Dominica Travel Tips..and oh yeah...we made it!

Well folks! We have landed! It was an adventure and a half that's for sure!

Travel: Toronto--> St. Martin/Saint Maarten--> Stayed the night--> Dominica

The tiniest plane will take you from St. Martin to Dominica and let me tell you....it is scary at first ...then when it finally takes off...it is okay. Just breathe. If Steve who is 6'5" and me who is 6'4" find it okay...I bet you will too. It really isn't that bad.

When we landed, we had to go through immigration. A tiny Ross University sign in desk is visible before you present your acceptance letter, immigration letter and your passport. It is hectic, but manageable as all you want to do is get to the other side to claim your luggage. A bus will take most students to Ross, which is another 45 min (windy) ride to campus, which I never knew about so I am letting you know now it is absolutely stunning. When we were in the bus, there was a light mist coming down, and over the palm trees with cows grazing amongst the intense green....I could only smile. It truly is beautiful.

As soon as we got to campus, we had to do a fast-paced check-in. Thankfully we stayed over in St. Martin the night before because it would have been an extremely long day. HIGHLY advise breaking up your flight and NOT FLYING through Puerto Rico booked by ProTravel <-- the travel agency Ross highly recommends...in my opinion..I am doing the same searches as them..and we found some cheap, direct flights. Some unfortunate students got stuck in PR due to wind and could not fly out until the next day. St. Martin is your best bet. Also, make sure to get here a couple days before your official start day of orientation...whether it be Jan, May, or September. You need those extra days to adjust, attend the campus tour, IT mandatory session, buying electricity, (which is not included in your lease), buying a phone and SIM with the local LIME service, buy groceries, and take a deep breath before the 8:30am-4:30pm orientation days that last all week. (highly recommend)

The wonderful people at Ross will contact your landlord to let them know you are here and that is such a relief as it was dark, and we had no idea which way to go. It was about 8:30pm by the time we got to our apartment and our flight landed at 4:05pm in Dominica. Our apartment is the cutest. A BIG change from a basement apartment in North York...it has SUNLIGHT yayyyyy. How studying will change with a bit of life in me lol That dark apartment was getting so depressing, and to even help the situation here, our apartment is bright yellow! I just love it.

Using our backpacks and running shoes, we got our "hike" mindset on and walked to the nearest IGA to get some food, which is about a 12 min walk from our apartment...and a 6 minute walk to the campus North Gates..so I absolutely love our location on Banana Trail..yes...Banana Trail. Just let that sink in for a second.

$200 later...we are packed up and ready for the week. The food is very pricey so make sure to pack your favs in a barrel...I would personally avoid food in your checked bag...you will be asked numerous times to declare food and that may hold you up if you have tight connection times.

Dominica is gorgeous and I can't wait to explore the island before Semester 1 starts on May 11th. There is a tour tomorrow that Steve and I have signed up for. A tour to see the Kalinago Territory and Emerald pool...you can google that now...yup..pretty awesome. We are going to jump in even though they say it is super cold...but seeing that we are from The True White North..I think we can handle it :)

Well fellow followers it is 10:10pm right now and we have to be at the gates at 8:45am for the shuttle for our tour. Want to get a good nights rest as it is a full day ahead. One week of orientation. May 11th first day. May 12th parents. May 15th White Coat...it's actually happening. I am going to be a Dr. Cronk!

P.s As I logged onto my computer after finally getting internet...D1toDR has hit 5,000 views! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Bye for now,

-E xo

Dominica from today! Didn't have much time between pre-orientation events!

Our walk to the beach on campus!

At PBH down near the water.

Beautiful.

Perfect.

Sweaty and thirsty!

Ahhh a refreshing drink before our campus tour. 

