This is the personal statement that helped get Cari into medical school.  As we were preparing her application we spent time searching for samples of medical school application personal statements, and we were always grateful for people who were willing to share theirs.

So now we are paying it forward.


I am the oldest of eleven children.

At an early age I became more than a big sister.  I was also a teacher, a caregiver, a comforter, and all too often, a make-shift nurse.  As a child I could not have known, but my sibling’s health struggles laid the foundations of my desire to become a physician. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 29th, 2011 , Everything Else
American University of the Caribbean, main building

American University of the Caribbean, main building

Several friends have asked us questions such as “Why are you going to the Caribbean for medical school?” And those who work in the medical industry (mostly nurses and doctors) and who know a thing or two about medical schools have made comments to the tune of “Are you sure you want to go to a foreign medical school?”

So I thought I’d take a moment and share some of what we have learned in our extensive research. Selecting a medical school is no small decision, and we invested a great amount of thought and time in making this decision. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 24th, 2011 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean
Mississippi riverside train in Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud, MN

Mississippi riverside train in Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud, MN

Once we all returned from the island and settled back into our home in St. Cloud, Minnesota, we selected a photo of our home town for the next blog background.  The change from Caribbean-sunset oranges and sandy-beach browns to the forest greens of Minnesota is stark.

View of the sea as seen from Rainbow Beach, the complex where we lived while in St. Martin

View of the sea as seen from Rainbow Beach, the complex where we lived while in St. Martin

This is the background image we kept on the blog for the entire time we were in St. Martin.

Crocodile Lake, Boundary Waters, Minnesota

The first background image was taken on a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota in the fall of 2010.  As we’ve lived in Minnesota most of our lives, we figured it was a good way to start this blog.

Written on November 23rd, 2011 , Background Images

A spiral staircase leads down to a private beach for Rainbow Beach residence

Cari has her hands full packing and getting ready for medical school, so I took it upon myself to find a place for us to live when we get to St. Maarten.

And… so it turns out that finding a place to rent when you’re not anywhere near that place is more challenging that you migt have thought.. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 23rd, 2011 , Rainbow Beach

Carina, 7 months pregnant, at graduation with her parents, Ron and JoAnn.

It’s hardly fair to sum up roughly six years of my wife’s life in a couple of paragraphs, but here goes…

The Decision to go to Medical School

Carina started her undergrad in 2004, seven years ago (from the date I am writing this), which would have put Tanner at four years old and Andi at six.  That doesn’t seem right, but it must be.  Were they really that young when she started school? Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 23rd, 2011 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean

I’m still not sure what I’m going to do for a job while on the island.  A couple of possibilities are floating around out there, one of them is teaching school at The Caribbean International Academy, a private k-12 school where we hope to send Andi and Tanner.  I’ve been emailing them about possible teaching positions and trying to envision myself leading a computer class, maybe 8th or 9th grade math, maybe History…

You get the idea.

Then two days ago I received this email: Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 23rd, 2011 , Everything Else

Any Given Evening in our Living Room

We’ve been in St. Cloud, Minnesota for 14 years.  Five of those years were in the first home we ever owned, and the last nine years in our current home.  I thought I’d share a few favorite pics from our home in St. Cloud: Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 23rd, 2011 , Everything Else

You’ll find a more official welcome at “Hey, You Found Our Blog”, but to start things off, I’d like to thank you for visiting.

That’s all for now,

Casey

Written on November 23rd, 2011 , Everything Else

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