Our new psychology professor is a very boisterous and energetic woman whose speech mannerism reminds me of a less pious version of Sheldon Cooper's mom. So far I am enjoying her lectures.

We are starting bacteriology in micro. Bacteriology is all about differentiation between different strains. Is it gram positive or negative? Cocci or rod? Catalase positive or negative? Does it cause endocarditis? Etc...

Phew this has been a really long week, TGIF!

Still thinking about St. Martin...

The other day my friend asked me if I will be changing the name of this blog to stmaartenscapes after the move, but I think I will stick to the statiascapes because the school's name isn't changing after all. I'm already thinking of creating a new blog after basic sciences is done (8 more months to go!!), one which will focus specifically on me studying for the Step and then clinical rotations and all that good stuff that comes afterwards...

I had a very laid back weekend. Mostly studying for my psych exam on Monday (tomorrow!). I also baked brownies for the MSA potluck, which I did not end up attending. I was told they were all gone in ten minutes. They sure smelled good when I was baking them, I had to resist eating the whole batch!

I added pieces of Oreo cookies :D

Oh YA. On Thursday I had LOBSTER! Never mind that it was $45 for the whole darn thing, it was LOBSTER.
Lobster is one of my favourite foods ever, and I get to enjoy it so rarely, so every time I do it's a special occasion and such a treat! Plus I've always wanted to try the lobster here on the islands. It's actually not the same species as the one in North America. This is spiny lobster, found only off the coasts of the Caribbean islands. They lack claws but the meat they lack in the claws they make up for it in the rest of the body. Their meat is a bit more tough and chewy, but I still enjoyed the texture and the taste.

LOBSTER!!!

Here's to the last month (28 days) on Statia (the island)!!

Sipping on my Pina Colada by the ocean :)

Labels: brownies, lobster, potluck, psych, st martin, weekend

On Saturday I arrived by plane in St. Martin. The landing at the airport offers a breathtaking view of the shores of Maho Beach. The waters are an unbelievably blue beneath beautiful skies. I took a taxi to Simpson Bay Yacht Club where I met up with the first agent I had booked with. She drove me to a gated residential area that was next to the airport. It was very loud when planes flew directly ahead, but the property was very clean and the unit very spacious. 
Next, I met up with the second agent and he drove me to 3 more showings. By the end I was extremely hot and sweaty even though I barely did any walking. We drove through a McDonald's drive-through to get a Happy Meal for me (I just wanted the minion toy) before dropping me off at the airport.
St. Martin is a beautiful resort island. There are hundreds of hotels and just about as many casinos and night clubs. With that being said, it is not an affordable island by any means. Its economy is entirely dependent on the tourism industry that it generates from the hotels, casinos, restaurants, clubs, car rentals, boat rentals, etc... 
And as of now I am still looking for a place to live for 8 months. 

View of Maho Beach from the plane.

Simpson Bay beach.

Maho Beach - the waters are gorgeous!

Labels: caribbean, happy meal, house, Island, minion, st martin, st. martin, vacation

Block 3 was this Monday. Path went fantastic - class average was probably around a 90? Micro went okay, class averaged an 80? Ethics finished last Friday, and it went better than I had hoped, and the final class average was in the high 80s. 

Labels: block 3, exams, housing, st martin

MD2 on an island.