Author: Benji Ho

Towards the end of last semester, I adopted a baby cat named Haiku. A good friend of mine found her abandoned along with three other stray kittens outside of Cupecoy Market. Since I felt it’d be nice to have a little furry friend in my otherwise lonely apartment, I took her in, and she has been my roommate ever since.… Continue reading

About: Lucas Bay is a very shallow bay with a few islands and sandbars just barely rising out of the shallow waters. The knee-deep water makes it a great trip to wade to the different islands in the bay. There are tons of sea urchins, star fish, hermit crabs, conchs, and other wildlife in the water, and you can easily pick them up in their natural habitat. Amazing! Highlights: Finding and picking up starfish and sea urchins in their natural habitats... no need to go visit a zoo! wading across the water to nearby islands, finding conch shells on the beach, watching people doing flips on their kite surfs. Continue reading

As Irene and I were driving around the French side after our diving session, we saw a lot of banners and advertisements for a festival in Cul-de-Sac. After seeing the several banners on the side of the road, Irene and I chuckled as we found the name so simple and straight to the point of what the festival was celebrating.… Continue reading

About: Loterie Farms on the French side is THE place to go zip lining on the island. From the top of the mountain, you zip across the valley from mountain to mountain, and walk above the trees on obstacle courses, until you reach the bottom. I highly recommend doing the Extreme Zip Lining. The other, more basic one doesn't take you up the mountain. Highlights: Speeding across the valley, tens of hundreds of feet above the treetops, Seeing an awesome view of St. Martin, Possibly see a monkey, Finishing the day with a good meal at Hidden Forest Cafe in Loterie Farms. Continue reading

About: Porto Cupecoy is a condo/yacht club/shopping/restaurant development in Cupecoy, on the western border of Dutch St. Maarten. You can drive or take the water taxi over for dinner here. The Blue Mall, which will open October 2011, will be a five-story upscale shopping mall. It will be the largest indoor shopping mall on the island. Highlights: Shopping, Eating at one of the fine restaurants, gelato, watching the beautiful yachts up close. Continue reading

About: Pinel Island is a small island off the coast of St. Martin. It is uninhabited and a getaway of a getaway. Ferries leave from Cul de Sac every half hour for $7 round trip. The last ferry returns to mainland St. Martin at 4pm. Highlights: Relaxing on the beautiful beach all day with a great view of St. Martin in the foreground. Checking out some of the restaurants and beach bar, snorkeling and more snorkeling, hiking the little island, checking out some of the shops. Continue reading

Now that all final exams are finished and I received all my grades back, I can now officially say that I am a third semester student! Second semester has been a tough one for me, hence I have been blogging much less than before. People say the second semester third block is when “med school truly begins,” and I find… Continue reading

The Van Wormer Student Judiciary Committee (SJC) is a student organization consisting of a body of selected students who mediate student judiciary cases as well as host workshops in ethics and academic honesty. Usually when there is a conflict between students or if the honor code has been breached by a student, the student(s) first appear in front of SJC… Continue reading

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for reading Diary of a Caribbean Med Student. Ever since I started this blog nine months ago, the site has expanded and the design has changed drastically. The number of visitors are ever increasing, and come from all over the world. According to Google Analytics, most of you come from the United States, followed by… Continue reading

This semester, I’ve really enjoyed being a TA in anatomy lab, assisting students in the learning process and at the same time reviewing the material myself and getting more opportunities in working with the cadavers. I’ve spent 28 extra hours so far in the lab this semester, and I’ve learned from the head TA’s how to do a craniotomy, expose… Continue reading

One thing I love about AUC is how involved the students are in giving back to the community. We are all here as guests on this island, and the least we can do is give back to the people who host us. There are numerous community outreach opportunities here, all organized and run by students. Yesterday morning, I participated in… Continue reading

Most new students coming to AUC are traveling thousands of miles away from home to study in a foreign country that they probably have never been to. For some, this may even be their first time stepping outside their country and their culture. What will it be like there? Will I be used to life as a med student? Would… Continue reading

I’ve been meaning to write a post about last Friday’s AUC’s Got Talent but had been so busy this week (and mesmerized by Thế and Carlina’s voices) that I hadn’t had the chance. This is the second year that the Diversity council has held the show, as the culminating event to AUC Culture Week. The talent show helped raise $2700… Continue reading

Everyday at AUC, there is always something selling in the Rotunda, whether it is ear plugs by the Diversity Council, Chips and Drinks by BGLAM, Shwarmas by SNMA, fruit smoothies by CMDA, or Sunday bake sales by the AUC Spouses Organization. Three weeks ago, my class, the second semester, adopted Wrap Wednesdays as our fund-raising plan, used by the current… Continue reading

About: St. Barths is a French island just 40 minutes away from St. Maarten on the high-speed ferry. It is the only place in the Americas that was once a Swedish colony, and many Swedish elements still remain on the island. The island and its villages are beautiful, clean, and have lots of character. Beware though.. the island is very expensive, more so than St. Maarten. Highlights: Relaxing on the St. Barth's most famous beach: St. Jean Beach, Exploring the island by car or moped, Submerge yourself in shells at Shell Beach, Explore some of the old forts, like Fort Carl, admiring the vernacular Swedish and French architecture of Gustavia. If you're rich enough, hang out and have lunch at Nikki Beach, located on St. Jean Beach. Continue reading

When I was a premed student, I had always pictured med school as an environment where students walk around in white coats, going to seminars and listening to guest speakers presenting their research and case studies. Ever since coming to AUC, although there hasn’t been many people walking around in white coats all the time, there has been many presentations,… Continue reading

Today we start learning how to act like doctors. After nearly two semesters of seeing nothing but the academic side of medicine, we are finally moving into the social aspect of the practice and art of medicine. Here in Introduction to Clinical Medicine class, we’re going to start learning how to talk to patients, how to get information from patient… Continue reading

It’s Culture Week at AUC! Block 3 is over and it’s not another four weeks until the next set of exams. This week will be very fun. AUC’s Diversity Council every year around this time puts up an “AUC Culture Week” in which the student organizations on campus host events that celebrates cultural diversity and medicine. Here are some cultural… Continue reading