Medical school student in da house!

I've mentioned before that Nick is currently taking a class commonly referred to as CPD, which stands for Communication Skills and Physical Diagnosis.  This class is interesting because it actually allows the students to start learning and practicing basic physical exams, assessments, and evaluations on each other and (paid actor) patients..... and in our case... Nick gets to practice on me.

For the past several evenings Nick has come home from studying on campus a couple hours early, and our house has turned into Dr. Leo's medical office. He runs through these general assessments- obtaining vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature), checks for jugular venous pressure and pulsation, checks peripheral vascular system (using tests such as: Allen’s test, Buerger’s test, a manual compression test,  Pratt test and Homan sign), does examinations on the ear, nose, and sinuses (using tests such as the Whisper test and sinus transillumination).... you get the idea. Lots of fun, real life doctor stuff- with real doctor tools. He continues to impress me with his ever growing knowledge and seeing him apply it is fun... plus, it appears that according to these tests, other than needing stronger contact lenses (sad day when you fail a vision test that is supposed to just be for practice) I appear to be healthy and regularly functioning!

So, while seeing him act all professional is all super fun and cute, when he announced he was coming home to test out some skills on me the other night- more specifically the ears/nose/throat skills, I was a little less than enthused... see, I am currently battling a cold. Awesome. It's already a little weird to spend my night having my fiance looking up my nose or in my ears- let alone on a night when I am a bit under the weather... But, he is going to be quizzed on these assessments soon, so in true medical school spirit, the exams went on! Weird or not, a passing grade is definitely more important than him not being prepared due to the possibility of wax in my ears or boogers in my nose.

Yep, getting married to a doctor-in-training sure is a romantic.

Operation Grenada Child- Bringing Santa to Grenada

"There is a spirit in the world of generosity- 

That brings good things to all of us, whoever we may be

 So I believe in Santa Claus, for it can't be denied- That he is generosity personified.

 Yes, there is a Santa Claus for children everywhere- 

Though you may watch the chimney tops and never see him there.

People say his magic sleigh flies in the sky above- 

But you might find it anywhere you find unselfish love.

Oh, yes, he really does exist- And Santa Claus will live!

As long as hearts can realize- How good it feels to give.

So when you are feeling blue- Keep up your hopes, because...

 If there is kindness in this world- There is a Santa Claus!"

-Martha Cratchit, in "The Stingiest Man in Town" 

Childhood memories at Christmas are really hard to remember without Santa. We would write him letters asking for the newest and coolest toy, doll, tamagotchi, or whatever the must-have item of the year was that was coming out. And if our minds changed before Christmas- the panic that Santa might not know, lead to another URGENT letter being sent to clarify the new request.

But imagine, growing up, and from as young as 2-3 years old not having a Santa. Not having that excitement each Christmas morning, and not getting presents- big or small.  That's how the memories of Christmas are for many of the Children here in Grenada. When we talk to them about Christmas, there is very little mention of Santa, or presents, or anything that most of us, as children, associated with Christmas. I was actually talking to one of the "older" girls about how I was getting married at Christmastime and so I would be going home to Michigan to celebrate the holiday with my family and little brothers. She immediately asked how only my brothers were and when I told her they were just a little younger than her, she responded "that's good you are going to see them, Miss, ... Santa doesn't come here." I could have cried and honestly didn't even really know how to respond.

While the purpose of Christmas is not about gifts, how do you explain to a 9 year old that Santa and presents happen to some children throughout the world and not others? And although she didn't seem overly sad and it is a normal thing to her, it was the vast line that was drawn between her and children (like my brothers) at her age that really killed me. I hate how grown up and aware of discrepancies they are at 8,9,10 years old. And I hate that some kids get presents and some don't.

However, this year some SGU SOs- both here in Grenada and those already back in the States, have decided to make sure that Santa does indeed visit Grenada this Christmas. They have started a project called "Operation Grenada Child." The idea is a simple one. For $20 or less, you can create a shoebox that will be shipped to Grenada for a Limes child. It doesn't have to be anything super fancy, these kids get excited over simple things like pencil sharpeners! If you don't personally want to shop for the gifts, there is also the option to assist with shipping the boxes to Grenada- which is equally as helpful as the shoe-boxes themselves.

For more information, or to sign up to send a box follow THIS LINK.

Thanks for helping us put smiles on these sweet children's faces!  

And in the words of Tiny Tim... "God bless us, every one"

Long over-do for an update!

Yikes! I've been a major slacker on the blogging lately!

Honestly, that is because 4th term is the same thing just about every day. Nick continues to leave around 7:30am each day and returns somewhere between 10-midnight. It's busy. It's stressful. It's exhausting. It's all work, and no play. His next set of exams are in a couple weeks, so send him extra positive vibes as the intensity is upped (if that is even possible) over these next couple weeks :)

As for me, I've also pretty much gone into hibernation mode. My days pretty much consist of the normal house chores, wedding planning, and studying for my board exam. With my board exam right around the corner, I've sadly started to have to prioritize my time a bit differently. I still volunteer a couple days a week, but not every day. Although being with the kids is A LOT more fun and honestly a lot more hands on social working experience... this girl needs to pass the multiple choice board exam in December! Wish me luck... I will be needing it. After a year off from school, I have become the worst student ever. I'd rather watch paint dry than hammer out over this material all day. But, I am slowly getting back into a groove.

A few fun things from the past week or so:
IEA (the school's honor society) put on a dodge ball tournament 2 Friday's ago, and Nick's football team played in it. It was really fun and SO great to see them all letting loose... and not to mention relieving some stress by hurling balls at the other teams head for several hours! His team did awesome and made it all the way to the finals, but unfortunately could not pull off the championship win. Still all in all a great night! It was awesome to see Nick out there having such a good time, and to actually get to see him/spend a little time with him for the first time in several weeks!

Two of our volunteers, Miss Taylor and Miss Katie, at LIMES used to be cheerleaders, so they brushed off their cheer-leading caps and introduced the Limes kids to cheering! One day was spent making pom-poms, which was so much fun! They made them by cutting up garbage bags, which I thought was so creative! The kids absolutely loved it and were so focused and serious about making them. The next day Taylor and Katie taught them a cheer that they performed at the end of class. Talk about cuteness! All the girls (plus Jade) got so into it... these kids crack me up!

Was chatting with Jada at Limes last week and she holds my hand and says "Miss, yo hands big." I responded with something like "yep, they sure are big next to your little ones aren't they?" To which she said, "No. They aren't big next to mine. They are big to hold onto mine." You couldn't be more right Jada- girl, that is exactly why my hands are so big  :) It's little moment like those that just absolutely melt my heart and make my entire week!

Although our internet has been strugglin' really hardcore recently, I've still been able to stream all the exciting sports games :) Both Nick and I have been proudly wearing our Detroit gear and our neighbors wonder who the crazy girl is screaming at her computer for every Tigers baseball game and Lions football game. Man, Detroit sports sure like to make their fans sweat! Needless to say, took a lengthy study break yesterday to watch both the Lions and Tigers bring home victories :)

And just because they have been so beautiful, here are a few pictures of sunsets recently!