enjoy the ones I did take.

anatomy fun

we had a super fun anatomy lab today! We just started on the final section, "the head". Today involved sawing off our dog's head (at the neck) with a hacksaw, and then sawing the severed head in half along the midline so you can see the brain and all the cool parts inside. We all posed for photos holding our severed dog's head and made jokes about leaving it in somebody's bed like in The Godfather.

After that, I got to take one half of the head and peel all the skin off without ruining the superficial muscles underneath. Skinning a dog's face is a lot harder than one would think! That skin is really thick! I had to change my scalpel blade twice just to get the job done. Anyway, the sawing and the skinning took up pretty much all of the lab period. Tomorrow we will get to find all of the facial nerves and glands (not quite as fun).

In other news, there was a dead roach on my kitchen floor this morning. Thankfully it was dead, and not running around under the sink or something. I know that this is a tropical country, and cockroaches are inevitable... but I associate roaches and uncleanliness so I hope I don't see any more inside my room. (In Monkeyschool there were a couple of times where roaches crawled on me while I was lying in bed, so really... this isn't so bad). Here is a picture of the nasty corpse before I kicked it out the door and then stomped on it for good measure.

have a great day everybody!

sunday update

- Hashing was fantastic! It was the most difficult one yet with huge hills to climb, lots of forest paths to run, and rocky riverbeds to walk along. I had a great time and slept for 12 hours last night because I was so tired out. I will post the photos tomorrow.

- The entirety of today has been spent studying for a histology quiz tomorrow. This is the last histology quiz before the final exam, and I can honestly say that I will be happy to never have to take a histology course again in my entire life. This week also has a physiology exam on Thursday (the date got bumped back), and an after school lecture about helping clients deal with grief (something I need to learn a great deal about).

- This week, the AVMA will also be on campus doing their final site visit for vet school accreditation. We all need to be on our best behaviour and prove to the officials that our school deserves to be accredited. If they decide to give it to us, I will have one less exam to write before I can practice as a vet in Canada (or the USA). Also, did I mention that this exam is 5 days long and costs $6000 to write? I really hope that we get accredited. We will find out in September. *fingers crossed*

- Next Thursday, the Student's Union is having their "Unity Ball" to celebrate the end of term that is drawing near. It is a formal even that is held in the city of St. George's at a club called Karma. Its a pretty nice venue, but I haven't decided if I will attend or not yet. We'll see.

- Next Friday is a holiday from school. A bunch of my friends are planning a trip to this mountain waterfall called "7 Sisters" for a guy in my class' birthday. It is supposed to be a pretty intense hike, with 7 waterfalls for jumping and swimming. Apparently there are wild mona monkeys there too. Obviously I will be going to that. I can't wait.

- Saturday the Exotics and Wildlife Society is having a wale watching boat event. It is from 9am-1pm and it costs $60 dollars. I have never seen wild wales or dolphins before so I am strongly considering going to that. Next Saturday's hash is also at a really cool rum factory on the northern tip of the island so I obviously want to do that too. I hope the timing works out so I can do both. We'll see.

- After all the fun on the weekend, Sunday will mark the beginning of the end. Time to start studying like crazy and preparing for final exams. Then, before I know it, May 17th will be here and i'll be on my way back to Canada! Can't wait! that's it for now. Back to histology.

T-shirt Karma

This week, many T-shirts have come my way. I bought a cool shirt from the AAHA (American Animal Hospital ASsociation) Vet club. My anatomy prof did the graphics - in addition to being a vet, he has a masters in anatomical illustration. He wrote and illustrated all of our dissection guides for this term and next term. The shirt great because it has the "localize the lesion" image on the front - which is an image we have all learned to draw in class. It is a schematic that we use to determine whether a limb injury is associated with upper or lower motor nerve damage. The back has a whole bunch of vertebral cross sections running down it - it just looks cool.

In addition to that one, on wednesday this week I went out to play bingo at one of the local bars. I know what you're thinking. Bingo? Really? But it's super fun. A lot of vet students go and the big jackpot is usually between $500 and $1000EC! I ended up getting a bingo on the "X", and won a bingo t-shirt and a case of beer. The bingo shirts feature one of the bingo numbers and a slogan that the bingo caller "Kevin" always uses. This time, the "O,69: Dinner for 2" shirt was up for grabs. One of my classmates wanted the shirt so bad that when I won it, I just had to give it to her. She was soooo happy. Also, since I would rather drink parvo tainted puppy diarrhea than drink beer (that's how much I hate beer!) I gave the entire case to my table. My classmates seemed to appreciate it. When I got home from bingo that night, there was another T-shirt lying on my bed. It seems that my closest friend got a whole bunch of free left over "Sand blast" shirts and dropped one off in my room as a surprise! Its a really nice green colour and coming home to that surprise made my night even more than winning at bingo. It seems that t-shirt karma was working for me. I gave a shirt away, and I got one in return.

I also have a Herpetology club shirt on order that I should get soon. (These t-shirts are like $10 canadian dollars btw so i'm not spending a ton of money on them. don't worry). The herp shirt is dark green and has a bunch of cool reptiles on it in yellow. I usually don't wear a lot of t-shirts, but here it is nice to have them for working out and hashing, and general summery weather type clothing. Anyway, that's it for t-shirts for now.

Today is another hash. It is Brooklyn in the St. John parish (the west side of the island, a little over half way up). It's supposed to be in a really beautiful area on the island. I can't wait. Obviously i'll post photos of that. Next term, there is a special hash to celebrate the 700th hash of the Grenada Hash House Harriers Club. Its on the smaller Grenadian island of Carriacou and it is a 2-day weekend hash! I cannot wait.

Cow Lab!

So here are some photos from our Clinical Skills lab at the farm today. Surprisingly the cows have been my favorite animals to work on so far. Click the image to see the full-size. :D

Our class had 6 cows to work on. Here they are all lined up. the one closest to the camera is super little and cute. Her name is "Little Tiger" because of her brindle colouring. The one next to her is "Bottle Girl". She was bottle fed when she was wee.

Bottle Girl, nomming some feed.

Here I am, measuring Little Tiger's pulse in the large vein on the bottom side of her tail. I also had to feel her vulva and take her temperature. No "full-arm up the bum" rectal exams yet. That's in 5th term.

post-exam randoms

- anatomy is over. I don't know how I did on the written part, but the multiple choice section was really hard. Hope I did well - i'll find out in a week or so.