To Dominica We Go

Okay peeps...I know my title of the last blog post was titled "The Waiting Game" and I'm sorry for those who were anxiously waiting for the results and I have now posted two weeks later about it! The results were posted twenty-four hours later on April 2nd, and I ended up getting an 84% on my final! I PASSED AND I AM HEADING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL AT ROSS UNIVERSITY!!!!!!!

As soon as I found out I passed, I literally had to get on the computer, book my final flight from Saint Martaan to Dominica and confirm my other flight from Toronto to Saint Martaan. So much stuff had to be done from getting bombarded with emails welcoming me to Ross, securing an apartment, getting my Ross #, obtaining my loan, and ordering the numerous medical supplies that are required before we touch down. Not to mention, I had an Ohio trip planned in there as well to visit one of my best friends and former teammate from first year university at Gardner-Webb. Such a fun and eventful four days and much needed as she is getting married this summer to her fiance Jordan, who I also knew from his frequent visits to GWU to visit Ash when we were only 19! Crazy how times flies. I won't be able to attend her wedding this July due to school, and I will miss that moment when in the movies the bride looks over and smiles at the bridesmaids! Does that happen? lol maybe I am just picturing that happening, but it is definitely a moment that I will miss for sure, but I know she understands my huge commitment with school coming up. 

So now I am at my grandma's, as she eats her chili and I am on the computer...she is still trying to figure out how I type so fast as she just watches my fingers dance along the keypad. How technology has changed since she was little, crazy to think that, but that is a whole other blog post. I have printed everything that I needed to today and have finalized my trip with my Ross Canada Ambassador. I have ordered all my necessary medical supplies, purchased books, paper, every colour of pen under the sun, and highlighters galore, can you tell I LOVE stationary? I am definitely ready to start this LONG journey, but it will definitely be worth it in the end. Steve and I leave next Wed! I can't believe I started MERP in December, and now I am off to the island. Wow. I am way too anxious.

To all the future MERPERS and Ross applicants, please feel free to keep reading as I detail what is it going to be like on the island! I will be writing about everything and will not be holding anything back. I will blog about the good and the bad and everything in between, because that is what it is all about. There will be times where I know I will feel frustrated, at a loss, and feeling that dreaded "is this really what I want to do?" question. When times get tough, just remember why you are here and keep that end goal in mind. I have the best support group cheering me on....from the bleachers at my basketball games to cheering on skype...I am very lucky. 

Wish me luck on this flight! :)

Pictures!

Kaikoura!

love him

Clay Cliffs

Typical

Queenstown

Church at Lake Tekapo

Such a cool place.

NZ pit stop 

Smartest birds ever

Beautiful scenery

Best Indian food place ever!

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

The Waiting Game

Well folks! As some of you were made aware of my lack of presence on the blog that the last four weeks have been absolutely crazy. I could not believe how fast a month goes by when your head is literally and figuratively in the books. There has been times where I would just lay my head down on all the piles of papers and just whisper into the paper slowly: "plleeeaseeeeeee just go iiinnnnnn my headddddddd". Thankfully, I think that paid off. haha ok in all seriousness, my 4.5 hour final did go well this morning...or so I hope.

The grades are released tomorrow afternoon, but I feel confident that I studied my buns off to do well. The one thing that I have heard the most about medical school is that awful feeling of "am I going to make it?" It is that constant battle of overcoming that feeling with every exam, lab, clinical, and step exam. It is that constant "I have NO IDEA how that exam went" kinda feeling, and it sucks...but for all the medical students that I have talked with, every time a grade is posted or every assignment that is handed back, and acknowledging to yourself that you have put all your hard work into it, that seeing that passing grade feels so worth it. My first of those sort of those feelings is happening right now, and it does suck, but with my family's support and Steve's as well for being there for me, I am genuinely happy right now. I do not want to get too ahead of myself as the grades are not released for another 24 hours, but when I was on Question 190 out of 200 today, I could feel myself getting choked up...not because of any other reason that I knew that this is the path for me. This is it. This is what I am meant to do. It just clicked for me in that moment. I know I would be happy being a Physician's Assistant in the P.A program at McMaster or University of Toronto, (and not taking away from the many students that take that route) but I just do not think that I would have been completely fulfilled in the long run. For anyone that knows me, being a type A and having an alpha female personality, I am definitely a leader at heart-and that is what I want to do-lead a health team of professionals. So after sitting there thinking: "yup..I can definitely do this." and after the 5 minute warning was given by my professor, reality set in that I still have 10 more questions to go! Yikes! Thankfully it was the last bit of anatomy..with pictures..boom.

