Sometimes I wish

On my way home, down the sugar cane road I couldn't help but remember that today was the last day of Sea Otter in Monterey, CA. I thought wow if I was still in the states I know exactly where I would be. . . doing the cross-country race. I looked down at my watch and it was 5 pm caribbean time or 2 pm PST. That time would put me towards the end of lap one on the cross-country course. I pretended for just a split second as if I was in the thick of it, then just like that I was back to reality. A vet student on his way home to wash off the formaldehyde smell from 8 hours of anatomy lab. That's just the way it is, Sea otter and the rest of the schedule will be there waiting for me when I get back. Speaking of back, my dog is back with his Papa. Irene was instrumental in getting my dog here. She is visiting for two weeks and so far she is having a great time relaxing. I did catch here trying to do some work though.

relax. . . . it's o.k.

That's more like it

Nicole has been enjoying have Grandma here, I just don't know how she's gonna handle it once she has to leave. That goes for Shaire too.

One fully potty trained baby

makes sense

Justin's Oddysey

This last weekend Dr. Smith invited us to the dock where he lives. It was nice to see some of our professors outside of school. I just don't think Dr. Hutchison should have should up standing soo close to the edge of the dock immediately after a test. Brandon, a classmate accidently dropped his sunglasses and phone into the marina. This of course was inevitable when one mixes water and few Caribs. Before Brandon jumped in I recall Dr. Hutch saying something about three feet of fecal sludge!

nothing will stop this drunk man

now that doesn't make sense

He got the sunglasses out but not the phone.....no mo' social life fo yu, especially wit that smell. What does make sense is all things clinical. Dr. Reich shared with us a story about his intern days at Tufts University. Hangin' out with a clinician doing ambulatory rounds from dairy to dairy they had a moment of enlightment. The clinician says to Reich: When a cow has that "far away look in its eyes"..............that's where it's goin'. One tags along with clinician expecting them to impart their wisdom upon our receptive minds. Then what happens? They come out of left field, but wait a minute it all makes sense.

As simple as it sounds it takes many years for clinicians to cue in on such subtle signs. That "look", the "posture", the "smell" a pattern. For example at Kindred Hospital I cued in on one thing. If I walked into a patient room on a ventilator and the patient had a fan blowin' right in her face this patient would be a tough wean off the ventilator. Sounds strange but the truth is that this meant the patient was psychologically dependent on this feeling of "getting lots of airflow". . . so now she can breathe. Hey whatever works. Or as a student my clinician said " use your third eye" to draw the arterial blood gas? Or later he said "I've been in respiratory care for so long that I don't need a stethescope anymore" Say what? We'll towards the end I could walk into a room and without even introducing myself understand what the patients ailments were all about. The look, the smell, the posture, that's what it's all about. Enough ramblin' off to skuhlll!

This doesn't make sense either

tick n tin

Being here has it's advantages. For one I get to ride by cross bike to school. I even get to dismount once over a drain ditch to keep my cross skills sharp. The dirt road is lined with sugarcane fields of which is becoming extinct. The only thing I have to watch out for is the naked guy running around in the cane field. Other than that I just need to stay clear of the cow pies left behind and the occasional cow grazing. Here's my commute to school.

road to education

the occasional bull I have to negotiate around

The good thing is that I'm able to understand what kittitians are actually saying to me.

Sergio: Am I safe going down this fire road here?

local: Buz boos ka bool, nek mon, doeng ting, tick rite, ya understand mon?

Sergio: uhhhh, yeah mon, sure.

Now I can say with a great degree of confidence that I actually understand atleast half of what they are saying. . . . the ear has acclimitated. Here's an example of ting (thing).

It's we own ting

what happens when you have one too many Tings

sometimes it's just better to blend in

I'm just glad the fireworks are over for now. Exams were tough and I've had to take three weeks off of doing any form of exercising. Finals are around the corner and first semester will be but a memory. They weren't kidding when they said we would learn more in first semester than in all of undergrad combined. This weekend I will go for a ride, it's been well deserved, then maybe a Stag.

Fourth of Schuuly

This next week will be a hectic week. It's sort of like the Fourth of July fireworks grand finale...everyone's going "uhhh, ahhhh", then "wooooahh". Exams will cometh one after the other non-stop until right before finals week. We have so much doggie information that I resort to doing silly things like rapping to Sharie's beat on the keyboard:

Sergio: "Yo, this is the RBC, Yeah you know me!
I hang in the blood and live on energy
glucose please, no ketones for me!"

Sharie: rolling her eyes

Hey whatever works! I'm just glad we brought that keyboard. But don't worry I'll stick to vet school then maybe I'll be a rapper after that.

Hey! This is a milestone in the Iniguez family (drum roll please): my mother emailed me for the first time ever!!! You have to understand my mama doesn't even like using the ATM! Even though itlookedlikethis I had a fun time dechipering her message. We'll have to go over the space bar next time.