- next week I have a histology test and a physiology test. it should be a busy, study-tastic week.

- there is only 1 month left of school. 30 days from now I will be done with exams. I am looking forward to coming home, but I am not looking forward to having to find a job. I need to get some resumes out. (if anybody knows of any vet clinics in the Edmonton area that need summer help, please let me know!)

- today is was ungodly humid outside. I just can't handle humidity yet - I had to walk up a hill to get to my first lecture in the morning and was sweating like a hog after about 30 seconds. It felt so gross. I hope I eventually get used to it. It is so uncomfortable to be all sweaty and it makes me self conscious.

- today in our clinical skills class, we had our first cow lab. I LOVE WORKING WITH COWS! They are mellow and sweet (unlike horses who are all crazy). We had to tie a cow halter and put it on. I was the first one to assemble my halter, and when I had to put it on the cow, I was calm (even though the cow was unhappy and was tossing her head all over the place) and had it over her head in like 2 seconds. The rest of my group said I made it look easy. yay me! We also got to palpate the cow's belly for lymph nodes, listen to her rumen noises, take a rectal temperature, and squeeze her vulva to check her mucous membranes! Tomorrow we get to go back so i'll try to take come cool cow photos.

- I am getting some grey hairs so today I decided to buy a box of hair dye and colour it a little darker. My friend helped me put on the dye and when she applied it, she missed a tiny spot near my temple. Now my hair is all nice and dark, except in this one little spot where it is still kind of light. hehe. my friend wanted to fish the rest of the unused hairdye out of the garbage and fix it but i was like "ehhh. don't worry about it". It's hardly noticeable and i kind of like it heh.

- There is another hash this weekend. we are going up to the area close to where I went for Fish Friday. I can't wait.

ok that's it!

anatomy

Just finished my anatomy lab exam. Scored a b+ so that's pretty good.
Now to cram for the written part. wish me luck!

update

I have an anatomy test tomorrow so I have been spending most of my time trying to cram as much info as possible into my head. i'll update again once it is over.

Hash 3

Here are some photos from yesterday's hash. I ran for a lot longer this time, but there were 2 giant hills that kicked my ass as well. It was really difficult, but i didn't stop and am pretty proud of myself! At the end, it started to rain and after running in the hot sun, it felt great. I love going hashing. Next week is a night hash. I'm going to study hard all Saturday morning so I can go. enjoy!

fun song

this is a link to a song that is really popular in Grenada right now. i hear it all the time on the radio when I ride the reggae bus. Last night, with some clever internet searching I was able to find it. I also got to learn all about soca - which is a popular, upbeat caribbean style of music. I like it! This song is super catchy and will probably always remind me of Grenada whenever I hear it.

I have songs that remind me of Costa Rica, as well as the UAE (you know it Linds). I hope I can collect songs to remind me of all my travels. anyway hope you enjoy the new memory-song.

fort george

so The Vagina Monologues was really good. There were a lot of funny parts, and some sad parts too. I would definitely recommend going to see it if it plays in your city.

As promised, here are the rest of my photos from last Saturday. I really think these photos are a good example of what the city looks like... it's beautiful in a "run-down buildings being overtaken by jungle" kind of way.

Tonight there is a vet-school awards ceremony happening. some of my friends are going because they want the free food that will be served afterwards, but I really don't feel like spending my Friday night sitting in an auditorium - it feels like more school. I will find something else to do. Tomorrow is another hash. i'm excited and will be sure to bring my camera again.

anyway, here are the pics. enjoy!

vet school randoms

- right now in our clinical skills class we are learning about horses. Our lab today was all about how to give a physical examination; we got to go to the farm and practice everything we have learned. Many people are scared of horses, but I used to go to riding camp as a teenager so I have a small amount of horse experience. During our lab, they showed us how to grab a horse's tongue so you can look inside its mouth. When they asked us if we wanted to try, everybody in my group was scared except me. I listened to the instructions, and was surprised at how easy it was! After I had the horse's tongue in my hand, I was able to look inside her mouth and check out her teeth and mucous membranes. It was cool. I can't wait to get to do more clinical stuff. It is the best way for me to learn. Also, next time I will try to remember to bring my camera.

- A while ago, I posted my school address on this blog and I was super surprised when I got a letter today! It is from my next door neighbour in Calgary. Enclosed with the letter was some awesome photography as well as a fun "Monster Reader" award from the library where he librarians at. Here is a photo of my award on the wall, beside a photo of Neko when she was a puppy, and my hashing "loss of virginity" certificate. I can't even explain how happy it made me to get mail. Thanks Jesse - you totally made my day. I will try to write back asap.

- Tomorrow my friend and I are going to see a performance of The Vagina Monologues. I heard it is a pretty funny show so I am looking forward to it. Tonight, I am going to spend most of my evening studying so that I can go out tomorrow.

- I found a place to rent for next semester. It is a 1 bedroom place in a really nice (safe) residential area which is a quick bus ride from the school. I had quite a few people ask me if I wanted to room with them, but I have lived on my own for so long... i'm just not ready to commit to a roommate yet. I don't think I would want to live with roommates again unless the price and the living space were just too great to pass up. Anyway, my new apartment is HUGE and the landlady is a little british lady who lives in the main suite in the house. the yard is fully fenced in, so Neko can go wherever she wants without any worries, and the landlady also has 3 dogs of her own - 2 pugs and a Jack Russell Terrier mix. I think I will really like living there. Many vet students live nearby, the beach is close, and the place is just far enough from the school so I won't feel like i'm trapped on campus anymore. I am going to give my deposit on friday to hold it.

- that's it for now. Gotta run to a physiology review.

st. george's photos

here are some photos from my saturday exploring the city. There are more from when I explored Fort George, but I will post them in a separate album another day. Hope you enjoy these ones!

fort george

Herping was super fun! Pics to come.
In the meantime, the link below will take you to an image that I took from the top of Fort George yesterday during my city adventure. Do you like it?

clickety click!

town

today my friend bailed on me, so i decided to go take pictures in town on my own. I had a nice time. There was a cruise ship in town, so for a change I wasn't the only white person on the streets (aka I stick out a lot less and get a lot less attention from the local men). Regardless, about 6 guys asked me for my phone number (denied), one said that I have beautiful eyes and asked if he could keep them (creepy!), and one asked me if I would give him one of my earrings so he could remember me (um... hells no!). I got a lot of great photos, and I found a pair or pretty silver sandals for $5 EC (less than $3)!