For celebration that I am done, Steve and I are going to a movie tonight! Much needed as I told him yesterday "after this exam, you will have your girlfriend back!". Trust me...I looked rough...like...really rough haha I just want people reading this to know that do not be scared of following your dream...for me..my dream was to find something that I am passionate about...that included using my brain, helping others, encompassing my athletic background, but above all, being challenged every single day you go into "work". I posted a status on facebook the other day saying never settle, and I believe in that so much. I could have stayed in Parham, went to Queen's U, graduated, probably did my Master's at Queen's, and have never really left. I know I do NOT want that. I know a lot of people who do, and that's fine..but I definitely have the travel bug now and thankfully I have the ability to do that with Ross University being in the Caribbean. Again...I can not get ahead of myself but if all goes well, Steve and I will be leaving April 30th for the island of Dominica! Wow. I can not believe that time has come. I am so excited.

All in all, listen to that voice inside your head and find a way to get it to shush up sometimes! Mine was that push to apply to med school one last time and after this program in Toronto, I could not be happier. Honestly. This is the first time in my life my hard work towards something has paid off. I really like that feeling.

Have a great Wednesday guys and a great start to this April month. I have a feeling it is going to be a great one :)

Bye for now,

-E xo

Pics below!

No matter how stressed you are....just know there is someone in the world that would be willing to trade places with you.

The Big Mango in Bowen, Queensland

2/4 sisters :)

Will be going to some games before I leave! Right Jules :)

Meeting the legend himself. Dmitry Klokov.

My professors will stand on anything to be as tall as me!

Actual height difference :)

I love this shot. 

One Month to Go

It is March 2nd, at 5:30pm and Steve and I are at our little table in our basement apartment in front of our computers. If you can see both of us right now (one who is 6'3" and another who is 6'4") sharing this table, let alone this apartment, I know you would be impressed :)

My MERP program finishes on April 2nd; exactly one month from today. If you would have told me in November that I had one more exam to go at this time, I would have envisioned a more burnt out, struggling, exhausted, and anxious human being, but honestly, I feel good right now. I wouldn't say amazing or that I am not tired, but I feel good enough to realize that this program has been more of an eye opener. Graduating with a 3.5/4.0 GPA at a pretty highly ranked public university in New York, you could say that I thought I had a good science background, but wow, I am very happy I decided to enter this program. The basics...are not just basics...they are the foundation in which science is based upon. If you do not understand those, or have a lack in any of the four key classes, you will feel yourself constantly trying to play catch up. I have definitely felt that a couple times so far, but with hard work and perseverance, you can tackle anything life throws at you. I know that is a statement that is heard often, and honestly I am one of those people that start reading whimsical or philosophical posts and not knowingly skim by them, and saying in my head "yea, yea, I have read this before". But what they are saying is honestly true (yes I started a [fragment] sentence with 'but'-sorry not sorry). I am going to make an assumption here and say that people in my MERP program have realized that intelligence alone can not help you, you HAVE to be able to sit down for six hours or more per subject to be able to truly grasp the concept, or staying up late to answer some last minute practice questions before an exam. It is this tenacity and the perseverance that will get you through those days that you do not think you can get through. If you are naturally smart, amazing, but it is the hard work that will allow you to push through the tough times and really help you appreciate your grades that you so definitely earned. I am one of those weird students that look forward to exams, do I like them? Not really, but I look forward to expressing how much knowledge I have gained from the weeks prior. I am ready to prove to myself that I know this material, and what's better than showing off your hard work in a 100 multiple choice two hour exam where you literally have one minute per question-either you know it or you don't...and when you know it, it is an awesome feeling.

