In addition to these pictures, I want to show everyone how I have been eating. Now, at home I was always tempted with the fast food joints on every corner. Here however, is a totally different atmosphere. The closest thing to fast food is eating at the shacks (see below), and even then you can make your choice between pizza, BBQ chicken, and tacos. But there are healthier options like the island "big mac" like my chicken sandwich. And it is really hard to call any of the food here fast... because nobody is in a hurry to get your meal or your drink. The fastest food here on the island are the random chickens and roosters wandering about.
Even before I came to Dominica I began losing my large appetite, and that continued here. I have been eating a diet that is high in rice and vegetables, and I get my protein from chicken, tuna, and eggs. It's quite simple really. The best part about this process is that I'm learning to cook. I'm learning to use (and not use) spices and juices in my cooking. Let me tell you, too many lemons can ruin fish. So here is my buffet of foods I have eaten in the past week or so.
Also, an interesting point to note. When I came to the island, I weighed an even 200 pounds. I still felt healthy, but I want to be fit. Like really fit. So I joined a group on campus called "ROSS LOSS". More or less, it's a competition similar to the biggest loser, but it's based on personal performance. So if a larger person loses 20 pounds and I lose 15, I could actually still do well. (It's all for personal pride). So after being here only two weeks, I weighed in for the first time at for the competition to see my starting weight. I was at 191 lbs, and I didn't even start the competition yet. It's like a catch 22. Why couldn't I have lost the weight, after the start of the darn thing... Oh well. So that was a happy surprise. all thanks to this guy here:
The dreaded hill.
It' doesn't look like much, the picture doesn't give it justice.
So I was lucky enough to have a 3 day weekend to prepare for my "MINI" also known as my first med school exam. I spent most of the day studying Friday, Saturday and Sunday with my eyes glued on two weeks worth of PowerPoint's- approximately 8 hours each day or more. The exam was this morning and I woke up at 6:30am to look a few last minute things over before my exam started at 8. The policies for test taking are pretty strict and some policies are just outrageous. For instance, we are not allowed to use mechanical pencils during the test. Why you ask?, because someone in ROSS's history tried to use a mechanical pencil that had a camera in it (so says the word on the street). I had to find a willing soul to lend me some pencils, but all I got were "fufu" pencils for the exam. I swear they resembled "my little pony" or the Easter bunny, yet they got the job done. The test was generous with it's "gimme" questions, but was even more generous with it's "I have two right answers, good luck punk" questions. I feel that (I dread saying this in fear of superstition) I at least passed the first exam, but the scores have yet to be posted.
After the exam, we all walked out with a sigh of relief knowing that we had the whole day ahead of us to do whatever we wanted before we got back to the grind. My group of friends and I made the walk to one of the two "decent" establishments called Tulips. I had a quesadilla, which was tasty, but not filling. The others had choclolate cake, "pancakes" (looked more like crepes to me), alfredo pasta and things like that. Afterward, we took a stroll and realized yet again that the beach is actually a real place. Who would have thunk it? I couldn't resist going into the water. I wish I could post a video, but my DSL connection yells at me if I try to do absurd things like that, so I won't. Some of these waves were 10-12 footers! They literally swept me off my feet and threw me. I had a blast, and took a beating. I also threw around a Rugby ball for a while (which is super awkward having only thrown a normal football), before I had enough sand in my britches to call it quits. I took a walk back up the hill,(with sand in places I'll learn about later in my medical education), and took a shower. I realized the nasty scrapes on my back from being drug along the pebbles in addition to the sunburn, was not a pleasant combo. (Ironically, my last lecture was about the effects of UV rays and how it alters your DNA in skin cells and causes cancer). I should have listened or been more prepared but I'm trying to learn.
After returning home I watched some clips of TED. (Not the new movie that just came out over the summer). By TED I mean the educational talks given by awesome people that introduce a fascinating discovery or topic for your brain to munch on. Then I started my post-MINI dinner of rice and Tuna that I cooked up. Ruth made corn beef and rice, Kanwar made mac n' cheese, Anthony brought cake, Michelle made brownies and I'm not sure what the other brought. Nonetheless, we had a nice meal.
Post-dinner I joined Anthony for a workout, (it turned on to be a boxing club). I learned some basic stuff and had a blast getting my butt kicked for the third time today. (The exam, the waves, and boxing). After learning stances, punches and combinations, I got to use them! I was geeked about hitting the pads and blowing off some steam. But the "fun" only got started when I was told that the ab workout followed the routine. (I then realized that meal prior was a terrible mistake). So here I sit with scrapes on my back, a sunburn, and swollen muscles, and I couldn't have expected a nicer day after the exam.
Here are some other pictures of stuff I didn't mention:
Lunch.
Dinner
Silhouette ,sunset
campus flowers near the library
Lizard found in my room.- his tail missing is my bad...- I released him outside
What do these hardworking students all have in common?-
They are ALL studying facebook. It's a terrible neurodegenerative disease that is preventable!
And, my favorite picture of the week,
The human body as seen by master's of painting.
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment