On June 4th, I packed up everything I own, somewhat aggressively stuffed it into my step-dad's trailer, and drove three states over in my new car to my new California home, where I would start my new job. Yikes! A whole lot of "news" in there. The two day journey involved a caravan of vehicles, some great company (mom, step-dad, little sis, and Aaron), a night in Sin City, several tanks of gas, too much fast food, and lots of neat podcasts. My co-pilots were none other than the beautiful house plants that decorate my window sill and my snack of choice was a scrumptious bag of peppered beef jerky, thoughtfully bequeathed upon me by my future in-laws.
Of course, I was excited and happy to finally be on my way, but the emotion that overwhelmingly took the reins was anxiety. Somewhere around the end of January, I fondly remember sitting around a lit fireplace sharing wine and laughter with new friends from all over the world. Two people from the dozen of travel-crazed foreigners sharing our hostel were an Austrian couple who had taken some vacation time to hike the many volcanos in Ecuador's Cinturon de Fuego, or Belt of Fire. At one point the woman laughed uncontrollably, nearly forgetting to breathe, and then gasped as if she had been submerged under water for a record length of time. Her counterpart jokingly teased that she was allowed to laugh so uncontrollably only because she was surrounded by doctors. It took a couple seconds to realize they were talking about me, a couple hours to really realize they were talking about me, and a couple of weeks to get over the burden of their words. I was a med student then and graduation, even though only a few months away, felt like an eternity. Now... however... I am that doctor, a doctor, the doctor, somebody's doctor. I'm a doctor. Forgive me, I'm still trying to recover from my episode of hyperventilation.
So, tomorrow's the big day. I start residency in family medicine, where I will master the technique of delivering babies, taking care of sick children, working with adults to improve their health, comforting the elderly as they take their last breaths, and of course, becoming the doctor I've always dreamed of. Here I go, ready or not. I will begin this part of my journey alongisde 11 other eager interns. We meet in the beautiful, not so big city of Santa Rosa, in the midst of lush vinyeards, flowing rivers, and rolling hills. We come from all corners of the map, each bringing new perspectives and talents, each with a life story that will be slowly revealed over the next three years. I have already met these smiling faces for a quick potluck and I couldn't feel more honored to begin with such an enthusiastic and caring team.
Santa Rosa is nestled in Northern California, just 50 miles or so from San Francisco. It's a short drive to a beautiful beach, where the cold Pacific Ocean gently crashes onto a sandy shore. We've visited Jenner Beach, where the shore is outlined by a steep and often abruptly ending canyon decorated with flowers of all colors. On the way, we passed through several small towns. The two-laned road quickly goes from being surround by vast fields of green hills dotted with perfectly linear fields of grape vines or densely coated forest so thick you can't peer in very deeply to a two-laned road lined with the town's finest restaurants, antique stores, local jewelery merchants and more. We stopped at one point to enjoy a local brew, the World Cup game of the hour, and some fine pizza. We have also made the day trip to San Francisco and the nearby Muir Woods forest, which is home to massive Redwoods, ancient in age. The trees stand firmly in the their place and the deep red bark encircles the wide trunk, appearing somewhat like dark red wax that once warmly dripped down the side of a candle, now stuck for eternity. We have thankfully become lost in this very unfamiliar territory, only to be led to beautiful sights, large farms with hungry dairy cows, neighborhoods with enormous mansions, winding rounds in the midst of northern cali scenery, and lonely lakes nestled between uneven hills. It's been a treat to our New Mexico adjusted eyes.
Aaron and I have made ourselves at home near Santa Rosa's downtown. We're near the movie theatre, the mall, tons of tasty local cuisine, the famous Russian River Brewery, and so much more. Our apartment is completely unpacked, but the walls are still bare and the closet is in need of some rearranging. We are happy, eager, and in love. The adventures that await couldn't come soon enough. So until tomorrow, I will enjoy one last moment of drinking coffee without having to rush off to work, taking my time in the shower to sing out of tune, and not bothering to tame my messy hair. I toast to one last day of freedom.
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