Medical School on the island of Grenada
(SGU):
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
I love St. George’s University (SGU) like I love health
insurance. I need it, but I hate it. SGU is giving MY husband (who applied for
years and years to get into medical school in the States) the opportunity to
fulfill his dream of becoming a physician!!! But sometimes? This school DRIVES
ME NUTS!!!! The Mr. just needed to catch a break when it came to applying for
medical schools, and SGU was the school that finally gave him one, and we will
forever be grateful for it!
I think medical school in general is a phenomenon that is a
mystery. No one really seems to know anything about it unless they’ve been
through it. Medical school also seems to invoke a lot of questions, but then
tack on the fact that we’re doing it in the Caribbean??? I think it stimulates
even more. And although this list will not be all-encompassing, it’ll give you
a pretty good idea of what medical school is like in the Caribbean. Well, in
Grenada, at least.
*Disclaimer – I’ve
been here two years without leaving the island, and know the ins and outs of Grenada
PRETTY well (it’s not very big); however, these experiences are my own, and
anyone else you talk to may have something completely different to say.
The Good
The Island
·
Hello???!!! It’s a Caribbean Island.
·
Grenada is absolutely beautiful!
·
The UNIVERSITY CLUB POOL!!! (Every Monday and
Thursday).
·
The people are friendly and warm.
·
There are so many things to see and do (and the
best part of it all??? Most of it is FREE!!!!)! Beaches, waterfalls, pools, forts,
snorkeling, boat rides, steel drum bands, CRAB RACES!! (yes… that’s really what
I wrote), hiking, tide pools, and watching leatherback sea turtles lay eggs… to
name a few.
·
The weather… aaaaahhhhh…. The weather….
·
Sunsets
·
The tropical fruit truly is divine, and if you
like fish? There’s nothing better.
·
I feel very safe. Most of the crime that occurs
here is theft, and people are VERY respectful of mothers and children.
·
Our house is nice, and a good value for the
location.
·
It provides adventure for the adventurous soul!
·
During school breaks? It’s kind of like you have
a FREE Caribbean vacation! (Because you’re already here)! :D
·
Life is more relaxed and moves slower.
·
There are a TON of VOLUNTEER opportunities with
local charities, orphanages, and school programs.
The Social Life
·
SGU is one of the only schools that has a
“Significant Other (SO) Organization.” Anyone who is a spouse, partner, child,
etc… can join the SO Organization (for a small fee), and participate in any of
the socials and activities. Everyone is so nice!!!! And you all understand each
other, because you’re all going through the same thing.
·
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, there IS a branch located on the island, with a real (tiny)
church building, with a HIGH student/student family population in the branch
(at least for the time being).
·
The night life is fun, but can be expensive
(depending on what you want to do). I’m not a “show up at a bar or party” type
of a girl, so my night life consists of eating out at resort-style restaurants.
It costs more money, but it SURE IS FUN!
The School
·
The campus is beautiful, well-kept, and on one
of the most gorgeous peninsulas on the island.
·
SGU has high expectations from their students
(good thing for a Caribbean school reputation).
·
And last but NOT least!!! My husband is going to
be a REAL DOCTOR when all is said and done!!!!! (Yes… a real doctor. It’s sad
that I have to clarify, but you have no idea how many people actually think
that his education won’t “count” because it was done on an island. But yes, he
will still be taking the same boards every other physician has to take if
he/she wants to practice in America).
The Bad
The Island
·
Even Paradise gets old when you’re here long
enough. Island fever is real. A 132 square mile island. You can only go to the
same beaches, pools and waterfalls so many times. It’s like being stuck on
vacation. Sure… it sounds nice now, but you know you’re always excited to be
“home” once the vacation is over. Most students go home during the summer and
winter breaks. My family has not left since we moved here almost two years ago!
(Until tomorrow! We’re vacationing to ANOTHER island)!
·
Island hopping is NOT cheap! You’d think it
would be. It’s not.
·
Grenada is a third-world, developing country. In
the words of my brother-in-law, “I didn’t know people really lived like this!”
It wasn’t much of a culture shock for me, but I understand that many people
experience quite the surprise!
·
Food is EXPENSIVE!!!! Milk is 6 U.S. dollars a
gallon, a 1 lb package of strawberries is 8 U.S. dollars. Apples are priced PER
APPLE, not per pound. I used to spend anywhere from 200-400 U.S. dollars a
month on groceries (family of 5), and now I spend anywhere from 800-1,000
U.S.!!!
·
Meat and cheese prices are outrageous, so we eat
a lot of shredded chicken (and add beans) to stretch it out a little.
·
Groceries do not go on sale, so you can kiss the
couponing goodbye! BUT… every once in awhile, the yogurt will be expiring “tomorrow”…
and then you can get a KILLER deal!
·
On average, the grocery store will only carry about
¾ of the ingredients I need for my recipes. I’ve learned to adapt and modify
recipes VERY well, and you can kiss your menu-making goodbye!