Tonight is the Herpetology Club's annual "herping trip". In about 15 minutes, we will all pile into a bus and go to the Grand Etang National Park. Once we get there, we will hike around through the jungle searching for reptiles! I am looking forward to some forest time and I hope I can see all kinds of cool snakes, bugs, and creepy crawlies! My camera battery is nearly dead but I will try to conserve it just in case we see some cool stuff. I will also post my city photos later tonight or tomorrow. Gotta run now! It's herp time!

blogging fail

- I know I have been super-slacking at blogging lately. It's not my fault though. I got lots of rest and managed to fight off my cold, but have also had to deal with 2 exams this week so I haven't had a lot of time.

- I scored an 87% on my physiology exam. B+. I'll take it. I was pretty nervous because the physio midterm didn't go very well. I am happy to say that I am back on track. Hopefully I can end up with a B+ overall if I continue to do well. (I am currently sitting with a B in the course).

- I found out yesterday that I was awarded The Louise McKinney scholarship for my grades last year while attending monkeyschool (yes, I was actually completing coursework while following monkeys for 14 hours a day. yes, I am a machine.) The scholarship is for $2500 which will come in nice. I am thinking of putting a tiny bit into my macbook pro savings fund, and then using the rest, along with my tax return to put a large dent in an old student loan that I have from multimedia school. It would be the smart thing to do.

- I have started to look for apartments to rent for next semester. There was a good/affordable 1 bedroom place that a classmate told me about that I was hoping to look at (her and another girl rented the 2 bedroom suite upstairs)... but I found out that the place got taken already so that's too bad. I have an appointment to look at a different suite tomorrow after class. It is in a really good location, and people that i like would be my neighbours, so hopefully the place is nice and a good price. *fingers crossed*

- Tomorrow I have an exam in histology. I have been working very hard all week but I don't really feel confident yet. There is just so much information to learn. For those of you who don't know, histology is the study of tissues... so the entire class involves going through the body and learning about all the different kinds of cells that make up the various systems, what they look like, and what they do. On this exam, we are responsible for knowing all of the digestive tract (there are a LOT of layers of tissues that do different things and each layer in each part has its own special cells), the urogenital and reproductive systems, and all of the differences between species. it is a lot of work. And the lamest part is, the exam is only 25 questions long. I have 8 stacks of flaashcards for a 25 question test. hopefully i do well.

- Tomorrow after class, some friends that I don't hang out with very often invited me to go see the movie The Tourist with them in the theatre. (movies here are months behind). I have already seen the tourist, but I am looking forward to getting to know some new friends and spending time with them. I am also looking forward to eating popcorn for dinner. On Saturday, my closest friend and I are making a day out of going into St. George's. We are going to go to the spice market, check out the local shops, and walk around and take photos of the city (my idea). I am looking forward to it. The rest of the weekend is dedicated to studying anatomy because I have a test on the abdomen, back, and pelvic limb next wednesday. fun fun.

- that's it for now. back to flashcards.

sickness

I feel kind of like I am getting sick. I hope i can fight it off because I have an exam tomorrow.

hash 2 pics

Here are some photos of the hash from yesterday. I had a great time!

friday

I scored a 97% on my nutrition exam... but before you get all excited, it was a very very easy test. Still, no complaints. After the test, we had our first clinical skills class. We got to go into the simulation lab and listen to different kinds of heart and lung sounds. I loved it. This is the stuff that really matters - in this class we are learning the actual hands-on skills that vets need. Next week we have clinical labs with live animals. It should be fantastic.

After school was over, my closest friend and I took the bus into the city to check out a grocery store where all of the locals shop. The prices weren't that much different - but the selection on vegetables and junk food was much better. I picked up some yogurt and some fruit for my breakfast smoothies. After that, we walked around and had ate some STREET MEAT! Yeah, that sounds dirty, but really, its just this street barbecue that happens every friday night near the shopping mall. We got a thing of BBQ pork ribs and a thing of BBQ chicken - and split the two. We paid $16EC for the whole lot of it - which is a great price. and oh man - it was tasty.

After that, I came home and did my taxes. Quite a way to end the evening. My return wasn't that great but it's better than a kick in the pants. I am thinking about putting the return towards an old student loan or doing something smart with it. I guess I should wait until the money actually arrives. Now I am going to go to the gym and relax before bed.

Tomorrow morning consists of studying histology and physiology and then tomorrow afternoon I am going HASHING again. This one is a beach hash which is great. After we run, we are all going to jump in the water and cool off. I will photograph of course! That's it!

sleepy beach dog

I have been studying for exams and haven't had too much time for blog posts. Tonight I will just share a photo.
This is a little stray pothound that curled up under my leg and fell asleep when we were out one night a while back. He was such a sweet little guy and it made me happy to have some animal snuggle time. I find that I just feel kind of "off" when I don't have animals around me. I wish we could have pets in the dorms here.

update

- not too much to report. It has been raining constantly for the past 2 days. I bought an umbrella.

- things are starting to pick up again - exam wise. I have nutrition this friday, physiology next Tuesday, histology next friday, and then anatomy the wednesday after that.

- I am looking forward to this semester being over. I find that seeing the same people every single day becomes exhausting and makes me irritable. This is concerning since I have to spend the next 3 years with them. I hope that living off-campus next semester will help me to re-charge at the end of the day and be less annoyed with the people around me. Regardless, I need to keep my eye on the prize and just get through this.

- I am unsure of what I will do for work when I get home - I hope to get a job in a vet clinic but i find it hard to believe that any place would want to hire me for 2.5 months. I will just have to convince them how awesome I am i guess.

- that's it for now.

hash pics

So here are a couple of photos I got while hashing yesterday. The moon was really pretty - but I still have to fiddle with the nighttime settings on my camera a little bit. There are also photos of me after I got doused with beer.

virginity certificate

So my first hash was awesome! We hiked some easy trails by the beach and got to check out the crazy full moon shining on the water (tonight, the moon is closer to the earth than it has been in something like the last 18 years). We ran for a while too and it felt great to be super physical and outdoors in the warm night air. SOOO much better than going to an after party at a club (where most of my school was going tonight).

When the hashing was over, the hashers all gathered at a local bar and had yummy local food prepared for us. I got to try Grenada's official dish... its this weird concoction called "oil down" which is made up of coconut milk, bread fruit, dough balls, salt fish, and some kind of tangy cabbage. It was different than anything I have ever tried before, but it wasn't bad. After that, all of the "hash virgins" were rounded up and presented with a "loss of virginity" certificate - but not before we all had about 10 beers dumped on our heads. it was disgusting - but part of the initiation. I laughed and enjoyed myself.

