What I am doing

NOW

Reading-
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, as well as Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Wallace Foster by David Lipsky (The subject of the NYT Book review from which I have previously quoted here)

Starting-
A Genetics Elective at Miami Children's (I arrived in Miami over the weekend and it reminds me of Grenada which is nostalgia inducing, humid, warm, living with roommates again fun.)

Exploring-
My new city as this is my first time in Miami. So far I've found a great diner for breakfast, the grocery store (IGA!!! just like Grenada) a Spanish Restaurant that serves okay Tapas and a friend from the island that is here this month too. I know my life is just so hard.

Traveling-
Today to Cali for an interview and again on Friday to upstate New York for yet another interview. Only four more to go. Now let's just hope I can take off from my elective for all of them.

Learning to Knit-
(I needed a new project for take off and landing time on the plane when I couldn't read my Nook)
It is not going very well, I think I need an initial lesson with a real person, the read and follow directions in 2D is not working for me... Poor Sancho, he is going to get a very ugly sweater indeed, and he's a dog, so he'll have to wear it!

Writing-
This.

Reflecting-
On life.
On love.

Living-
Purposely.

Loving-
My life.

Anticipating-
The Match.

Only 33 days remain to spend time with my amazing friends

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." - Oprah Winfrey

Classic Rock is the kind of friend that will ride the bus with me. Just last week she missed Unity Ball (aka our med school prom) to do biochem with me. For 13 hours. The day after exams ended. Yep. Talk about a good friend...

This is her in Carriacou (another place I will miss) at Bogles Roundhouses where we were staying for a Hash earlier in the term...  (If you ever go to Carriacou I recommend eating or staying at Bogles. Roxanne is a great cook and the cottages are nice too.)

I am so glad that we are almost to third year, and finally being in the hospitals will be great, but I will miss my friends and classmates from Grenada. We are all going our separate ways... so this is my continued reflection on friends I will miss when MS II is over.

Brothers & Sisters - watching with 38 days to go

So, I have to back up for today's memory. During first term I met a classmate and we were instant friends. Every Sunday night I would go to her place off campus and I would enjoy off campus living, complete with oven to bake in and TV to watch. We would normally have dinner (something baked), do some anatomy questions and then watch a mutual favorite TV show- Brothers and Sisters. And so it was, our first term tradition. 

But she is Canadian and was worried that an SGU education may leave her stranded in the USA so when she got accepted to a US medical school she decided to attend. And although she didn't come back to SGU we've kept in touch.  Every Sunday night that we are both in school (provided one of us doesn't have an exam the next day) we Skype and I watch Brothers and Sisters with her, virtually. It is one of my favorite med school rituals. And just another example of a friend made, gratis SGU. And the best part is I don't have to leave the friendship in Grenada. So today is reflecting on things that Grenada has given me instead of things I'll miss. But I will miss the school kids in their uniforms.

I know these picture are not the best but if you look carefully you can make out two boys in the first one, the older brother leading the way. The sisters had matching school uniforms and backpacks. Both were taken on the way to the Hospital last week. I love Grenada kids in their matching uniforms. And Brothers & Sisters always make me smile. And now it is almost time to tune in for my show....

the days dwindle: reflecting on friends far (day 40) and near (day 39)...

Un-inspired is hopefully over.

T-40: More good mail, this time in the form of a lovely pink box with yummy fall treats (think snickerdoodle cookies and home-made maple pecan granola.) Thank you dear K! The PERFECT thing to open after a week of difficult exams.

T-39: Happy feet, because your feet are happy if you are! 

And my feet are very happy here because I have such an amazing friend...

MS II (Medical Student Year Two)

I'm here. Medical School year two is in session, Term 3 is off with a bang. Almost a week in and four hours of class a day but at least we don't start until 8am and are in the lovely Charter Hall. The first termers are starting to appear on the island looking lost and excited and anxious and eager.

The Good- I am still in a great room on top the hill in married housing with my favorite view just steps from my doorway. The weather seems cooler this term, there is a breeze and I have yet to feel too hot. It has been great to catch up with friends and our path group is formed and ready to go, that is once we finish Term 3 (2.5 weeks until midterms and 5.5 weeks until finals.)

The Bad- It is strange to be here and removed from events happening in the world. Haiti. I wish I was done with my training and could go there and help. Here is what you can do. Donate to a well known and established group. Some suggestions:
Paul Farmer's Partner in Health Clinics that have been working in Haiti since 1985 and already have staff and supplies in the area.
The Red Cross which has already released $10 million in aid.
Heifer International which is another established group that will work with families and provide long term assistance to those affected.
My thoughts are with those in Haiti.

