Our Favorite Eateries

Med students eat...A LOT. Healthy vs unhealthy. Who cares when you're burning calories while mentally exercising? I lift weights with my mind, baybay!!!
Like most students nowadays, I was faced with a great challenge: 1) how to get ready-made food, and not necessarily fast food.2) how to get good food that won't put holes in my pocket. I'd already tried the mass-cooking during wknds and quick snack-making options, and they didn't work. I mean try adding an extra task to your already super-loaded 24hours. Good luck with that!!!
Although feeding oneself isn't exactly what some people'd consider extra, I prefered to indulge in the 21st century where food-making is rather optional or replaced by a fee in a convenient location called a restaurant. And plenty of restaurants we had on that island. Here's a list:
In general, the further you got away from campus the more affordable the places

1) Thai Savannah-Def one of my favs
Location: Atlantis Casino, Cupecoy
Mos def: Pad thai, pad ki mao, in fact, the whole menu, Pierre the awesome and overwhelmingly French waiter. When I walked in, they would all shout ''Anitaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'' and start dancing. Loved those guys

Thai Savannah

2) Sugar Cane Cafe  (1st place I went to)

Location: Atlantis Casino, 3 min from campus

Mos def: good breakfast menu, cobb salad, super close to Mullet Bay so after a heavy meal, where else to experience your food coma?

3) Bibi's- Local restaurant
Location: 1 min from campus
Mos def: affordable prices and food that hit the spot (bbq ribs & mac salad, bbq chicken), live music from Dengue & the Fevers

4) Topper's
Location: Simpson Bay, 10 min from campus
Mos def: Best beef brisket!!!

Bamboo Bernie's

5) Bamboo Bernie's
Location: Maho Plaza, 5 min away
Mos def: Best sushi on the island, interesting decor, and located across from Tantra lounge, the place to be on Saturday night

6) Soprano's
Location: Maho Plaza
Mos def: great Italian food close to campus, more appropriate for dinner settings

7) 3 Palms Bar n Grill
Location: off the lagoon in Simpson Bay, 10 min away
Mos def: beautiful decor, delicious and affordable food

8) La Belle Epoque-another one of my favs
Location: Marina Port la Royale (Marigot), 20 min w/o traffic
Mos def: The bacon carbonara, pizza, the French atmosphere and beautiful beautiful location

9) Tijuana's Bar n Grill
Location: Simpson Bay, 10 min away
Mos def: great mexican food, friendly atmosphere to AUC students

10) Lottery Farms-perhaps my numero uno spot on ze island
Location: Pic Paradis, 25 min away
Mos def: with its setting in trees, it's like no other place you've ever seen; also ziplining and other outdoor activities on this 135 acre natural reserve, incredible food and music, and some good-looking bartenders. You had me at pic paradis!!!

11) Moulin Fou
Location: Maho, 5 min away
Never got the chance to eat there, but heard good things. Perhaps on the pricy side.

12) Pineapple Petes
Location: Simpson Bay, 10 min away
Mos def: The Fooooooooooood!!!

13) Abu Ghazi
Location: Simpson Bay, 10 min
Mos def: The best schwarma in town hands down!!! Located next to the movie theatre, so how about a movie & schwarma date?

14) Cappucino's
Location: Simpson Bay
Mos def: open 24/7, best food for ahem hang-overs

15) Waikiki Restaurant
Location: Orient Bay, 35 min away
Mos def: Can't find the words to describe how awesome this place is. Think St Tropez, David Gueta + some amazing food.

Waikiki beach

16) The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa
Location: Oyster Pond, 45 min away
Mos def: One of the places I didn't visit, regretfully (on my to-do list when I return for graduation); Sunday brunches, I hear, are to die for.

17) Zee Best
Location: Simpson Bay, 10 min
Mos def: Best breakfast served on the island (fresh croissants and delicious omelettes).

18) Sarafina's Patisserie & Boulangerie
Location: Marigot, 20 min
Mos def: mmmmmmmm french pastry!!!