I will post some of the moonlit photos I took tomorrow, but in the meantime, here is my virginity certificate.

click the picture to see the big version. the certificate is quite funny. : )

booze cruise photos

so I finally stopped being lazy and posted the photos from that booze cruise I went on last saturday.
The underwater photos were taken by one of my classmates on a cool waterproof digital camera and are being used with permission.
hope you enjoy them :)

bookstore fail

I was having a bit of an off day today.... feeling kind of like I don't fit in here and am all alone. So I decided to go buy myself a present to cheer myself up. I was hoping to find a new novel since I am nearly finished my last book (Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut). I took the bus to the mall and approached the tiny bookstore. There was a shelf right in the entranceway with fiction books on it. I checked it out, but it seemed only to have grocery store bestsellers, romance novels, and twilight-type teen fiction (i can't even begin to express how lame the Twilight series is). huh.

I moved into the store to check out the other shelves. One shelf was devoted to Grenada-type picture books. Souvenir type stuff. I moved on and surveyed the rest of the place. Every single other shelf in that store had either self-help books, bibles (they had a whole aisle devoted to bibles), books relating to Jesus, or Jesus audio-books. Seriously. 95% of the store was Jesus books. Not cool Grenada - you need to broaden your horizons when it comes to literature.

I can't wait until I get home and start downloading real books on my birthday Kindle.

school

not much to report. just plugging away at this whole school thing.

- I got to be the cutter in anatomy lab yesterday. I got to open up the dog's stomach and intestines, as well as remove all of the skin around the anus so the muscles could be examined. It was fun.

- I keep meaning to post photos of my sailing weekend, but I am just too lazy. Hopefully tomorrow.

- This weekend has a lot going on. Tomorrow after class, there is a talent show on the basketball court right beside my dorm. I want to go watch. After that, the vet school band is putting on a show at this bar called "Old School". The band sucks, but it is a fun place to go and if I am in the mood to go to the bar it could be fun.

- Saturday there is a big "after-midterm" party on the beach called Sand Blast. They do it every year. Everybody in the school goes and apparently sometimes people party a little too hard. Last year 7 people had to go to the hospital for alcohol poisoning and one girl got kicked out of school for getting into an actual fight. It should be hilarious to watch. I will most likely just people-watch in the sun.

- After Sand Blast, there is a Hash. A hash is a kind of Grenadian jungle hike, and they happen every 2nd Saturday. The busses leave from campus and go to remote parts of the island. We hike/run on trails in the jungle, and then have a locally prepared meal. I have been meaning to go hashing for a while now but haven't been able to because of exams. It is probably the thing I am looking forward to most.

ok that's it! time to get some rest before the weekend starts. hah

what you don't know about pet diets

So we started a class on dog/cat nutrition on Monday. So far it has been really interesting.

Here are a few interesting facts and figures (which have come from published scientific studies):

- There is tremendous consolidation in the pet food industry. 25% of all pet food in america is made by Mars Inc (Cal-Kan, Whiskas, Pedigree, Greenies). 23.7% is made by Nestle (Friskies, Dog Chow, ProPlan, Purina). For pet foods, most of the focus is on the marketing (labels), not on the ingredients. Most of the foods made by one company contain the exact same things. The ONLY difference is the packaging.

- There is no regulation in the pet food industry. Companies can say whatever they want about their pet foods. The only things that are required to be printed on a bag/can of pet food are: 1. the company name, 2. the designator that states what species the food is for (dog food, cat food, etc.), and 3. the net weight of the bag/can. Everything else is purely marketing.

- for a food to be called "BEEF" on the label, 70% of the total product when it was made had to be made of beef (keeping in mind that "beef" does not necessarily mean the muscley parts of the cow that humans are accustomed to eating. "Beef" can also mean beef cartilage or beef bone meal or beef organ parts.)

- Adding a modifier to the label indicates that less of the actual ingredient is present. Names like "beef dinner", "beef cuts and gravy", "delicious beefy gourmet" require that only 10% (canned) or 25% (dry) of the total product weight when made had to contain actual beef

- "with beef" is even less. only 3% of the total product weight had to contain beef.

- and "beef flavour" means that the taste needs to be recognized by an animal as beef. No *actual* beef required.

- If a dog/cat food claims to be sufficient for all stages of an animals life (puppyhood, adulthood, old age), then it is actually puppy food. Puppies need more protein and energy to support fast growth than adult dogs. If a food has everything that a puppy needs to grow, it will contain more than an adult needs.

- many humans want specialty diets for their animals because these foods claim to be more "natural". The word "natural" is a term used in food labeling and marketing to imply some sort of organic benefit, however "natural" simply means "coming from an animal, plant, or mineral source". So in fact, all foods are natural foods. Any bag of pet food claiming to be "all natural" is just sucking you in with marketing buzz words.

- pet foods that say things like "100% complete and nutritious", "100% nutritionally complete", and "100% balanced" just means "these foods have sufficient quantities of ingredients to meet the minimum daily nutrient requirements". All pet foods meet these requirements. If they didn't, they would not be manufactured and sold.

- Raw food diets are very popular right now. However, feeding your pet raw meat in their diet is dangerous. In one study, 20-35% of chicken carcasses for human consumption tested positive for salmonella bacteria. 50% were infected with campylobacter. What does this mean? This means that the meat people buy at the grocery store is CRAWLING WITH BACTERIA. This is why we COOK our food before we eat it. When you give this food raw to your dog/cat, there is a very good chance that it will infect your pet. Infections can be shed in the feces, and can be present on a dog or cat's fur for many days! If you pet gets infected with salmonella/e-coli/etc, there is a very good chance that you will become infected as well.

- A vet could lose their license if they recommended a raw food diet, and then a person died as a result.

crazy huh? I have sooo much more to learn. But this gave me some things to think about.

ugh

back to class today. the weekend wasn't long enough. we started a new section on dog/cat nutrition today and went to class right up until 5pm. We also have an exam in less than 2 weeks. it never stops.

Tonight some of my friends invited me to go to this bar called The Owl with them. Every Monday night they have crab races so we were all going to go check it out. At the last minute one of my review sessions got bumped to a later time though so I wasn't able to go. I was disappointed because the people who asked me to go are friends that I haven't hung out with very much yet. I was hoping to go and get to know them better. hopefully they will ask me again.

