Regarding SABA

[gianefiasco]

In point form

1. The Island is more beautiful then any pictures I had seen before I got here. Just imagine a fairytale type village nestled in between tropical rainforest covered mountains, in the middle of a sunsoaked island in the carribean.

2. The people are frendly and warm. Evryone from the ferry boat driver to manny the taxi driver, to the grocery store owner seem to be more relaxed an easy going then anyone from toronto.

3. The dorms: are clean, cool and have study desks. Could I ask for anything more? no.

4. The school: havent started classes yet so cant say much on this.

5. the teachers: so far so good. i have met the anatomy prof, his wife and the biochemistry prof. Funny story: OPN the way over from st.marten I took the 5pm DAWN II ferry . I was slightly hung over from the night before on st.martin and decided I would prefer to stand on deck instead of sitting in the cabin. I struck up a great conversation with the biochem prof and halfway thru the ride I had to interupt something he was telling me So i could puke over the side of the ferry LOL. we both laughed afterwards and continued talking, he even shared a time when the ferry had made him sick!


thats it for now. But if anyone has any questions I can answer them as I am now on SABA and can give fairly decent info on the situation here.

cheers!:D

[MDXRS22]

Yeah. Blame it on the hang over:) The name is sea sick. LOL:)

Imagine that prof grading your next paper:) You better study from now on

[gianefiasco]

Yeah. Blame it on the hang over:) The name is sea sick. LOL:)

Imagine that prof grading your next paper:) You better study from now on

LOL Yeha well im no sailor thats for sure. But I sweear to you I was nursing a wicked hangover at the same time!:D

[soldierb11]

Giancarlo,

thanks for the update on the island. u will be an expert before all us sept. students get there.
good luck

[miasma]

awesome update gianefiasco. much appreciated. looking forward to meeting you in sept. good luck in your classes.

[Vibes63]

I gotta agree with Giancarlo about the island experience. Honestly, people make it seem like Saba is this ghetto 3rd world country where food is scarce and people are scary. But, you can find everything you would find back home. I mean sometimes there will be local brands of particular products but its the way things work out here. The Matthew dorms aren't as bad as people say and quite frankly I really like the people out here. Everyone, I mean everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming. There is this nice social area where everyone gets to know everyone literally.

About the locals, they are very nice and friendly. They will give you rides if you need to get to certain areas. And they are totally trustworthing and kind. I would honestly say take the experience as it comes and don't start worrying for unnecessary reasons like we did. Life is all about the experience you come across and realize you will be a total different environment. It will be a relaxing environment that is ideal for studying and having fun once in a while. I had the most amazing past couple days going to the beach, hiking, meeting awesome classmates. So, just keep that in mind and take a breather and relax you will okay. Don't end up like a hemit and not experience all that surrounds you when you have time. Well, thats it.

Peace

[gianefiasco]

I gotta agree with Giancarlo about the island experience. Honestly, people make it seem like Saba is this ghetto 3rd world country where food is scarce and people are scary. But, you can find everything you would find back home. I mean sometimes there will be local brands of particular products but its the way things work out here. The Matthew dorms aren't as bad as people say and quite frankly I really like the people out here. Everyone, I mean everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming. There is this nice social area where everyone gets to know everyone literally.

About the locals, they are very nice and friendly. They will give you rides if you need to get to certain areas. And they are totally trustworthing and kind. I would honestly say take the experience as it comes and don't start worrying for unnecessary reasons like we did. Life is all about the experience you come across and realize you will be a total different environment. It will be a relaxing environment that is ideal for studying and having fun once in a while. I had the most amazing past couple days going to the beach, hiking, meeting awesome classmates. So, just keep that in mind and take a breather and relax you will okay. Don't end up like a hemit and not experience all that surrounds you when you have time. Well, thats it.

Peace

ME and VIBES Are sitting outside the library right now on our wireless connections. We are enjoying the great island night sounds and amazing starlit light with several other students who are using the internet. Today was the "Queens birthday" so there was no classes or stores open.:p

[lawdawg]

Thanks for the posts, guys! It sounds awesome.

[psychMajor]

haha,

amazing...cant wait to start my journey!

keep us updated.

btw...how is the internet connection??

[gianefiasco]

haha,

amazing...cant wait to start my journey!

keep us updated.

btw...how is the internet connection??

its not bad like 56 MBps wireless. and you can get high speed in the dorms and apartments. There is also no more pay by the minute, all the internet on the island is unlimited time for one monthly fee. I think its around 30$US per moth plus 100$ US installation

[psychMajor]

nice, thanks for the info!

[amyames]

ha ha Vilash, where's the love for the Hillsider's? kidding! :) We are all friendly, so there's never a Hillside vs. Mathews thing going on..yet...ha ha ha. Someone wanted to do a dance off between Hillside and Mathew, but I digress.


I am on the internet in my room! It is working very fast right now (I got the 256 speed), so I'm loving it! I'm hoping it will stay this way.