The Ugly- Our health care system and learning in detail how in trouble we are compared to many other developed nations. Health Policy is part of Term 3 and it is fascinating and scary to learn so much about Medicare, Medicaid and health care in the US compared to other systems around the world. I only wish we could take the class after Health Care Reform was passed so that we might better understand the legislation and what it will mean for us as future physicians.

However, so far, so good. Now it is time to bake some brownies, welcome my neighbors and go for a run. Cheers to MS II!

Oh Christmas Tree...

There is nothing left to do but study. Today was our last day of classes, year one of medical school will be over in a week. There are just three exams between now and me getting on a plane next Friday night.  I cannot begin to explain how excited I am to celebrate Christmas in the city. I have been listening to carols non-stop. My mini Christmas tree is up and tonight I hosted friends for a Yankee Exchange-Holiday Party- Celebration. Gifts were opened, and stolen, we watched "Home Alone", drank rum punch and ate my home-made gingerbread people...

Not a bad way to end the term. Now its study time with no stopping until my first final on Tuesday. Happy Holidays from Grenada! I can't wait to be home...

Happy. Lucky. Loved.

Just a few words to describe my mood at the moment. Yesterday was my birthday and while maybe it could have been depressing to be away from Dr. Boyfriend and studying for midterms it was actually a really great day. I have wonderful friends here and they all came over for wine, cake and nutmeg ice cream.  I am lucky. I get to study all weekend and I am living a pretty good life here in Grenada. Facebook and Skype keep me feeling connected even if I'm an island away. Maybe the grocery store is out of cheese. Maybe I can't good coffee beans here and am risk of running out the week of midterms. But in the scheme of things, in the importance of what really matters, these are minor details. I'm doing what I want with my life. I am lucky to be here. I am loved by my wonderful friends and I wouldn't trade this life for anything.

The Hardest Part

I got married less than 2 months before starting medical school. (Granted we dated for 7 years and were engaged for another one. But in a way, that makes it harder as we were never more than 30 miles apart. Now we live 2000 miles away from one another.) My husband is finishing his residency back in the US while I am here in Grenada. We may both find ourselves in NY in 18 months as I start my clinical years and he completes his fellowhip. Or we could end up in different cities and not live together for another four years. In which case, maybe this is just practice.

But back to the present, I am lucky in that I get to live in married housing. I won't complain about my studio apartment or balcony view. But its just me and my lonely self staring across the terra cotta colored rooftops out at the shimmering turquoise sea. It is easy to fall in love with the view and the surroundings, but it makes you all more aware that you want to be with the love of your life to share it.

I rarely blog about being away from my hubby and it is not because I don't miss him. To me, its a given that I will and do miss him and so I negate to mention him. Not because he is not on my mind, but precisely because he is on my mind, all of the time. Yes Skype helps and so does being busy with studying, but after spending the summer together it is difficult not to notice the silence and absence of your partner. Good friends help. I don't know what I would do without them. But try at the might, they are not boyfriend.

I don't regret for a second being here and I know we will survive the long-distance relationship... but in case you were wondering, doing this is the hardest part.

A little help from my friends

This post is dedicated to some of my friends and favorite people: FU, the Gypsy, Miss P, and Classic Rock  (you know who you are!)

So, I made it. Term 1 is officially over and we are 2nd termers!  Only 1.5 years of basic sciences left. And then 2 years of clinicals and then 3-5 years of residency, and then an optional fellowship. But who's counting? Term 1 is history and that is all that matters at the moment.

Friday was a blur. We took anatomy, reminisced over beers and then went to Club Bananas for dancing and really good fries (thanks Classic Rock.) Yesterday was low key, packing, putting things in storage, dinner at the local Prickly Bay Waterside. I'm here for another week and plan to enjoy the island but my favorite people are soon leaving me day by day to go home. However we did have one final hurrah. And as we sat around last night I had to think back to orientation. I love my class, I love my friends and term 1 wouldn't have been as fun or as palatable without them. Bring on term 2! (After a nice summer at home that is.)

Was term 1 difficult? Yes, because it was hard to know how to study. And it was hard to study all the time. It was terrifying and boring and interesting and exciting, depending on the subject and professor and a million other factors that changes by the moment. But thanks to my favorite people and our many study dates and non-study dates (thanks FU) and DES and BRS and lots and lots of studying I think I might sort of have the hang of this med school business after all. But not without a little help from my friends.