Other than that, I was meaning to post some photos from the booze cruise this weekend, but I am just too tired right now. I will do it tomorrow. Instead, here is a photo of Dodgy Docks - the restaurant we went to on Friday night.

midterms are over!

So I survived my first week of midterms and I even pulled off an A on my anatomy lab exam (still waiting for the grade from the lecture part).

I am officially 1/12 of the way through vet school in Grenada. It is going by sooo fast.

After my exams yesterday, a couple people went cliff jumping. I filmed them on my camera, but didn't jump myself because the scrapes on my knees from last time finally healed up and I didn't want to get more. We then went out for a drink to a restaurant/bar at a hotel nearby called Dodgy Docks. The restaurant is literally, right on the water and the place is quite nice since it's on a resort. After that the people I was with went to Bananas to go clubbing. I walked them there, and then went back to campus and promptly fell asleep. I was exhausted.

Today, I went on a booze cruise with about 25 of my classmates. It was really cool. We got to sail around on a giant catamaran, did some snorkeling at this neat underwater sculpture garden, and then had a nice lunch on this little island. I didn't think that alcohol and ocean waves would be a good combo for me, so I just layed in the sun all day and drank yummy passionfruit juice. Tonight, there is a vet school bonfire on the beach. It should be a nice night but I am pretty tired from all the sun so I doubt I will be out too late. I will post some of my photos if they turned out ok, but now I have to run out the door!

histology

so histology is not really my bitch. I only got a B, but I guess i'm ok with it. I didn't think my 4.0 would last the whole semester anyway... and i'm still doing really well overall.

This whole vet school thing is strange. I used to be the smart one in all of my classes at my old university. Here, I am just average. All of my classmates had to be just as awesome as me just to be accepted here. So we are all the smart ones, which makes *none* of us the smart ones. I guess its a good thing i'm funny and cute. hehe

Tomorrow I don't have any exams... but on Friday I have both my anatomy lab and lecture exam. There is sooo much information. I am taking a little break, and then I have to go back to the lab and study the cadavers some more. I need to learn all of the parts of the heart (which is kind of tricky) and all of the vessels of the thorax and thoracic (front) limb. plus about a million radiographs and drawings and vocabulary terms. I can't wait until Friday afternoon when it is all behind me. I have booked myself a massage in celebration of getting through this in one piece. It will feel fantastic.

Random fact: I have touched 5 dead dogs and 1 dead cat today.

that is all.

better

well, I survived my nutrition class and came out with an 88% on my midterm. Its only a B+, but i'll totally take it.
Histology midterm tomorrow. i'm going to make it my bitch.

sorry these posts aren't very exciting. my life will involve things other than studying/exam writing at the end of this week and i'll try my best to post something cool!

ouch

physiology: 1
Dayna: 0

that exam kicked my ass. :( I thought I was going to get an A, but the professor really stepped up the difficulty from the last one. It feels crappy but i'm trying not to let it affect how I do on the rest of my exams. hopefully I can improve as the week goes on.

my day

wake up.
study.
smoothie.
study.
move outside.
study.
move inside.
study.
cookie.
study.
gym.
blog post.
shower.
study.
dinner.
study.
sleep.

tomorrow the exam-marathon begins. I hope i kill it.

study study

I have been studying since 9am this morning. I have never in my life spent so much time preparing for exams. I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface yet though. i'll just keep plugging away I guess and eventually some day I will be an actual vet.

My new thing: smoothies. I think I mentioned before that I bought a Magic Bullet blender from a student a couple weeks ago. It is fantastic. I just dump some fruit and yogurt and ice cubes into the thing, and viola! Smoothie in 30 seconds. Papaya goes well with almost everything. My current favorite is papaya and banana with mango yogurt. it's the best breakfast ever. that's it for now. i need to get back to animal nutrition.

dork tan

Our afternoon classes got cancelled today, so I took my flashcards to the beach. I learned all about how the fetal heart develops. It's some pretty intense stuff.

Unfortunately, I seem to have gotten a sunglasses tan as well. I look like a complete dork.


disclaimer: yes mom. I did wear suntan lotion. i'm not actually burnt, i just look red in this photo. love you!

hell week

Midterms are coming. Here is the schedule starting next week.

Monday:
Physiology. I think I can get an A with a little bit more work. I actually like physiology and could see myself becoming an internal medicine vet someday.
Tuesday:
Nutrition. I haven't started studying for this one yet, but I made fantastic notes in class so I hope I do ok.
Wednesday:
Histology. I have been working on this class all week. It is SO time consuming, but I will be angry if I don't get an A.
Thursday:
Day off
Friday:
Anatomy lecture and lab exams. There is just so much to learn. How I do will depend on if I study the correct things or not. I hope to do well again and keep my A.

I really hope I can pull off more good grades. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get all the studying in that I need. The good thing is, I have gone to the gym for the last 6 days in a row. Being physically active really makes me feel good and I haven't really felt stressed out at all. Hope I can keep it up for the next 8 days. Once exams are finished, I am going to treat myself to a massage and a pedicure at this place down by the beach. Can't wait!

bizarre items for sale

So last weekend I had to go into town to buy new shoes because my Converse got this huge rip in the side. Hoping to avoid paying "tourist prices", I decided to brave the shops in the actual city to see what was available. After some searching through many stores selling items that looked like they didn't make the cut at the dollar store, I was able to find a new pair of black converse lowtops for less than I paid for them in Canada. I think I got lucky - the last pair they had was in my exact size. I thought at first they were fake, but the labels all look exactly the same as my real pair. score.

While shopping through the junk stores, I did have the opportunity to peruse some interesting things for sale.
Here is one. Barack Obama shoes? In Grenada? Innnteresting.

eavesdropping

Yesterday, while I was waiting at the bus with a classmate, I got to listen to the funniest conversation between her and some random guy on campus. Transcript below:

Classmate: Hey Dave.
Dave: (looking confused). Oh um...hi.
Classmate: You don't remember me, do you?
Dave: um... no. Have we slept together?
Classmate: no
Dave: well then that makes this less awkward, doesn't it?
Classmate: haha yeah. Why are you carrying around a plastic lightsaber?
Dave: cause i'm awesome like that.

lol. I thought it was totally random and funny. Dave sat down for a while and talked about a time when he went hitchiking while high on all kinds of drugs. Then he went on his way.