19) Lal's
Location: Simpson Bay, 7 min away
Mos def: The best butter chicken on the island!!! $12-lunch and dinner, taste so good makes you wanna slap yo mama. Heard they moved to another island. Sad, but you always have Pride of India, next in line for Indian cuisine.

20) Pizza Dan
Location: AUC campus, 0 min away
Mos def: did you really think I'd end w/o mentioning Pizza Dan, our lifesaver??? Had him on speed dial and skype, and for a Frenchman, he sure made some mean pizza.

The Westin

Who Were The Sisters???

I'll talk about The Sisters. The Girls: Care-bear and Nucci! The only girls waltzing around my class with Juicy Couture Daydreamer totes. 

All hail the sisters for their class. Nucci was the spoilt brat with the big heart. Daddy's little star. The girl with the shopping past-time. Yet the sweetest girl ever! Hell of a fashionista. Could have been a designer, but chose to be a Doctor.

Care bear, the 8th world wonder...so loving and tender. Our middle ground. The big sister I never had. Too patient, too caring, too rational. My friend. My role model.

Both were known for their fashion style. And their good manners. But most were intrigued by the insights. Were they really born in a royal palace? Rumors had it they were heiresses in a distant Igboland. The Nigerians Girls were ones to decipher. A complete mystery to their classmates. Never made it out to dinners. So I decided to bridge the gap. I was tired of waving at the LV bags so I introduced myself. We happened to be by a restaurant so we ordered Pad Thai. Or inferno chicken wings. The Girls were mad cool. And we were so similar. I became their study partner and melodrama. 

You see the Bride???

The Nigerian sisters. My sisters. A great deal of laughter we've shared. And a tsunami of frustrations. But with 3 big heads (and Nucci's forehead), nothing was too tough to bear. So we walked up the steep hills of Step misery, New York leases, life-threatening diagnoses and Visa mixes. It wasn't easy but we made it worth the journey.  

Cheers to Nucci and Care-bear...who are not twin sisters. And not from a royal family either. That was AUC gossip. Perhaps fabricated by me.

Don't be fooled by their looks...crooks!

PS this is NOT a Nigerian dating site. I don't have their numbers abeg!!! 

Dollar Value in The Classroom

Major topic of discussion - how do kids pay for med school? In my class, we have 3 populations:
Just like you'd expect, the majority of students mostly Americans, are on student loans. The borrowers! Then you have a small portion of students who pay out of pocket. The ballers!Usually from families of doctors. And then you have an even smaller subset, a handful of international students such as myself, known as the Foreigners! Not eligible for student loans based on the requirement for either US citizenship or Permanent Residency (the Green Card).
So how do Foreigners pay for med school? Family funds, friendly contributions or micro banking loans aka "njangis" from home. Pretty much any means one can think of as long as it's legit. Of course, not always consistent, and a pain in the ass when dealing with an angry landlord, a hungry stomach and costly exams.
And did I tell you EVERYTHING is expensive for med students nowadays? I noticed that prices qua-triple once people find out you're medically affiliated; kind of like a conspiracy. So am I a med student when it involves paying for a flu shot that I know is free for everyone else? Certainly NOT!!! I keep it on the DL.
But despite the regular tuition hikes and the surreal maneuvers to remain a soon-to-be Medical Grad (Amen to that), I must say it's worth it. And it's a privilege. We're all privileged - whether Foreigner, American, Baller or whatever - to work in one of the most honorable and prestigious professions. Unlike several others, we're lucky to have this opportunity so showing some gratitude once in a while isn't a bad idea. As for me, I never knew I would say this, but I believe the worst is behind me. Catch you on the flip side with my MD!!!

Carib Tunes

I compiled a list of songs that were popular in St Maarten. I recommend 1-3, definitely 5 & 11, 8, 12, 16 and 19. Get your fix; I do so every now and then!