·
Luxuries (things you wouldn’t even CLASSIFY as a
luxury) are GONE! Carpet, soft toilet paper, good tasting water, a dishwasher,
a dryer, variety of food, inexpensive restaurants, fast food on every corner
(not that I condone eating at them all the time!), Walmart, Costco, 24 hour
DRIVE-THRU pharmacies, customer service, quick service, medical care, to name a
few…
·
I once went to a Taco Bell in America that ran
out of meat. WHAT???!!! That’s UNHEARD of! Not
here. (And no… there’s no Taco Bell)…
·
Mosquitos and bugs.
·
The weather is beautiful (in the Winter) but it
provides you with an odd sense of a time warp. You never know what month it is,
and Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas.
·
The summer months are HOT and HUMID! Pretty
miserable. Most homes do not have central A/C, but a wall unit in the bedrooms
that will cost you about 200 U.S. dollars a month if you run it a total of 6
hours a day. YIKES!
·
Obtaining a work permit on the island is VERY
difficult, so if you are a Significant Other looking for work, this is not
going to be a good place to find it. Remember, though! Lots of volunteer
opportunities!
·
The island is NOT stroller friendly, and not
biking friendly. There are not soccer or baseball, etc. leagues for little
kids. Elementary and Secondary schools are high priced for a mediocre
education, and there are not “parks” to play in. Basically, if your child
doesn’t like to swim, you’re screwed.
The Social Life
·
If you think it’s hard to get away from people
you don’t like now, try to avoid them when you live on a little island. It ain’t
easy.
·
Want to throw a party? Better make sure you
invite EVERYONE or someone’s gonna get hurt.
·
If you are a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, be prepared to serve A LOT! The local members are
the sweetest and most humble members I’ve ever met, but they still do not
understand what it means to hold a calling, and they live on West Indian time.
They will most likely be late (if they show up at all) and unprepared. Hence,
the majority of the responsibility will fall on your shoulders to get classes
started, to teach, etc… (whether it’s your job or not). Both my husband and I
hold pretty time-consuming callings.
The School
·
Just because it’s a Caribbean school, doesn’t make
it a party school. In fact, it’s
quite the opposite. Caribbean schools have something to prove, a stigma against
them, and in the attempt to rid themselves of such, they must put their
students through the “Ring of Fire” AND the “Gauntlet,” all while the American
Gladiators are chucking things at you, too. Did I paint that picture well
enough for you? J (But
don’t get me wrong, medical school is hard EVERYWHERE, not just here).
·
It is advised that the Caribbean Medical School
student scores an average of 10 points higher on their board exams than any US
Med School student in order to look competitive. Sounds kinda unfair to me.
AND… THE UGLY....
The Island
·
I finally know what it means to be a minority.
It sucks. It sounds so cliché, but I really do get treated differently because
of the color of my skin, and I HATE it! I get looked at like I don’t belong, I
get charged higher prices, I get whistled and hissed at, the list goes on. I
HATE RACISM! * But learn their names, and they’ll start to remember you. ;)
The Social Life
·
If there’s REAL drama (which there shouldn’t be
because we’re all adults), but if there is… It is NOT a pretty sight. Too close
of quarters, and a lot of people stuck in the middle.
The School
·
SGU’s class sizes are just getting bigger and
bigger. The Mr. started in a class size of around 600. In just two years, the
entering class jumped up to 800!!!!
·
RUMOR has it that there are only 500 or so
clinical spots available to 3rd year SGU students. RUMOR has it that
the school PURPOSELY fails out the necessary amount of students in order to get
the class down to the right number by the end of the first two years; thus,
robbing the “failing” students of hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time
they get “dismissed.”
o I
cannot emphasize RUMOR enough.
o I
have heard from a reliable source that this is false, and that the school has
plenty of clinical spots available. (But really? Who would admit to this
unethical practice?)
o I’m
just saying it’s pretty ironic that the number just so “happens” to be around
500 students every single time the last semester begins.
·
The cheating at this school is RAMPANT!
o Old
exams are passed around like they’re candy. My husband refuses to participate
because it’s CHEATING!
o About
80% of the current exam questions come from old exams. That’s a FREE 80%, from
no work of your own!
o And
then, there’s my husband who continues to keep his eyes on his own paper and do
his own work, and yet, his 70% will be compared to the 85% the other students
are “earning.” It doesn’t seem fair to me.
o Some
people may call him stupid. I call him a man who has integrity.
The Conclusion:
Alright, if
you were to look at this list alone, you would think that I hated the island and
the school! THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL! I love it here! I tear up thinking
about the day that I have to leave. I don’t witness the things on the negative
list more than 3 or 4 times a week, but I do witness most everything on the
positive list almost every minute of every day.
Sure, things drive me nuts, and
sure, I’m going a little stir crazy, but the fact is… Grenada helped shape the
person I have become (as well as our family). My children now leap for joy when
we have fresh milk in the fridge. Their Santa wish lists consisted of 4 or 5
things… LITTLE things. They scream with excitement for a bag of popcorn. I’m so
proud to say they are mine.
I’m so grateful we have had the
opportunity to live in Grenada. A place where supply is limited, but gratitude
is high. A place where children are not spoiled from their world that is full
of plenty. A place that puts life into perspective, and helps you remember the
more important things in life.
Even amongst all of the “bad and uglies,”
and knowing what I know now, I can honestly say, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
<3…
Signing off
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