University has all kinds of interesting people here. And by interesting, I mean crazy.

want

http://basketoflove4you.blogspot.com

just sayin.

fire hands

Last week, the fruit man who comes to campus had hot peppers for sale. I was really excited because it is very hard to find chilies of any sort on the island, and as everybody knows - I like me my spicy food. The peppers look like tiny little red bell peppers, and the fruit man assured me that they are nice and hot. I bought 2 bags and froze half of them for future use.

Today, I decided to make some homemade salsa to go with the burrito I was having for dinner. I chopped up the tomatoes, onions, and peppers... added some cilantro, and bam! Salsa for my burrito. It was delicious, and by delicious I mean nice and spicy (I added chili sauce and hot pepper flakes to the rice in the burrito as well).

This evening after dinner, I decided to go to the gym. I ran for half an hour on the elliptical machine.. and now that I am back, my hands are on fire! I don't know what's with the delayed reaction, but the hand I used to hold the hot peppers as I sliced them is burning like crazy. Apparently I touched my face at some point too because the area under my nose is also burning. I need to keep those peppers away from my hands next time I cook with them. I guess I can use the magic bullet blender that I bought used for 50EC dollars on the SGU Post Website to make the salsa next time. That should work.

i'm going to go do a facial mud mask and see if that helps the fire skin. Then its time for more Histology.

friday night fun

its 1am on saturday morning and I have been studying for histology all night. What a way to spend a friday! It will be worth it if I can keep my A though - there's another exam on monday and I want to be prepared.

In other news, people are going all crazy right now trying to find roommates and arrange where they will be living next semester. I applied for a position as an RA on campus for next term. If I got it, I would get free room and board on campus and $20 a day in pay... but I would not be able to have my dog with me. I would also be stuck on campus - which sometimes gets me down because I have no private place to retreat to at the end of the day and it is very much like highschool here .... so I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. If I don't get that position, a couple of people have asked if I would be interested in rooming with them, which would be ideal for saving money but would require that I have to share my space (a challenge for me sometimes). I also looked at a studio suite at a hotel near the beach for myself. The resort started renting to students and did so well that they are almost fully converted into apartments now. It is fantastic - pet friendly, all utilities included, safe location, a pool, and many classmates living there - but it is about equivalent to what I pay on campus right now. It is really hard to make up my mind on what I want to do. I will keep you posted on things as they develop. Now.... time for some Burn Notice (an awesome tv show i'm currently watching) and then some sleep.

flip flop tan

as you can see, my flip flop tan is getting pretty severe.

Also, I can't even believe it. but I pulled off an A in my anatomy lab and lecture exam. I have never had a 4.0 in my life. I hope I can keep it up for the whole term. it feels pretty good.

happy car ride

yay blood!

So today was awesome. In anatomy lab, I got to do my first blood draw ever! AND I was the only person in my class who got to do it.

here's the story:
Our anatomy lab doesn't have any TAs because the upper term students are in lecture while we are in lab. Instead, we have this cool Irish veterinarian/anatomist who helps our main professor. She's friendly and nice and she really knows her stuff. Sometimes, when my lab group has questions, she will sit down and chat with us for a while and tell us stories. I like her. Anyway, today she brought her dog Mojo into class. He is a little dog that looks like a cross between a pomeranian and a jack russell terrier. Apparently he hasn't been eating for a few days, so she wanted to draw some blood so she could test for tick caused diseases (a big problem here on the island).

My group was minding our own business dissecting out the brachial plexus in our dog, and she came up and asked if I wanted to get some blood on Mojo. I immediately said "Yes. Yes I do." She asked me if I had experience with blood draws, and I told her that I have a lot of restraining practice, but had never poked an animal before. She said that is was ok, and that I could give it a try. My lab partners have all worked in clinics for years, so they immediately piped up and told the Doc that they would help me, and if I wasn't able to get the blood, then they would have me hold Mojo and they would get it for her.

I was nervous, but super excited to be given the chance to try. Procedures like this aren't normally done in first year classes so this was a special exception... and I have no idea why the Doc asked *me* if I wanted to do it (probably because i'm awesome I guess. hehe) She warned us that Mojo can be a little rascal, so the person holding him would need to hold his muzzle tightly to make sure he didn't bite. My friends assured me that they would hold him still and keep us all safe. I was ready.

I scooped Mojo up into my arms, and he growled at me. I told him to smarten up, and didn't let his grouchiness phase me. I could tell he was all talk. After holding him for a minute, he started wagging his tail, so we took him into a side office where I could poke him in a more quiet place.

My one friend held him still, keeping a good grip on his muzzle and front paws, while the other friend showed me how to feel for the vein and line up the needle. The external jugular vein is in the neck and it's nice and big... but it can roll around under the skin so it is sometimes hard to hit with a needle. I was shaking a little because I was nervous, but I was determined to do it. I felt for the vein, lined up, and gently poked Mojo. To my delight, the syringe started filling with blood immediately! I hit the vein on my very first try!! I slowly drew back on the needle until it was completely full, and Mojo behaved himself the whole time. He didn't growl or wiggle at all.

After I finished, I was so happy. I felt like I just won the lottery or something. My friends all congratulated me on a great first blood draw, and the Dr told me that I did a good job. I am so proud of myself - and I am really starting to feel more like a vet every day. I can't wait to try more procedures!

cliff jump!

So i had a fantastic day today. By 11am, I had already finished my laundry, cleaned my room, went to the mall for groceries, and did a blog post all about toast. It felt great to be so productive. At noon, one of my favoritest friends came with me to get coffee, and then we went to the field in the middle of all of the dorms to watch the vet student softball tournament. All of the different terms competed against each other and our term (term 1) ended up placing second. It was nice to bake in the sun and cheer on our friends. After the games, the same friend and I went into town because I had an appointment to look at an apartment for next semester.

The apartment is actually a room in a resort near the beach. The resort started renting to the vet students a few years ago and it has become such a good place to live, they have nearly no rooms available for tourists anymore. The rent is less than what we pay in the dorms, and all utilities are included (this is a big deal because most of the time air conditioning is not included and can end up costing hundreds of dollars. and its important because i don't want my little canadian dog to get too warm here). There is also a pool, a social area, a study/internet lounge, and a shuttle to the school bus stop every day. The place is just down the road from the police station so it is very safe, and there is security at the gates all the time. the view is incredible, and i would have my own apartment but many of my classmates would be right next door in their own suites. it is perfect and I will most likely put down a deposit for next september later this week.