My mama at my first triatlon in Palm desert, 2004

Thanks to my mother-in-law we have enough toilet paper to last us for the next two years on the rock! What can I say I had to take a break from studying!

We'll of to my Physio exam this morning. I hope putting Nicole to sleep with the sweet sounds of gluconeogenesis helped.....let the fireworks begin!

Golf course at Frigate Bay (has both an Atlantic and a Caribbean side)

Details, Details

Sometimes the details get me too!

First-year students at Oklahoma State Veterinary School were receiving their first anatomy class, with a real dead cow. They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet. The visiting OU Professor started the class by telling them, "In veterinary medicine, it is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor: The first is not to be disgusted by anything involving the animal's body. The Professor then pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the dead cow's butt, withdrew it, and stuck it in his mouth. "Go ahead and do the same thing," he told his students. The students freaked out, hesitating for several minutes; but, eventually, took turns sticking a finger in the dead cow's butt and then sticking it in their mouths. When everyone finished, the visiting OU Professor looked at them and told them, "The second most important quality is observation. I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger. Now learn to pay attention."

Compliments of my classmate Katie.

Goodnite

Shat on my Sheat

From what I've been told Ross can be divided into two era's. The pre and post A/C era's. Folk's used to be kind to each other in the pre era. Then came along the first A/C unit in rm II; 7th semester students claimed they should be lectured in rm II because they'd been there the longest! Professors crossed the line too and claimed tenure status or the like. Apparently students even used to be on time to lectures in the pre era. If you wanted the seat by the door (breeze) then you just had to show up 15 minutes beforehand. Nowadays we walk into our A/C rooms at the last second. Except now we fight for those two sheats that have extra cushioning. The rest of the seats are relatively dilapadated, in desperate need of a make-over Dr. 90210 style. Speaking of sheats here a resident gecko shat on my sheat!

And here's the culprit, the little guy was probably just doing intervals on my bike. If that's the case then I'm alright with it. Otherwise he bettah get outta my sheat!!

Speaking of intervals I did the Nevis Triathlon this weekend and was happy with my tenth place finish. It was my most consistent performance to date.

Here I'm gettin' out of the water almost last, but will soon turn it up to broil on the bike.

Meanwhile back at the ranch Nicole is studying the program intently to make sure papa is goin the right way.

No that's not a rastah braddah, it's me Sergio (just a little suntanned) about to turn up the heat on those that decided to leave me behind on the swim....no mercy!!! I tried so hard to do the 40 k in under and hour but knew here at the end of lap one that 33 minutes just wasn't gonna cut it. Still had the 2nd fastest bike split of the day though.

Nice H2O handoff. My momentum on the second leg of the run was slowed when I figured out I had to do one more lap! Race not over homie! Overall I had some good competition from surrounding islands and a well represented international crowd despite the small turnout. I figured only the strong and dedicated decided to get on a plane and invest the time to travel so far to do this small time race....lot's of top talent there was. At the end of the day I was very happy with my performance, but what made it so special was the fact that Sharie and Nicole were there to see me at the finish. We'll back to the notes on Feeding Dairy Cows....then hit the shack! Goodnite.

Chase a Chicken

Dr. Reich is hands down the best instructor I've had. He's the witty instructor teeterin and tottering between brilliancy and lunacy. I can already see it, he'll show up some day naked to class with a blank stare and a physio text book in one hand prophesizing the last days. I actually look forward to learning physiolology! Did I just say that? In my book if you can make something as boring as physiology interesting then you da man!!

Today we talked about glycolysis, the TCA cycle and mitochondria. In meat (or as we call it "tissue") mitochondria produces a distinctive brown color. Chickens have delicous white meat precisely because they lack enough mitochondria to produce a brownish color. Ducks on the other hand have greasy brownish meat because they have many of these little mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the body and when it's time to get away from Hector hunter ducks have the juice! So it makes sense that a chicken will futily fly 20 feet to escape my grip around its neck! A duck will if necessary escape to Argentina to avoid the dinner plate. So in conclusion: "Don't chase a duck, chase a chicken"! otherwise you'll go hungry....I'll always remember that!

Or you can get smart and spray em' down with this AR-15 Sharie is sporting and not have to to worry about running or mitochondria period.

This next weekend is the BIG race here on the island. It's the annual olympic distance triathlon and bunches come from surrounding islands. Since the Eddy Merck Alu Cross spins out I will hammer on Chadwicks TT bike and hopefully turn it up to broil with the 53 tooth ring. Here's the poster boy for Nevis, local star and full-time triathlete Reggie Dougles.

