body and spirit

end of first year. 0.25 MD. 3 more years to go. there's a lot to reflect on in the past years - lessons learned, memories created. it was more than i ever could have expected. the "waterfall" of information poured into our minds wasn't minimized by anyone. i never would have survived anatomy without brian drilling me on the SMART boards in the 5th floor PBLs. the process of imprinting the muscle mechanics of a physical exam into our body movements was awkward and awesome. i'll always appreciate the first apprehensive moment when our little APE group stepped foot onto 6th floor of Shadyside with the purpose of performing a full physical exam on an actual patient: "wow, we're really doing this." remembering all the nights of bitching and moaning from everyone about everything when we should have been studying in the PBL rooms. my plan to "get it all out" of slater and xiaoyi one night completely backfired when our conversation concluded with unanimous disgust with our chosen profession. reminiscing all the hard work invested in our studies and our interest groups and the time taken out to nurture our relationships with our peers and mentors. i feel so blessed that the other kids in my class are so damn cool...wouldn't change any of them for the world. med school truly is filled with characters. crazy classmates are the only thing that will keep me sane. the transition from california to pittsburgh...learning a whole new culture of people, weather, way of life and learning to let go of what i'm used to was truly a challenge on top of adjusting to the intensity of medical school. i'm very happy with my first year though. i feel like i retreat back to a more child-like state with every school i enter. college was liberating. medical school was nothing held back. i played on a kickball team (never been on a team before!), learned racquetball, played hooky to hang out with a friend in a new place, traveled out of the state at least once a month, jumped into organizing for a national med student association without fully understanding what i was getting into, drove to DC and back for a concert, passed my classes (woo!)...and this is just the beginning. this first year was also a time to identify myself, starting with referring to myself by my given name, not a name bestowed by my old friends. along with that came the subconscious decisions of which of my own qualities did i desire to keep and which did i choose to reinvent. who is this jennifer who is going to be the doctor? i've never had such an opportunity before to truly allow myself to evolve without expectation. it was refreshing, but a little frightening. but this is a discussion for a future post.

i wanted to mark today, the summer solstice, because it's amazingly beautiful outside here in berkeley right now. 70 degrees, crisp, a bit breezy, fresh, and absolutely perfect. i've only been home 9 days and already i feel my reality shifting for the better. Maine was a lot of fun...how can you beat spending 6 days playing with your classmates on the coast of Maine amidst stunning beauty? but the long research days and the traveling was draining. from then it was non-stop traveling around pittsburgh, hanging out with people last minute, visiting my sister in NY (so delicious!), and then flying back here, only to spend a day with my parents before driving up to berkeley to start acupressure classes. oh, but there's no other way i would want to be spending my summer vacation!! for the last week, i've done nothing but heal, clear, detox, and do good for myself since i've been back to my old haunts. everything i'm learning, both theory and practice, is so easily applicable that i simply rejoice in the information i'm getting every day. i'm dedicating this summer to "body & spirit." personally and as a medical student, i spend much too much time in my mind and in my head, wandering around with an inflated view on the world and my own importance. acupressure will help me develop my physical capabilities as a a healer, plus teach me how to focus my energy to do what's best for the people i treat. i plan on taking yoga classes once in a while and i'm back at FSD to spiritually develop ME. but most of all, i plan to relax, which will be the most healing because i'll need to revisit this happy place once 2nd year starts and i'm back in my head. there's nowhere else in time and space i'd rather be than where i am now. it's a glorious time to be alive and i can't wait to see what's coming.