LIFE!

Finally an update on my life rather than something random. This is going to be a long post...

So this is a good snapshot of the last two weeks: 48 lectures, learning what a double line means in a pedigree, figuring out what my dad does for a living, getting a very white coat, and interviewing patients...about sex...


So the past two weeks we have been studying glycolytic pathways in Biochemistry, fertility and infertility in Cell Biology (my dad's kind of medicine!), inbreeding, ethics, genomic medicine, and risk for genetic diseases in Genetics (a double line on a pedigree means consanguinity - relatives having children together), and bone, connective tissue, and epithelia in Tissue Biology. Lots to learn in just two weeks. But its over, and I just recieved my third syllabus for the next test. This one's pretty hefty, but we have 3 weeks to get through it so I am feeling confident. We started two new courses - Molecular Biology and Immunology. Fun fun!

Last weekend my parents came to town for the White Coat Ceremony! Saturday night they took me and my neighbor Brian (who we adopted) out for a super shnazzy dinner at Taranta - a Peruvian Italian restaursant - YUM! The next morning we rolled into a really fancy theater for the ceremony, which was a lot like graduation, but instead of a diploma, we got short white coats. Luckily for me, Dr. Monaco, president of Tufts University (and coincidentally an M.D.), cloaked me! He's a Tufts-lebrity! Cloaking is done by faculty of the school to represent their belief that we will successfully carry on the traditions of medicine. Very exciting. We also heard an AMAZING speech from Dr. Amy Ship about the importance of humanism in medicine. To sum her up, we should fill our white coat pockets with useful tools - attention, curiosity, and compassion. She absolutely inspiring and made me feel like medicine was the right choice.

The ceremony was followed by a fancy lunch provided by the Tufts Medical Alumni Association. I got to spend time with my parents and uncle, and got to meet my classmate's parents which was really fun and interesting. You can learn a lot from someone's family! My parents also got to see some old friends from their time in medical school, which was surreal. One of my associate Deans still had a recipe that my mom gave her in the 80s! After the ceremony, Mom and Dad took me shopping with help from uncle David and restocked my kitchen!! It was a fantastic weekend and I was sad to see my parents go.

I feel the need to note my annoyance that I am going to have to wear white coats for the rest of my life. As some of my friends from Hillel@UCF know, I really despise wearing white. I guess I need to get used to it...sigh.

Below is a picture of me in my white coat with my parents!

There is no way its going to stay this white...

I am done interviewing at the residence for the elderly and am switching over to interviewing at a hospital next week. In my review, my interviewing group leader told me that I am the best at empathizing with my interviewees and creating quick bonds with them, but that I need to work on my confidence and asking questions in a more organized fashion.

I went back to Sharewood last Tuesday and learned about Case Management and enrolling people in MassHealth (insurance). I also got shot-trained, so now I can give intramuscular flu shots and vaccines. I practiced in an orange and then was certified by giving a shot to a very brave friend. I am now a useful member of the medical community. Who knows if I'll use my new skill, but I figured it would be useful!!

This past weekend I mostly just studied. The good news is that I love everyone in my class so studying can sometimes be really fun. My friend Kate and I put on a puppet show with my socks, my friend Wendy made squirell and unicorn origami, and Kostas brought us all PB&Js. Not bad for a study weekend. Also, my Annapolis buddy Emily came to town for a conference and we meandered through North Boston for the afternoon. We had beers at Beantown pub (cold Sam Adams in front of a cold Sam Adams), tried the original Boston Cream Pie at the Omni Parker House (SO. GOOD.), ran into Jeff Bridges and Ryan Renolds on the set of RIPD, ate in Little Italy (I've been doing that a lot!) and caught up on each-others lives.  I miss all of my friends all over the country and need to be better about staying in touch!

After the exam, my roommate prepared an amazing meal for twenty of our friends. Chicken marsala, pastitsio (pasta with meat sauce and a cheesy mousse-like sauce on top), and spicy raspberry chocolate tarte! Soooo delicious, especially after such a draining weekend and exam! Then we went out to a bar called Coogans to dance and celebrate the completion of test two!

I have been having a great time in medical school, but I am definitely tired a lot and there is always so much going on all the time. I am taking it easy tonight and getting back to the books tomorrow night. I needed the break. My hand was cramping from all of the typing and writing down notes and drawing pathways. I haven't even been doodling! Gasp!