This post is over a week late because just the mere thought of writing it continues to overwhelm me, not to mention the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve written anything.
In short: I survived! /endpost
But in all serious, what a year it has been. I don’t think I could’ve expected to learn so much in one year, both inside and outside the classroom. Anatomy, SFM, GTS. But also CFM, LAC, and SC. Thank goodness for a true pass/fail curriculum, because I don’t know if I would be able to have a life outside the classroom without it.
Things I Somewhat Expected:
- Losing sleep
- Learning to love coffee
- Gradually skipping lecture once anatomy ended
- Learning to cook
- Learning to budget
- Staying up to date on the election and policies following it
- Exploring Baltimore
Things I Did Not Expect:
- Gradually ignoring lectures completely and easing off of Sensei
- Balancing the savings vs time spent cooking (it’s hard if you’re cooking for one)
- The amount of pizza I can eat in a week (thanks, student orgs)
- How quickly some cliques can form in medical school
- How moving across the country doesn’t automatically make me more extroverted
- Deviating more towards policy and public health vs strictly clinical medicine
I think one thing that…disappointed(?) me was the fact that I thought being immersed in a new environment would force me to be more outgoing and extroverted. Personalities don’t change like that. Going out every week isn’t for me, and neither is splurging on dinner multiple times a week. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s because I chose to live on my own in the middle of downtown instead of sharing an apartment with classmates in the “luxury”-styled comlex right next to campus. (I couldn’t justify the cost and inconvenience. I just couldn’t.) It definitely would’ve made attending late-night gatherings and inviting people to events easier.
But on the flip side, I think this year has taught me to feel very comfortable with myself, and to be comfortable with the concept of solitude. I went out on weekends, trying out different restaurants, visiting museums, strolling the harbor. More importantly, I have grown comfortable doing so on my own, not worrying about scheduling conflicts or bothering others with my spontaneous decisions.
In terms of interests outside the classroom, I guess I wasn’t prepared to become as interested in policy and public health. Politics is exhausting – especially with this past election cycle and current administration. It pains me to think about the impact of 45’s and Congress’s initiatives on social and public health necessities. It’s made me distrusting of politicians and legislators, and at first, I resisted getting involved with the AMA on a deeper level because of it. (Also, that endorsement of Tom Price…why) But I’ve learned that it’s important to still try to implement change, and attending Annual-17 gave me so much hope that the Medical Student Section, at least, was progressive-leaning. The future of our profession is thinking in a different direction.
As summer continues, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my research progresses well (why are there so few Asian people in Baltimore omg)! Hopefully, I can schedule a time to fly home soon.
