Caribbean Medical School

My posts on this blog are far and few between. There has been a lot that has been going on and two posts are coming up! (Hopefully sooner than later). A conversation tonight influenced this particular blog post. As most of you know, Broc is beginning his third year of medical school. Some of you might remember the crazy adventure it was for Broc trying to get into medical school. With no understanding at the time, we wondered what was in store for our future. And after a failed attempt at three years, we wondered why it was that we felt so strongly about continuing to move forward in the medical field direction. When thinking logically it seemed like such a crazy thing to continue to pursue. Broc ended up getting accepted to a Caribbean school. It really wasn't our first choice, and it definitely wasn't what we had planned- yet as crazy as it was, we felt it was the right thing for us to do.

There were many times during that frustrating application process that I thought, "it would work out so perfectly for Broc to go to med school in Utah because we had so many family members close, it would be in-state tuition and financially that would be much better". It just seemed like the best thing for us. But as perfect as it sounded, it just never seemed to work out how we wanted or planned. And why was it that our prayers seemed to not be answered at this seemingly crucial time in our lives, we couldn't understand.  It wasn't until we were there on that island that we realized one of the  reasons things don't work out how you want them to. It was during those 20 months in Dominica that we began to see how our unanswered prayers turned into one of the greatest blessings we could ever ask for. The blessings we experienced there, the amazing people we served and just being able to see the endless blessing of the Lord's hand in our lives was worth more to me than anything else. One might wonder how living in a third world country and not seeing your husband very often could bring your family closer together. Yet, it did. We got to be a part of some of the most amazing life changing experiences that no other experience could have given us.

We recognize the challenges that come from attending a Caribbean school. And we have heard it quite a few times, tonight being no exception, of people's negative views on Caribbean medical schools. And I suppose to some it is all about where you go and the basic stats of where you rank. And though those things can be important, I don't feel that anything is more important than the lessons you learn and the experiences you gain as you travel through your journey- whatever path it may be. At least that is what we have gained from our humble journey. Early on we titled this blog, "Finding Joy in the Journey". President Monson says it best, "It is my sincere prayer that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey." I love this. And love the humbling journey that we have been so blessed to have, even during some of the hardest times. And though some may have a hard time understanding the logics behind it, I wouldn't trade our life, journey and the experiences we have had for anything, even the most prestigious school in the world!