After the apartment tour, my friend and I went for some food, and then walked the rest of the way back to campus. Along the way we met about 15 of our classmates who were on their way to Bananas (the nearby nightclub) for one drink (yeah right) to celebrate the softball win. We were invited to go along, but opted to go back to campus instead. When we arrived at campus, my friend on a whim suggested that we go to the cliffs and check out the water.

The water was perfect for jumping. Last week when we went to the cliff, the water was rough, the waves were high, and getting out after jumping involved pulling yourself half a body length up a barnacle covered rock face using only your upper body strength (of which, i have none). When the waves weren't sucking you under (very scary) the barnacles were scraping gouges into your skin. I was actually afraid to jump but eventually I decided that getting some good blog material was worth it. I ended up having to be pulled up out of the water like a beached whale. And my leg got all banged up. Also, I asked a stranger to shoot the video of me jumping and she totally spazzed out like a noob and stopped the video before I even hit the water. fail. I was sooo disappointed.

Anyway, tonight I was really glad we went to check it out. The water was a lot higher, so it was pretty much as easy as getting out of the deep end of a (barnacle encrusted) pool. I jumped two times and it was fantastic! So... here is the video. It was a fantastic way to end a great day.

ZOMG TOAST!!!

living in a suite with minimal kitchen appliances..... i can't even begin to describe how happy this makes me.

nom nom nom.

hilarious items for sale

I had a really nice day today. I slept in. I woke up and got a coffee at the student centre outside my dorm. then I went in to town with some girls from school that I hadn't hung out with before. We had a really great time. We went to the tourist mall and shopped around. We each got dresses and I feel so pretty when I put mine on. I can't wait to wear it some place nice. I also found a toaster oven for $100 EC dollars - which is the price that the used ones cost around here when you can find them. I was stoked to find such a great deal.

On the way back to the bus, we walked past a vendor selling bootleg DVDs on the street. One of my friends stopped to buy some fruit at the next stand over so I had a chance to browse through some of the titles. Am I ever glad I did! I found probably the most hilarious movie cover ever. I really should have bought the DVD and given it to somebody as a gift. Anyway, check out the fantastic-ness below.

friday

well, it's friday again and the end of the day can't come soon enough. This afternoon, I have my anatomy lecture exam. I studied hard, but I don't think I know everything as well as I should. There is just too much information to learn in such a short time. Hopefully I anticipated the kinds of things the professor will want us to know. If he asks the right questions, I may do very well. If not, we have the option to drop the lowest test score from our record at the end of term. So either way, i'm not going to panic or anything.

After my test, I have to go into town to the Grenada post office because I have ordered a few items from eBay and they have arrived (some things are very difficult to find here). Hopefully I don't have to pay too much duty on them. There is a big SGU party this evening that is at a club called Kharma. The tickets were 50 EC dollars each (like $20 normal dollars) and there will be a DJ, air conditioning (woo!), and all you can drink. I do not plan on drinking more than 1 or 2 tonight... but i am sure that some of my classmates are. It should make for some fun people-watching. And if for some reason I decide I don't feel like going at the last minute (which is a common occurrence for me), I can sell my ticket no problem since the door price is wayyyy more.

Tomorrow I plan to lie in the sun and study histology and work on my tan. I will also post the video of me jumping off the cliff last week. (sadly, the video I ended up with was not worth the pain of climbing back out of the water on the barnicles). I will also try to get some cool St. George's city pics this afternoon. It will all depend of the spot I get on the public bus.

Have a good day peeps!
-Dayna

birds!

My anatomy lab exam went well. I haven't gotten the grade back yet, but I may have pulled off an A. I hope so... but a B+ is cool too and I KNOW I did at least that well. Next up, Anatomy lecture exam on friday. Mucho studying to do between now and then. I have decided that I want an A in all of my classes this term and I am going to do my best to get some. Hopefully I don't crash and burn half way through the semester in the classic Dayna-style.

This afternoon I had the most productive afternoon of lectures since I started vet school. I was engaged for the entire 4 hours and my anatomy professor's wife (also a vet) gave us our first lecture on animal well-being. It was an entire lecture on birds and it was AWESOME! She brought a in little love bird named Kirby for the class to pass around and hold, and she brought a big parrot Oscar (a yellow crested amazon) in for us to see as well. She raised Oscar from a featherless little chick, and he is now 5. He is named Oscar because apparently he is a grouch. heh. I got to pet him a little and he squawked at me, but he didn't try to bite or anything. Big birds can be kind of scary - and the really big ones can bite so hard that you can lose pieces of your finger to their sharp beaks. I saw some nasty ones at the emergency clinic in Calgary before I came to vet school. Anyways....

Here are some cool facts I learned about birds today (and when I say "birds" I am meaning exotic birds like parrots and your other typical pet types)!

1. Birds are an impulse buy pet. People buy them on a whim, because it is fun to have a little bird sit on your shoulder in the pet store. They often have no idea what they are getting into. Birds are a lot of work.
2. Birds are highly intelligent and can live a very long time. Here is a cool movie about a super intelligent African Grey parrot who can answer all kinds of questions that demonstrate that he understands what is being said to him - and isn't just mimicking people's words. In fact, African Greys are about as intelligent as a 4 year old human!
3. Bird cages need horizontal bars in them for climbing. They also need to have perches of multiple sizes and materials as their feet need variety and exercise. Making a bird stand on the same perch day in and day out is like making a person stand around in the same pair of shoes all day long. The feet need exercise.
4. Cage placement is also very important when keeping birds. They need to know that you are the alpha in your flock - otherwise they will begin to boss you around and behave in inappropriate ways (biting, aggression). They must always be housed below eye level so that they know their place in the ranks. If you buy a bird from a store where the cages are kept way up high - you may be in for some behaviour problems in the future.
5. Birds are intensely curious creatures and LOVE to destroy things.
6. Birds need 10 to 12 hours of darkness each night so that they can sleep properly. If they don't get this, they will begin to act out due to sleep deprivation.
7. Some of the most beautiful birds are incredibly loud. Cockatoos have incredibly loud voices, and aratinga conures scream all day long because it makes them happy. If your bird screams at you for 15 minutes and you yell at it to shut up, you have probably made it very happy! yelling back is exactly what birds want you to do! you are being very bird-like when you make a lot of noise.... (probably not the best way to discourage excessive squawking and screaming).
8. Some birds have feathers that degrade into a fine powder that gets all over the place. Some people are highly allergic to this powder.
9. In general, parrots from Africa are usually quieter than parrots from South America.
10. Macaws are very popular birds. They have life spans anywhere from 30 to 80 years and they are good talkers. The hyacinth macaw is a favorite pet. In addition to being huge, beautiful, and smart, they are also considered to be the jokesters of the parrots. One downside is that they eat macadamia nuts and can cost up to $15 a day to feed. yikes.
11. Senegals make good pets. They like to mimic sounds and are good talkers. They can develop phobias later in life though, so they need lots of exposure to different things while they are young.
12. Budgies are considered by some to be garbage pets. Pet stores will often give you a free budgie if you buy a cage. However, budgies are the best talkers of all the pet birds! Apparently budgies also like to laugh with eachother.
13. You can tell the sex of some birds just by looking at them (this is called sexual dimorphism). A male budgie has a blue cere, and a female has a brown one when she is sexually receptive and a white one when it's not mating time.
14. Cockatoos are also sexually dimprohic. Males have black eyes and females have brown ones.
15. All baby birds have black eyes.
16. Doves and pigeons mate for life. They almost always have 2 eggs to a clutch, and the male and female take turns sitting on them until they hatch.

