About Me

We are the student pharmacists, pharmacists, and staff selected to participate in the yearly International Dominica Pharmacy Rotation offered. We hope you enjoy reading and sharing our adventures. If you are interested in learning more - contact us at abronsdominicarotation@gmail.com

Monday, August 19, 2013

Dear Future Dominican Rotation Students...

      I think one of most important things to think about when you're preparing for Dominica is actually mental preparation.  Yes, it's a completely different terrain from either Iowa or New York so you'll need to be in pretty good shape to keep up with the rigorous exercise associated with the activities, but I think the bigger thing is just to mentally prepare.  Chances are, Dominica is completely different than anything you've done before. It's not a vacation where you deal with the heat and rain for a few days and then leave, you are here long enough to have to adapt.  
      Bring your raincoat and put pretty much everything in ziploc bags - especially electronics.  Make sure the majority of your clothes are dry fit material because you will sweat... a lot. Bring 4-6 nice outfits for clinic days, but otherwise pack workout clothes.  We had a small bottle of laundry detergent to wash our clothes and brought a clothes line that we put up in our cabin to dry things out.  It is essential that you take care of your feet!! Test out your water shoes before hand to make sure they are comfortable to wear pretty much 24/7.  I got water tennis shoes make by Columbia Sportswear and they worked perfectly for me.  Along the trails, especially in the rain, some of the girls were getting rocks and twigs stuck in their Keens and had to keep stopping to dig them out since they aren't enclosed shoes.  
      Mentally prepare for the physical challenge of the rotation.  No matter how much you work out before hand, you are going to be pushed to your limits as far as what you can physically handle.  If you've got a positive attitude saying you're going to take on each challenge as it comes, you're likely to get through each one and learn a lot from it.  Do yoga in the mornings if you can.  Not only does it help stretch out sore muscles, but it gets you moving and gives you a little more energy to kick start your long days! 
      Have an open mind when learning about the herbals and natural remedies.  The people have a lot of knowledge that they're eager to share, so make sure you ask a lot of questions!  If you're like me, you might struggle to understand them at first, so make sure you pay attention, listen hard, and try to rephrase things if it seems like they didn't understand what you said.  I know we are told natural remedies are inferior to Westernized medicine in school, but these people use it all the time and seem to really benefit from it so try to push all the judgments aside and really learn from them and embrace their culture as much as you can!  
      Go outside of your box and try new things, especially regarding the food.  Everything is so fresh and delicious.  If you don't eat fish, try mahi mahi first... they told me it was the "gateway fish" :)
      One more note about living things... get used to things that crawl.  There are geicos everywhere and you'll see crabs, lizards, snails and other little things around your cabin.. Nothing will bother you, but there are nets above your bed if it makes you feel more comfortable.  I never used mine.  Just give them a name and make them your pets.  
      As always, if there's something you aren't comfortable doing, that's okay, but really try to push yourself if you can!! You will learn just as much about yourself in Dominica as you do about plants and natural medicine.  Lean on the other students when you need to.  You're a team, going through the same things together.  You'll become really good friends in a few short weeks, and sharing this experience will be something you'll always take with you!  Congrats on being selected, I hope you have a great experience in Dominica! 

Megan Schwartz 
University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
PharmD Candidate 2014

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