Thanksgiving... I think?

First of all Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Unfortunately, I am spending my first Thanksgiving away from my friends and family. Here in the Dominican Republic, it certainly does not feel like a holiday as Thanksgiving is not a recognized holiday here. So, classes and life on the island went on as usual. This experience has reminded me how truly blessed I am. I'm thankful for my parents and all they have done to get me here. I'm thankful for amazing friends that have had my back through good and bad. Most importantly, I am thankful to the man above who has allowed for all that good and bad to happen. I have been doing a lot of complaining lately but today I am just going to say thanks. I'm getting together with classmates for a nice dinner later tonight so we will have an improve Thanksgiving dinner. Well on the school front, I had an exam yesterday and it went well. It had a few surprises but nonetheless I survived. Have I mentioned that I'm going home on December 12? Well just in case I'M GOING HOME!!!

Let the countdown begin

In all reality this semester has really flown by. But I am so ready for my break. This semester has been very difficult for me. I don't feel like I have been fully acclimated to living in the Dominican Republic yet. This country is very uncomfortable to live in. It is extremely hot, traffic is a nightmare, the electricity goes out on a daily basis for hours and the list goes on. Aside from the horror of living in the country I have had several personal issues as well. For one, I broke my foot half way through the semester and the Dominican Republic is not very accommodating to handicapped individuals. Secondly, my living situation is not the most ideal. I live with 3 roommates who are great individuals but it has been difficult to live with them to say the least. I realize that this post has been full of complaints and I apologize but this is my outlet. On a positive note, my plane ticket has been purchased and come December 12Th I'll be out of here! I am going to take advantage of my month in the states to drink as much Starbucks as possible and to sort out some thoughts. I would really like to move into a new place come next semester so lets see what I manage to come up with. It is comforting to know that a lot of my classmates have been feeling the same way and this winter break is a well deserved one for all of us. 19 more days to go! PS: Does anyone read this?

Lost But Not Found

Well friends, today I learned a valuable lesson about living in an unfamiliar country. Never let your guard down completely. What do I mean with this? Always be aware of your surroundings and your belongings. I've heard lots of stories since I've been in the Dominican Republic about people being robbed but I never thought anything of it. Today I was with one of my roommates making a purchase at a store. I placed the cell phone on the counter momentarily while we made for the purchase. And that's all it took for the cell phone to disappear. What bothered me was that the cell phone was not mine. I had asked my roommate moments earlier to borrow his phone. Now, I feel obligated to replace the phone because I feel horrible about it. Fortunately, this was a mild incident. Two of my roommates, who are Dominican citizens, have been robbed at gun point. One of them was getting out of a public transport when she was asked to handover the contents of her wallet. My second roommate was walking home from class when a man on a motorcycle robbed him of his phone at gunpoint. My experience up to this point have been good and for the most part I feel safe. However, it is always important to be cautious.

On vacation

It feels likes it's been a while since I've blogged. We had a three day weekend from school this past week. I decided to go with my my roommates to the town they are from, Puerto Plata. Puerto Plata is awesome. It is nice getting away from the hassles of living in a busy and over populated city. I live in the capital of the Dominican Republic, which is Santo Domingo. I have never seen anything like this city. For instance, drivers here turn 3 lane roads into 5 lanes. The traffic here is horrendous. So, everything here is pretty fast paced. Besides being on vacation, I decided to sleep in today. Yesterday we celebrated a classmates birthday. Once again I had a great time with my classmates but I believe that I'm getting to old to party during the week. But that's that. I have tons of laundry to get done and I need to do some serious studying! I wonder if anyone has stumbled on my blog?

What a bummer

I'm feeling really bummed out right now. I've been having some drama go on in my personal life and it has got me a little down. I am really glad that I decided to blog because besides this being a journal its an outlet. I know that eventually this drama that I have been caught into will subside but it is very disappointing. It hurts to have to defend myself to people who should know me. At the end of the day I refuse to allow anyone bring me down. God please strengthen me and help me become a better person. I don't know if anyone reads this stuff but thanks anyway!

Exhausted

Phyically and emotionally. Trying to stay awkake until 10:30 so that maybe, just maybe I can sleep through the whole night. On a positive note, I had a presentation today that turned out great! Night.

Sleepless in the Caribbean

It's one of those nights where I'm struggling to sleep. I've struggled sleeping for years but I did not want to reconsider taking sleeping pills. I am mentally and physically exhausted and 3-4 hours a night just doesn't cut it. So here it's 3:45am and I just read a message from my ex girlfriend that pissed the heck out of me, which is probably why I couldn't fall back asleep. Before coming down to the island I decided that it was best to end my relationship. The distance was not really a factor. But we were just polar opposites and thus we had different goals in life. For the majority of the relationship I knew that this wasn't a long term relationship. (well that it shouldn't have been one because I let it become long term.) The point of this all is that she writes me via facebook and made remarks to belittle and criticise my education. The reality of the matter is that attending a Caribbean medical school is going to get you frowns. However, I will never feel the need to justify my education. Medical school in the Caribbean is an option that with hard work is going to get me where I want to be. If medicine is your passion pursue it!

Cuban anybody???

Today I enjoyed an amazing Cuban dish with some great classmates. I myself am Cuban and was surprised by the number of Cubans in my class. One of the "Cubans" mom was in town and she was nice enough to have us over for dinner. It was great! Her cooking reminded me of my mother. More importantly, it was nice to once again have some bonding time with each other. As the semester is coming to end it seems like everything is falling into place. Life is good!

Work Some, Party Some

Living on an island can be distracting. Compared to the states, it seems like island life is much slower paced. It seems like the general train of thought is that things get done when they get done. Aside from the slow pace of things, partying is a huge part of life and I have NO problem with this! I enjoy my music and my glass of whiskey! However, it is important to keep a healthy balance. Priorities need to be kept in check but it does not mean there will be no time available to distress. Last night we had an amazing time at a Halloween party. One of our classmates rented out a club and hosted the even. Good times! When your so far from home, family and friends it helps to be able to bond with your classmates; who are going through the same struggles. Now that I'm well rested, I got some homework to tackle.