Did you learn a lot? I can't wait for more of these type of classes. Too bad we don't have them more often!

ok, that's it for now!

xox

cricoarytenoideus dorsalis

- I spent the entire evening in the anatomy lab studying for my exam tomorrow. I feel pretty good about it now. It is going to consist of 50 timed stations on dog and cat anatomy. We have 1 minute per station and have to know all of the major parts of the body (organs, vessels, nerves, etc), all of the bones and bony processes, the major joints, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the thoracic limb (the front leg), thoracic limb radiographs, and palpation techniques on a live animal. I hope i kick ass.

- There's this little stray dog who has been hanging out on campus lately. She's small and brown and has the prettiest little face. Some of the students call her "Honey" and some call her "Spaz". She knows that the vet students will pet her and feed her, so she's always near our buildings. Tonight, she hung out with us in the anatomy lab while we studied. She curled up in a little ball on the floor after she got all tired out and I sat with her for a bit and scratched behind her ears. I really miss my dog Neko now. I haven't had a good dog-snuggle session in forever.

- All of the students in my class were on my nerves today. Even my friends. I don't know what's wrong with me but I need a serious time-out from people for a bit.

- I heard that the University of Saskatchewan might be accepting 2nd year transfer students soon. Apparently, when students drop out of school, the university will try to fill the open spots by transferring people in from other universities. One of the girls in my class has the contact information so I am going to seriously look into it for next year if I continue to get good grades. As much as I love it here, I would definitely come back and finish my degree in Canada if given the opportunity. It would be about 1/3 of the cost... and the less debt I have at the end of this - the better. Fingers crossed.

anatomy

we have our first anatomy exam coming up this week. i'm nervous that I may not pass.

wait... you're probably thinking "you have gotten all As so far. i'm sure you will kick ass at this exam too".

not true. I have a lot of trouble retaining new words... and anatomy is almost entirely composed of strange vocabulary... lots of it. There might not be enough time for me to repeat all the names of the bones, nerves, and muscles of the dog and cat enough times for them to all stick. In addition to that, we have to apply what we know and identify structures on radiographs (x-rays). It is not easy and I haven't had a great deal of practice at it yet. I hope I do ok.

I will do another update later on and talk about my cliff jump and post the (crappy) video of it.

also, i do not like valentines day. the one last year was much nicer. that is all for now.

recovery

I somehow managed to pull off As in all of my exams this week and my friends did great too. We were all so happy and spent yesterday afternoon/evening celebrating (which included some interesting cliff jumping and some going out on the town). I am still kind of tired so I promise I will write all about it in detail tomorrow.

here is a little video I took while I was riding on the public bus yesterday on my way back from the downtown post office. I was sitting in the front seat beside the driver because the bus ride on the way to the post office made me feel super car sick (too much window tinting + windey roads + heat + not sitting by a window on a crowded bus = recipe for vomit). There's not really much of anything in this movie, but you can see what a typical street looks like in town. Its very green and lush but as you can see, it is quite third-world as well. There are more people and cool buildings closer to downtown, but I haven't gotten a good chance to really film/photograph it yet. After I took this video, the bus driver told me that he thought I was pretty. He was nice looking and was very polite, but I got off the bus before he could ask me what my name was. hehe.

Please disregard the watermark in the middle of the video. I am working out some movie format compatibility issues and am playing around with some video converters to try them out. the watermark bugs the hell out of me, and this blog website compresses my videos so the quality is awful, but i like the song that is playing on the bus in this movie, so at least there's that. Anyway, enjoy!

The hunter

I am pretty busy studying for my physiology test tomorrow, so this post is gonna be short, but sweet.

Here is a funny product I saw for sale at the tourist mall last weekend. An awesome gift pack of sexy patterned man-ginch.
RAWR!

zomg tests

so school is getting a little intense. I survived my histology exam as well as the weekly anatomy quiz. On Friday we have our first Physiology exam and everybody is freaking out. The professor is this happy german man who is the WORST at explaining concepts. His notes are very confusing, and apparently he writes his exams in german and then uses an online translator to convert the questions to english... so the grammar is all messed up and its hard to tell what he is asking sometimes. When I have asked upper-termers how to prepare for his exams, the advice they have given me is "pray". lovely.

Hopefully I will lock it down and pull off a decent grade. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

In other news, to help with stressy feelings, I have been going to the gym a lot. I kick the living shit out of the elliptical machine, and then I feel nice and tired and calm.

I also just found out I got the Jason Lang Scholarship for my good grades in monkeyschool last year. $1000 in mah pocket! woo! I have also been nominated for the Louise McKinney Scholarship which is $2500. It would be fantastic if I got that one too. I would have enough money for a super-pimpin new macbook pro AND I would put the rest towards my old old multimedia school loan (yes, I went to multimedia school... what you think i'm naturally this awesome at making websites? heh)

Finally, on Friday after our physiology exam some of us are going to celebrate by jumping off this big cliff by the library into the ocean. I am really looking forward to that. I have also made friends promise to film me jumping... so you can enjoy it too.
The cliff is right here - but the jumping spot is on the other side of the building! Just imagine me jumping not into rocks and into nice water instead. :D


click the image to see the full sized awesomeness of my photoshop drawing skillz.