During the next break I will be working as a orientation leader. This involves welcoming the new students to their new life for the next 2.4 years! We aren't planning on returning to the states until Christmas vacation. Here's a list of the things I miss from the states:

Tuesday's Hogi Yogi pain with the boyz
Thursday winter night rides and being chased by the old crazy italian guy
Moss Rose bakery in Oakdale
Wilm's road east of Oakdale
Green Hill road in the Sierra Nevada foothills
Santa Ana Mtn bike trail and the Carina Boyz
Barbecues at Lomas Verdes in Redlands
Hangin' out at Cycletek and giving Ben (el pelon apestoso) a hard time
Mochi pounding at Rancheria
Wildflower & my dog

I better stop there before I start cryin' like a baby. What is frustrating now is that when I don't feel sleepy I blog, then go to bed and think of anatomy terms over and over in bed. Sergio's brain while trying to sleep: "caudal mesenteric artery, cranial mesenteric artery, caudal mesenteric artery, cranial mesenteric artery......" I'm going CRAZY!! Goodnight!

C is for Continue

It's hard when we fall short of our expectations. It happens everyday. Here in vet school it's not a matter of "if" but of "when" we will fall short. Apparently 1st semester is one of the toughest, weeding process I imagine. I was consistently doing B's then I slipped to a C. I won't deny it, it makes me nervous to be on the edge like that. Especially when I work my toosh off for a C! But here at Ross a "C" is for Continue, because D's aren't considered passing here. They purposefully raise the bar higher to make sure 2nd rate students aren't produced.

The word on the street is that Ross students hit the ground running when we join our US counterparts for semesters 7-10. Rossies' have maintained this reputation for the last 20 years! To such an extent that our current dean came here from Michigan State University where he was assistant dean of the vet school. He wanted to know what makes the Rossies' tick. The student body consist of approximately 650 students and I imagine about another 150-200 stateside doing their clinicals at one of 22 affiliated schools. Here at Ross we get alot of hands on experience.

And from what I've heard if you can pass Dr. Yaphe's and Dr. Reich's classes then you will easily pass the entrance and boarding exams. Dr. Wallace also told us today that we just had a 100% pass rate for board examinations (the pinnacle of vet med) while other schools have a 50% pass rate. We're just a different breed. Willing to risk so much, travel so far, and get in such hugh debt!

As promised here's a picture of Dr. Kainer our oldest faculty member. As Dr. Smith put it (standing next to him) we will never learn as much as Dr. Kainer will forget! Dr. Kainer is early 80's and still going strong! Back in the day I heard he was the highest placed in his class and in the 97th percentile for the national boards examinations....a bright mind!

here's our most overqualified faculty member Dr. Harowitz (on right) consulting with my adopted grandfather Dr. Berg in the background. Dr. Harowitz probably just got out of school with these degrees: DVM, PhD, JD!!!

We'll I'm glad I got an A on my last exam so now the average is a B in Histology. Well I better get to continuing. Goodnight!

Human mode

I often have to remember that I'm dealing with animals and not humans. It's hard to shake off ten years of human care. But that's exactly what I don't want to do because it's valuable experience that I got that last decade. You see as humans we often get ourselves into health problems by making poor decisions (diet, habits, stress). Animals on the other hand are more often victims of nature's anomalies, or poor human care....just plain bad luck. In lecture I find myself trying to troubleshoot my professor's question from a human perspective and that doesn't work half the time. Doggonit, I knew someone was going to try to prove me wrong!!

Well booger is a famous cat. Dr Smith has us send him pics of our pets and as you can see below booger made it on the front page of todays lecture.

Other famous pets includes Jerry who has been here at Ross for ages.

And some 7th semester students getting ready to snip snip the donkeys

here's Jerry in real life

Well I better get ready for school! Have a great day!

Lube & Tube

Ahhh.......the bike shop smell. There is only one such smell and it's the same no matter where on Earth one travels. For me it's reminiscent of good times in the IE (Inland Empire). Opening up the shop on the weekends for Jim, riding crazy miles everyday of the week, discovering new trails, breakin' bones, and hangin' out Cheer's style. Here on this tiny island called Nevis I found such a place. Lemond and Armstrong posters pinned to the walls, tubes, lube, and bone boxes. Anyhow here's the shop, nearby was the start of my first triathlon for the year.

Here's the start of the swim

Across the channel you can see St. Kitts. There were about 25 participants and I placed 4th. Next month we should have a bigger showing (about 300) because of a bigger cash prize purse ($3000). I won't deny it I'd like to place "in the money" , and of course it doesn't help that I'm competitive to begin with. Point being I would do this for fun, but it's nice to have a few Benjamin's at the end of the day.

