Final four.

Tomorrow kicks off my last four weeks on island. I'm having mixed emotions. I'm glad to be going home - to my husband, my family, the convenience of American living. But I am going to miss this place, my apartment that's become home, and most importantly the people that I've grown incredibly close to in such a short time. Our class is planning a number of one-last-hurrahs in the days following finals; catamaran trips, rum runs, days at the beach, dinners. We're kind of having trouble letting go.

I sold my car the other day to a first semester. I'll leave the keys with Student Services and she'll get them when she gets back from semester break and sends me the rest of the money.

I neutered a dog on Thursday. Neuters are the fastest, easiest surgeries ever. I can do like five in the time it takes me to do one spay. The neuter was for my small animal surgery rotation. A board certified surgeon watches everything you do and evaluates your skills. Dr. Betance told me that my technical skills (cutting, ligating, suturing) "exceed expectations" and that I have "excellent knots." I'm pretty happy with that. The thing is, as 7th semester Rossies, by this point between the ROSSie exam in 6th and all of the surgery labs that we have in 7th, the expectation is that we are, at the very least, proficient surgeons. If Dr. Betance (a known perfectionist) thinks that my skills exceed that expectation, that's pretty awesome.

Today I'm going to the Marriott spa with three of my best girl friends to have a day of relaxation that we all desperately need. Surgeries and exams are over for the semester until finals. We need to recoup and unwind a bit.