After a weekend at home on my parents' farm, I definitely feel recharged and ready to tackle these last four weeks of material. Not only is our last exam cumulative, but it is worth more. YAY. It is going to be tough, and from the knowledge and perspective that I have gained from the previous MERP students, do well on the first two exams to alleviate some of the pressure for the beast of the exam in which Mini 3 is. Thankfully, I am in a position where I am doing well. The MERP scholarship is for $10,000 and the requirements are that you have to have at least an 80% in each course, I am SUPER close in getting all four there, with anatomy and biochem already above. I can do it! Out of almost 200 students, only two hard-working students are given the reward, but I am ready to study my butt off.

I feel myself saying thank you in almost every blog post, but I noticed when I was updating my layout of my blog that I have over 4,000 views. Wow. Whether you are someone who has stopped by and stayed, or a D1 to DR fan from the very beginning, I am so happy that I have your support. It is a weird concept: writing publicly about my journey for people who I do not know, but also for my family and friends who are wondering how I'm doing. So for another blog post, another thank you. Thank you for your encouraging words, likes on Instagram (@d1todr), and proving to me that blogging is SO worth the time to sit down and express how you are feeling at different points in this whirlwind life of mine.

Until next time, keep me in your thoughts these next couple weeks and never regret starting something, the finish will be well worth it ;)

Bye for now,

-E xo

Picture time!

Sisters Summer 2014 :)

Sisters Summer 2011 :)

Our donkeys on the farm

Miss these girlies!

JUMP! 

Abseiling in Da Lat, Vietnam!

I miss these people. 

Love!

I am missing our tans.

Little sis!

Time.

Among the piles of papers on my desk, my tea that is slowly getting luke-warm, the dishes in the sink, I can't help but to drop everything that I am doing right now and write a blog post. 

As you click the link to my blog, or have signed up for instantaneous emails (which I encourage all of you to do ;))  you will notice that I changed the template a bit, I felt a change was needed :)

As I sip my tea, and hear the two rambunctious kids upstairs in our semi-basement apartment, I can't help but feel a sense of happiness. Life has been busy, and I know it has been busy for a lot of people. I am feeling lately that the more I think about doing something, calling someone, or writing a blog post, I take more time thinking about it and trying to fit it in my schedule than actually sitting down and doing it. So here I am...with at least four hours of studying to do tonight and it is already after 7:00pm, I still need to wash the dishes, tidy our cute little abode, answer emails, and pre-read for tomorrow's lectures, but all I could think about was writing. 

I feel as though everyone wishes they had more of something, and if you ask every medical student, they will respond with: time. Or any student for that matter. Or mothers. Or fathers. Or the elderly. We all want more out of each day, even though some days we want it to end rather quickly. It is an odd concept. As every day passes, and long hours of studying swiftly escape me, I can't help but sit back and really enjoy this ride that I am on. I could not imagine studying any other material this intensely, and I am happy my parents told me: "you can do this, just put your mind to it and we know you can do it". Without their support, I know I would have taken the easy way out, and not have been challenged mentally every single day in this program. I really am thankful every time I leave the classroom.

I want people who are reading this to know that you have to make the time for stuff that matters. Whether it is staying up late to skype with your bff, writing a snail mail letter because physical mail is so much better than a facebook message, or making sure you do something for yourself each week, or heck, every day! Why not? We have so much going on in our lives and it is easy to get caught up in the chaotic lifestyle, and forget about the little things. How such perfect timing for Valentine's am I right?