1) Beenie Man - BAD GIRL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZogenVIv0E8
Def one of my favs

2) Serani - NO GAMES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiLYokfwgXY

3) Movado - SO SPECIAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZxkFGyHbk

4) Fanny - ANCREE A TON POT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ffB1nia9xk

Very near and dear to my heart

5) Vybz Kartel ft Spice - RAMPING SHOP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoFi-J21jbs

This song will TURN UP THE HEAT!!! Proceed with caution!

6) Vybz Kartel - SUMMER TIME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AYhQoy3YXU

7) Madcon - BEGGING YOU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfjMsiwH_60

8) Jessy Matador - DECALE GWADA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSjjqhQ_99g

9) Gyptian - HOLD YUH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKlCEUngHB0

10) Alison Hinds - ROLL IT GAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV460ZOtsV4&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL4D87DCE7B3A573A7

11) Brick & Lace - LOVE IS WICKED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNjO0Busqog&feature=fvwrel

12) Iyaz - REPLAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxV9g7lsFE&ob=av2e

13) Bob Sinclar - LOVE GENERATION

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3749007293184280625

15) Kid Cudi - DAY N NIGHT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSWrepLjTKc

16) Medhy Custos - MES DIVAS

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nylswu4OyXM

17) Perle Lama - EMMENE MOI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYb-jsWDAnY&NR=1

18) Ce' Cile - HOT LIKE WE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P4iyWIW8Yw&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AVGxdCwVVULXcys5VRhx0AMUWrUAQOvi4G

19)Mr Vegas - GALLIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJUWDtrHiTE

20)Bob Sinclar - WORLD, HOLD ON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzlE7w9wRQk&feature=related
By far, the song I danced to the most!!! Won't forget his concert at Bliss...fun memories!

There you go. Hard work putting this together, but it was worth it...just for you to savor.

AT

Travels within travels

St Maarten is beautiful...and so is the culture, the people and the lifestyle. But I still had venture out some. A little curiosity is good for the soul.

A)First stop - the island of Anguilla. We found about the "Seafood Festival", which was suppose to be a huge culinary event...or so we thought.

Anguilla 

B)I got to visit Riri's country-BARBADOS!
At this point, not sure what intrigued me
the most: the houses or why on earth these
people drove on the wrong side of the road? 

St John's, Antigua & Barbuda

Perhaps we didn't make it to the big event. However, we did have some pretty amazing seafood. Of course, I'm allergic to shellfish. So my classmates thought they could kill my spirits by shoving me some shrimp, lobster and crab meat. But when I pounced on the shark stew, I showed them WHO'S BOSS!!!

Barbados (RiRi)

C)Somehow I managed to make it to Antigua and Barbuda :)))))

Antigua & Barbuda

Turns out my flight from Barbados to St Maarten was cancelled. And what that means in the Caribbean is: we have no idea when you folks are going home, but we're working on it (welcome to the Carribiiiaaaaaaan, mahn!!!)

Since I had just finished my exams I could care less what was going on. In fact, I told them to take your time...as long as the hotel and food were on their tab.

D) Let me tell you about Pinel Island, which is a 5min boat ride from the French Cul-de-Sac (Cul de what???) So my med school PIC (partner in crime) and I decided to try the infamous bikini wax! Having heard the horror stories, there's no way I was going through that kind of torture in this 21st century so I was def gonna cheat. With vodka!!! We were both gonna do shots, and then our girlfriend would drive us to our appts. The perfect plan except I had already cheated another way: I shaved! Less hair to yank less the pain, yah? Right, but I had cleaned it out so well there was nothing left. I had to re-schedule. And so did my PIC, because she did the same thing lol. A bunch of cheats. We left disappointed or excited-I can't tell, but decidedly, we could still wear bikinis (I mean we were hairless!). So we found out about Pinel and headed there.

Pinel Island

What a beautiful place! What a beautiful Sunday!

During my last semester, some friends and I decided to explore the island. You have no idea what we found!

Don't I look happy

August Monday (Anguilla)

I made one last trip to Anguilla for their independence day- August Monday (1st Monday of  August). 