So far we are in week 7 of 15 for the semester. I will be posting pictures of my professors as they are truly unique. I have surnames for each of them, there's Dr. Ross (been here since day one), Dr. Right (alway say "Right, Right" at end of each idea in British accent), or Dr. Homeostasis (he must have said that word a million times so far), and then Dr. right witha lower case (averages 7 "rights" per minute) in her German accent. Here's a compilation of the phoenetics of the words they are really trying to pronounce:

smooze massl = smooth muscle

razor = erasure

zis = this

vhich = which

zo pleze bring yo razor jus in kes yu need it for z tes. So does he mean we might wan't to slit our wrist once we see the test??? My favorite professor so far is Dr. Berg, he's like the grandfather I never had. We'll I better get back to z books.

Buenas noches.

Blogorite Trivia

As promised I have my first trivia question for you blogorites. Name this bird below. It is a local attraction and landmark near our home here on the Rock.

These birds like cows

Winner gets this coooolll Ross U cap

good luck!!

Yah Yah Mon

Ok, now this isn't funny anymore. Tests are starting to come left and right. It's like a bad day at the beach, pounding surf. Just enough time to get a gasp of air before the next wave comes pounding down on you. It's all good though, I can only take it one day at a time. Today I decided to take the girls out to Timothy beach for a quick break before I hit the books again for my next exam on wednesday.

Here's a pic of Mr. X's Shiggidy shack a good place for mahi mahi. The beach here is calm (caribbean side) and frequently swim with a club on sundays. Today I swam with Kelly, she's a pure swimmer and often gives me tips

Here's a typical taxi. What's cool is they customize their van with logos. This one I'm not too sure about what it means TiBu?

One I see often on my rides is "cockfighter" or "Everybody Peppin" which I imagine means everybodys beppin/honking. That's the way folks communicate here. So on my bike rides when I here em' peppin I know that means "yah-yah" I see yu mon. Basically acknowledging that he notices I'm their.

We just had to go unwind after our anatomy lab exam so we jetted off to Godfather's. Here katie is givin' Wendi a sample of her pringle breath.

afterwards some played volleyball

This next weekend I will be doing the first of three races I'll be doing for the WHOLE year! This one is on Nevis (30 min ferry ride) and is a sprint triathlon. I was surprised to find out that they have a bicycle club on Nevis: http://www.neviscycleclub.com/.

I believe in June they will have the "Nevis King of the Road" race and I'm looking forward to my one and only road race! Just imagine we will be doing a 50 mile road race on an island with a 9 mile loop. Here on St. Kitts I do the loop in 1hr 45minutes. Hey but I'm not complaining anythings better than the trainer.

Well back to the books!

Oh, almost forgot I will be having a monthly trivia with prizes for you bloggerites!

Later,

Serg

Tears of Fear

Boy I get nervous checking my grades now after seeing classmates in tears. That's the way I gauge how bad the test was....ahh, only one crying this time, not bad. I didn't want to check today until after I studied Stag's thorax for thursdays lab exam #2. I could feel the fear in the air. But I know myself; if I get slammed with bad news I won't want to study anymore..atleast for the rest of the day. I did good so I studied the thorax.

Here's Juli, she keeps us boys in line at school

Here I am taking a breather before class (no I don't smoke)

I found a fellow roadie Chadwick from Manhattan. Apparently he held some form of director role for Colavita Pro Cycling Team. He's great to have because we keep each other company on the same and only loop we ride around the Island. The only option we have is to either go clockwise or counter-clockwise on the ride. Since he's third semester he gave me first semester notes and old test....he rocksss! When I can I ride out to Turtle beach which is an out and back ride to the south east tip. Chad doesn't like to do this ride because all the drunks use the one and only road to weave back home.

Turtle beach here with my hydration needs met after a hot ride

Well I better get to crackin' because I don't want to be cryin' Thanks for reading and drop me an email sometime: voyalcaminero@yahoo.com

Big 3-0

Yesterday we celebrated Sharie's 30th birthday. We had dinner with a bunch of friends at Bobsy's. The way it works here is that if you want to eat dinner at 7 pm you need to be sitting down and ordering by 5:30pm. Wendy from down the street made Sharie a lemon sort of cake. Afterwards I took Sharie out on the dance floor for some dancin'. This is probably the only vet school where you will most likely run into professors (sometimes tipsy) at a restaurant and be out on the dance floor. Then on monday he will single you out drill you with histo questions and tell everyone how silly you looked dancin'. Here we are dancin' amongst some professors at Bobsy's.

So far my exams have been going good. I feel like competitive at times with my classmates and grades. However, I have to remind myself that grades alone do not make for a great veterinarian. The professors are truly characters here at Ross. We get all sorts and I truly enjoy each of their quirks.

Nicole has been happy with the chicken here; luckily they have alot of it. I often wonder what happens to the white chicken meat though because I've never come across any.

Here Sharie is on her way to learning the British way of doing things on the road. She did pretty good, but everyone falls for the wiper blade instead of the turn signal before turning.

Afterwards we relaxed at the "Stair way by the Sea" at Ross University campus. Sometimes I'll have lunch here: