Island Woes

So every couple of weeks we have an in-class quiz. If you get 100% on it, you get an extra 5% attached to your block exam mark, which is a pretty sweet deal. They also give incentive for the students to keep up with the material which I think is a great idea. The day before the last quiz I worked my ass off in the library - put in a solid 7 hours. I didn't do so hot on the quiz due to a few really stupid mistakes, but more importantly, I felt caught up with the material. All of these facts that were tumbling around loose in my brain had solidified into something more complete. Even better, that feeling of despair melted away.

Today, I thought I'd hit the library and catch up, maybe read ahead. But that my-ass-is-on-fire just wasn't there because I knew that the next quiz isn't until Friday. I ended up reading over the same slide for 2 hours before I called a spade and spade and went home.

Then I realised it - this place is really very boring. I had no idea! I've been too busy worrying about how I'd break it to my parents when I flunked out. Or too busy calculating if retirement was a viable option to notice this before. Without school filling my every waking moment with anxiety and deadlines, this place is severely limited. My classmates are figuring this out too.

I was going to lay low tonight but a cute girl asked me to go to a party - how could I say no? There, I got to talking to my drunk peers and quite a few of them were having a difficult time with the Island life. Until this afternoon, I really couldn't relate. I'm not saying that I'm having a difficult time living here - On the contrary, often times when I look at the hills surrounding campus, or I walk at night under a bright star-lit sky, I smile knowing what a lucky life I've lived and have been living. I could have certainly done worse, and God knows I've lived with less. To say that I'm comfortable here is an understatement.

With that said, I realize that this place isn't for everyone. I'm coming to understand that people have different levels of what they consider basic necessity... This necessity has probably derived from a number of things like how they've lived their lives before coming to this Island, and their expectations of what going to med school Should Be Like. Socially, this place is more like high school. The same people who were out last night were the same people that were out tonight. And Monday morning, in class, these people will be there again. A few of the guys I was speaking with were talking about wanting to get laid. It's understandable, but basically the gender ratio isn't in these guys' favour and, I could be wrong but it seems as if everyone is too busy and anxious to put out. Heck, I know I am. Well... I could spare a few minutes. But I'm not most people. Most people need to be woo-ed and there's no time for that here - being brought out to dinner, complimented in a variety of ways, you know the deal.

I digress. The moral of my story this evening is that if you're thinking about coming to Saba, there's a great chance this Island isn't for you. But, if your lucky, the class material will intrigue and captivate you in such a way that you won't notice. And in your goal-oriented, time-managed life, you might even take comfort in knowing that there is very little here to distract you. That the Island itself is just as helpful as the profs, peers and upper semesters at seeing that you reach your goal.

Tonight was definitely an eye opener. The 3rd semester class held a fundraiser for their Mid-Way party, which is held every semester to celebrate the half-way point of our time on the Island. Tonight's fundraiser was a doctor's auction where students and faculty auctioned off a variety of talents and goods, from cheesecake to tutorial sessions.

But first, I want to say that my professors are among the most talented people I've ever met. They do what they do Very Well. I sit in class most times just wishing that whatever I do in life, I do it with the same accuracy and insight that they use in their jobs.

The fundraiser tonight was held at Lollipop's - a bar in the Bottom. A buddy told me that one of our profs was buying rounds. I really have a lot of respect for this guy, so I thought I'd find him out and buy him a beer. When I found him he immediately grabbed my arm and said "Philips! Philips! I must buy you a drink, Philips!" I couldn't believe he remembered my name - there are 100 of us in our class and he has only taught us for half a block. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to have my prof buy me a drink and it afforded me the chance to chat.

Another professor, for the auction, rapped free-style (all I remember was him singing BOOM-Shacka-Lacka-BOOM a lot) and bid on ridiculous things like manicure/pedicures just for the heck of it. Another, the head of the department, dressed as Bob Marley while he explained what he was auctioning. He commands so much respect and reverence amongst the school that his hat sold for $400 USD! In only a few minutes he raised $1500 for the cause.

The point that I'm trying to make isn't that I witnessed another side of a group of people that I have a lot of respect for, but that they are sincerely interested in seeing the school function as a place conducive to learning. I'm not talking about how they take attendance and turn off the internet for classes, but that they realize to get through this, we all need a release so that we can use the rest of our time efficiently. Tonight was their way of showing us that less sometimes really is more.

Welcome to my Blog!

I'm starting this a bit late. I intended to have it up and running sooner but, to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how long it would be before the admin here figured out they made a mistake and sent me back to Canada. That and I really haven't had the time.
I've been on Saba for a little over three weeks, yet I feel like it's been at least 3 months. And it's not that time isn't zipping by, because it really is. I guess it's because I've done so much in such a small amount of time. I mean, I've done stuff - like hiking and scuba diving - but every day is crammed with force feeding my brain with more information - 100s of power point slides, how to dissect the palm of a hand, MRI scans of the mediastinum. In the short time that I've been here, I've literally doubled all of the things that I know. My brain is pregnant with facts I didn't know that I didn't know. And the new stuff is kicking out the old. I forget normal words because my life is all about new words. New words are turning my brain into fois gras. I even forgot about the words fois gras so I wikipedia-ed it.

Side note - it is me or are we generally turning more nouns into verbs? The other day a guy that I met here said how he didn't go out the night before because he was too busy "skyping his girlfriend." I thought it sounded funny, so I asked if he skyped her hard. He didn't get it.

I guess my intention with this is threefold. One is to let everyone at home know that I'm still alive and what I'm up to. Two is maybe a bit naive - but I thought a comprehensive blog of my experiences at Saba would be helpful to those interested in coming down. Of course, this would require people actually reading this, which I highly doubt. Third is less altruistic - I can't sleep after studying. My brain feels fried but it's too hyper to let me sleep, so I figure this will provide me with something useful to do while I wait for it to come.