It cost my quadmates and I $700 initially and that was a $500 deposit with $200 in installation fees. Then we will pay a total of about $134 per month for the 256 speed, which is the highest on the island. The 512 speed is reserved for businesses. It is expensive, but it is worth it for me.

Today was the first day of classes! WOW! It was a very very long day. Everything is done by powerpoint, so I can't stress enough that everyone should be bring a working laptop! Also, don't forget the zip/thumb drive because the lectures are on the main classroom computer, and you have to use the zip to transfer the lectures to your computer.

The classroom is adequate for the size of the class. I really like the long desks, and every row has plugs located in the floor, so everyone can plug in their laptops without any problems. Now the temperature of the classroom is a different story, ha ha ha :)

As for the coursework, I am not going to lie. It is going to be a lot, but it is doable. You just have to manage your time. We are starting our first block on the lower limbs, and in two weeks we will have our first sets of tests, ie a written test and a lab test. The written test will consist of USMLE type of questioons, and the lab test will on the cavaders. yah, fun times!

The professors today really wanted us to learn the material well, so they didn't mind if we stopped to ask questions. They were also very friendly, and just told us straight up that there was going to be a lot of material to cover in a short amount of time,but they were really cool about it...not trying to scare us.The slides are also very detailed, so I don't feel like I'll have a problem studying after class.

well, it looks like I need to hit the books. We did cover a lot today, and I don't want to fall behind.


let me know if anyone wants any more info...and I know JuanCarlo and Vilash will be posting their experiences as well. take care everyone.......it's gonna be one fun ride :)

[miasma]

awesome post amyames, very informative. good luck in your classes.

[TheShriner]

I think I pooped my pants a little when I opened the anatomy book to read ahead to the subcutaneous nerves and veins.
I'm so bad at memorizing, I think I will go insane.

As if I'm not a little already :)

[rdecastro]

I think I pooped my pants a little when I opened the anatomy book to read ahead to the subcutaneous nerves and veins.
I'm so bad at memorizing, I think I will go insane.

As if I'm not a little already :)

The good news: You don't need to know them all.

The bad news: It's all memorization. You might consider finding a method of memorization that works for you - and practice. You don't have to know anything about anatomy - you just have to memorize a LOT of stuff. 6000 structures, terms or relationships, 100 days (counting weekends).

[TheShriner]

Well, I think I'm going to start by sleeping on my book and seeing if I can learn by osmosis.

Just walked to the ATM so I could finally pay rent, and now I'm too tired (and depressed after looking at the bank balance) to study tonight :(

[gianefiasco]

Well, I think I'm going to start by sleeping on my book and seeing if I can learn by osmosis.

Just walked to the ATM so I could finally pay rent, and now I'm too tired (and depressed after looking at the bank balance) to study tonight :(

bank statement Shmank statement!!!:D

Library is closing so time to take the study train back to the dorms!!!:cool:

[LuckyBamboo]

Now the temperature of the classroom is a different story, ha ha ha :)

You guys are awesome! Thanks for the insight..now I know what to expect when I start in September. How is the classroom temp? I was told that they blast the AC, is this true?

[sweetpeapotts]

Well, I think I'm going to start by sleeping on my book and seeing if I can learn by osmosis.

Just walked to the ATM so I could finally pay rent, and now I'm too tired (and depressed after looking at the bank balance) to study tonight :(

well osmosis really wont disperse info...only water..

[lawdawg]

Great post, Amy! Good luck with your coursework.

[TheShriner]

well osmosis really wont disperse info...only water..
Yeah, so I noticed. My book is wet, my neck is sore, and I don't feel any smarter.

Oh, and I'm a sweaty guy, and I found that setting the AC in class at 22 or whatever to be chilly.

And seriously, if anyone wants Coq au Vin, I'm really looking for an excuse to kill a few roosters.

[sabaspouse2006]

And seriously, if anyone wants Coq au Vin, I'm really looking for an excuse to kill a few roosters.


Bwahahahahaha! I forgot how horrible the damn roosters are. They crow virtually any time of the day or night. The ones in Windwardside start around 2 am. I was under the misconception that roosters only crowed at dawn.

I know it is hard to believe, (I didn't at first), but eventually you will come to realize that you don't hear the roosters anymore.

Best of luck. Thanks for the chuckle.

R/

[Bruce]

Shriner.. Where in Southern Ontario do you hail from? I'm in Windsor...

[Island]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheShriner
I think I pooped my pants a little when I opened the anatomy book to read ahead to the subcutaneous nerves and veins.
I'm so bad at memorizing, I think I will go insane.

As if I'm not a little already :)

The good news: You don't need to know them all.

The bad news: It's all memorization. You might consider finding a method of memorization that works for you - and practice. You don't have to know anything about anatomy - you just have to memorize a LOT of stuff. 6000 structures, terms or relationships, 100 days (counting weekends).


Ok, I asked this before, but didn't get any responses. How do students memorize 6000 structures in 100 days? That sounds very difficult. And how are students able to distinguish between 6000 structures on lab practicals? Are lab practicals multiple choice? Thanks!