Still feels like camp. Not, to scare you, in a sense of heavy mosquitos (I'm told that's during the wet season), flashlights, no power, that sort of thing... but in a sense of "Okay campers, today we register, and tomorrow we get to take a historic tour of the island's capital AND go on a nature hike!"
Not that it's patronizing; it just doesn't feel like med school... well, looking at the histo slides kind of felt like med school.
But my activities today consisted of wandering around trying to get into the Prague selective, which is completely full, as I was desperately hoping it wasn't, with 80 people on the waitlist. Sigh. So now I need new plans for the summer. Costa Rica, anyone? I may just go to Europe anyway. Hell with em!
After that, we went on a bus adventure after my parents arrived, because I wanted them to stop getting ripped off by the taxis, because the buses certainly DO go near the Rex Grenadian.
The bus system around here is interesting. I'm not used to the driving on the left format, so I embrace the invincibility of youth and remind myself that I can't die. Actually, I feel quite safe in the hands of the experienced, beep-happy drivers, but there's no way I'm negotiating this stuff myself, at least not for a while.
Took the SGU bus (Freeeeeeeee) near Spiceland Mall (didn't go in yet though) and caught a city bus (known to many as reggae buses) to the Rex, just in time to discover that we'd missed lunch and had to order room service. In the meantime, J'Leise and I (my parents adopted my roommate until her mom gets here, thus spreading their meddling, er...loving on two unsuspecting females) went swimming down at a beach that had the complete package of white sandy beach, palm trees gently swaying in the breeze and tropical blue water. Ah, med school.
Until biochem hits me like a load of, I don't know, amino acids. Bad simile.
We took the buses back and I chose that time to go back to my room and crash. I also discovered the cause of the air conditioner malfunction, namely, user idiocy. You see, I had some of my parents belongings thrown into a small suitcase where it got mixed in with mine. In it, I included a small device that I couldn't identify so I figured it was one of their gadgets.
Apparently air conditioners in the dorm have REMOTES. Who knew? Fortunately, when my mom pulled it out of the bag while we were at the hotel and said "what's this?", J'Leise said "Hey!"
So.... air conditioning! Hooray! But it drips, so I'm going to continue holding onto my self-righteous indignation, because it helps me sleep at night, though not as well as sweet cold air.
Since I had my student ID, which you need to go anywhere, I scoped out the gym. VERY nice. Punching bag, speed bag, free weights, cardio machines, a bunch of machines on the other side that I didn't check out, yoga mats, regular exercise mats, benches, and those giant rubber balls like you used to throw around the pool as a kid which now inexplicably involve exercise and cost twenty bucks (US).
The equipment is pretty worn, so I suppose if you're used to sparkly pro gyms, it would simply be functional, but not great. For a child of apartment gyms, it's frigging exercise mecca.
Oh, for the room pictures, this is what SGU describes as a double kitchenette:
Home sweet Caribbean home. Seriously though, one could do a lot worse, particularly considering UCD was having to pack three students per room due to some planning snafus. The view is awesome and now fully appreciated... our shade was broken, and thanks to some wonderful advice from several packing lists, duct tape now keeps our window proudly open. Wahoo!
Lights out, campers!
