School

To address inquiring minds...everything about school, but you were afraid to ask (although some have) :

School is primarily located at one building for class, one building for anatomy and one building for administration, library and the testing center. I live near and spend most of my time at the classroom building. With A/C, water, bathrooms, large rooms with desks and high speed Internet, it is the location of choice for me and many others. It is where we spend most of our time during the week. It is the location where our white coat and orientation ceremonies were held and only one block from my apartment.

This building, called Suarez, is at the top of "cardiac hill" coming up from town and has patio with snack bar down stairs and classrooms and faculty office upstairs. The classrooms are comfortable (especially with the small class we have this term) and has full electronic classroom capability with everything we need for daily class. The podiums are fully electronic and have microphone, computer, project capability and Internet for faculty access and projection.  It has a great view of the Quill behind us, and the harbor (Caribbean side of the island) in front. Best of all, it is connected to a generator in the absence of provided power. This has helped on more than one occasion already.

Anatomy lab is held in a separate building with storage for the cadavers and dissection stations for testing. It is likewise air-conditioned and secure. It does not have a generator however, and can be stifling when the electricity goes out (and it has in the middle of class). We spend two-three days a week there as we navigate the systems and subsystems of the human body.  It is  located near downtown, and next door to a grocery store, and an outdoor restaurant & bar (Statia zoning at it's best). The bar is the yellow and white fence. The parking lot of the lab is often the location of local parties, drinking and frivolity spill over from the bar. But it is a fine place to learn and access to cadavers is always a special experience for students. I am resigned to watch others handle the formalin soaked contents. Done that...been there.

Lastly is the Administration, library and testing center. I have recently become all too familiar with the computer testing lab utilizing LXR testing software for our first battery of exams. Upstairs is the Hyperbaric Medicine offices and all the administrative offices for the school. The library, study hall, and testing center are downstairs.

The library is just ok, but a good place to study. I've checked out books from there, but with the world of the Internet, hard libraries are increasingly becoming unnecessary and moot. I have no less access to quality texts and evidence based literature than any medical student in the world. One of the advantages of waiting until now to go to medical school is the Internet. I can't imagine organizing the content, research, reference and dissemination of information before the Internet. For medicine, it is not longer a luxury; It is mandatory

That is school. Three buildings, one island and about 200 students, faculty and staff. It is, for the next two years, home in more ways than one. At times it is my living room and, hopefully, always a friend.