Amongst all my voyages, this must have been the best. Won't go into the details. I will, however, leave you with a taste of Caribbean sweetness. 

Be well, my friends!!!

Sint Maarten...

Philipsburg, St Maarten

Yes, this is where I went to med school.

And I loved every minute of it.

For the longest time, my friends thought it was a

prank lol.

How did I focus? Well, I sort of learnt what worked for me. If I had an incredibly strong urge to lay at the beach all day, I just took my books along. 

1st things 1st, some history:

St Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It encompasses the southern half of Saint Martin island, while the northern half of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of St Martin 

Philipsburg

Its capital is Philipsburg. Before 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten was known as the Island Territory of Sint Maarten and was one of the five territories that made up the Netherland Antilles. Now Sint Maarten is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, making it a constitutional equal partner with the Netherlands proper. The population of the entire island is about 74,852 inhabitants, with 38,927 living on the Dutch side, and 35,925 on the French side. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_Maarten)

What I loved so much about Sxm was its explosion of cultures. A 37 sq miles island governed by two nations-the Netherlands and France. Residents from 70-some different countries. I felt right at home. What you got, French or English? Bring it!!! The French side reminded me so much of Cameroon: zouk love music, the "laisser-faire" attitude and sometimes, the food. And don't get me started on the food. Over 400 restaurants ranging from elegant French cuisine, Thai, Indian, sidewalk cafes, to American fast food.  What more can I say? The place was perfect!!!

Maho beach, Cupecoy

The Cupecoy beach, 5 minute walk away from campus. I came here to relieve the stress. The waves, the waves, the waves...

There was also a golf course nearby, which was to be "avoided by all means" after dark. Lol Silly Americans!!!

So where did I live? I'm sure you remember-in the dorm. Room B!!! I thought maybe you would understand where I came from if I showed you this:

The View (Pointe Pirouette)
Of course, no good thing last forever. Had to move out at the end of the semester to make room for the incoming freshmen. But guess what, my next place was even better,but that's another story.

It's official...omg

I dedicate this piece to my AUC classmates-the nerdy bunch!!! 
Jan 08-May 12

We were so happy to meet each other. LOL. Fellow Americans in far away land. Studying medicine in paradise. Shots to that!!! Just so you know, I never did shots until New Years Eve 2008. But this called for a celebration. We effing made it to medical school!!!
1st things 1st, when I arrived the campus I stopped for a minute...you know, to take it in. Oh surely I had died and gone to heaven...except, I must have pinched myself a million times. So beautiful, and I was going to study here for the next 18 months. No bad consolation for US rejection.
So I proceeded to my dorm. Turns out I was in the A room. No good because 1) my bathroom was separate from my room and 2) I had no view of the lagoon. Once again, the forces of the universe had conspired against me. And how my roommate had gotten lucky with the B room was probably by chance alone, yet I refused to bow to that fate. The advantage of being an early bird is that I could switch a few things with the roommate. But you see, I didn't only switch a few things around...I swapped our rooms!!! Ok calm down, it's not what you think. No cut-throat, sneaky business here; I simply went to the housing office, and explained to them that for (blablabla) reason I had to get the B room. I eventually met my roommate-perhaps one of the nicest people in my class. I often wondered what if she'd found out. Dude, she totally loved her A room.
Bit by bit, the campus filled with freshmen. Orientation-how to succeed in medical school: go to class everyday, study 4-5 hours after class, get a good night sleep 8hours minimum. Hold on a second, you lost me at 5 hours of studying. Yet little did we know that most of this was insanely indispensable for med school, and that some of us would find out the hard way. We were so naive, so happy, but it was ok. It was ok to sigh when orientation was finally over. And it was definitely ok to take shots after our white coat ceremony. Because that was like our honeymoon, which was about to end. It was the only time we would be together-all 81 of us, with the same spirit...let's start this and kick some butt! Yes, it was ok to be merry for little did we know that the following day we would start losing comrades...