Ok, my tea is not officially cold, and for anyone who knows me, they know I like it absolutely burning, I know, I know...I'm weird. Off to look over Picornaviridae and Orthomyxoviridae lecture slides, and talking about vaccines, and how they are essential to one's health. No debate about that after seeing some of these pictures! Yikes!

Have an amazing Wednesday night everyone :)

Bye for now,

-E xo

Who would I be without pictures?

Pretending to be a model. Hayyyyy

Love Tracy Olan's work. 

I miss this view.

And this one...

Cutie.

Our hotel.

On our way to Hobbiton!

Three generations. 

Castle Hill. 

Nelson for NYE!

3 Months To Go

Hey everyone! I know it has been awhile since I have written, but I think it will be like that throughout my time at school, it has been so hectic this past week. I am now feeling the stress of the material, and I now understand the commitment, sacrifice, and determination to do well...to be honest I am quite tired already...yikes!

So the last time that I have written was at the beginning of January, and even though it doesn't seem like that long ago, a lot has happened in that time span. The random 2-week break that we had gotten for Christmas was very helpful, as it let me really study the material that we had learned thus far. After the break, we had another 2 weeks of material to learn before our first exam of MERP. It was tough, but with all my studying that I had done, I am happy with my grade. I got a 92% in anatomy, yea! Really happy to use my memorization skills and put them to the test. I need to work on microbiology and physiology a bit, but they were still a good percentage above the average so I am happy. The average overall for the first Mini Exam (don't let the name fool you, it is not "mini"), was a 62% overall, that means that over half the class is failing this program so far...that is not good (you need at least a 65% to pass). I think people underestimated the time it would take to study, and the amount of studying that needs to be done. Thankfully, from my undergrad I know the feeling of pressure studying, not by choice, but understanding that I need to get as much studying done as I can before next week gets harder. If we had a tournament coming up, I would make sure I would get everything done beforehand, or if we had that awful trip to Maine coming up, I would study hard...write my exam early, and study for my classes for the following week. Med school is tough, it is a lot of work, but you have to be ready to put the time in. Period. I think people got a huge wake-up call, which is great to have now, before the island in May.

Speaking of May, starting today, Stephen and I officially have 3 months left in North York. Where did the time go? I felt as though it was November last week, and not even close to February. My program ends April 2nd, and then we leave exactly on May 1st as my orientation starts May 4th, and classes officially start May 11th. It is all happening so quickly, but I am definitely ready for it. I have tried to balance my workouts, eating healthy, and cutting the snacking, but it is hard. I have realized I need to set more time aside for "me" and really hone in on how I'm feeling. It is easy to look at all the papers in front of you and get lost in all the work you need to get done that night, but it is hard to take a step back and think: "ok, did I eat yet?" "Am I hungry?" "what time is it?" "what do I need to do RIGHT now?" "Where is Steve?"lol When you are studying, the night honestly goes way too fast, as you look up and it is already 11:00pm, Ah! weird..I just looked over and my clock and it was 11pm! Must be a sign :)

At the end of the day, the material is amazing. I do not think I would have done well on the first exam if I did not enjoy it...except Immunology, man that stuff is hard! You have to find your passion, I found mine quite later in life, but really 26 is not that late in finding what you really want to do. I enjoy people, interacting, making them better, and explaining complex material in a way where people understand what they need to do to make a healthier life change. I can NOT wait to own my own gym with Steve, have my practice set up with his office right beside mine, and using functional movements and dietary health to help overcome many illnesses that are prevalent today.

Thank you all for following my progress and checking in to see how I am doing, you all are the best. I have a quiz in the morning at 8am and the roads are supposed to be quite bad, so I better head to bed before the morning comes way too quickly!

As always, some pictures:

Mount Cook :)

Steve looking adorable. I miss that cooker!

Milford Sound 

Big fruit!

Castle hill love.

Big monuments everywhere!

Such good ice cream!

Steve's 98 year old grandma

Big apple! NZ style!