neglected!

oh man this blog has been so so neglected!! it if were a plant it'd be droopy and brown, if it were a dog, it'd be dead, if it were a baby, it would so be dead. anyway..the reason being i've been ON THE GO like no other for the past 5 days. and it has sped by. i can't believe it!! i'm over half way done with interviews and done with my step 2 cs- no more board exams till next year!

i don't even know where to begin. besides that i'm loving loving california- i love the weather, i love the vibe, and love the programs that i've interviewed at. a lot of my high school friends are here, the ocean is right there and people are cool as hell. it's going to be THE toughest decision of my life to make this rank list- aka wheter or not i want to leave hawaii. i'll cross that bridge when i get there.

this trip has been about connecting and reconnecting. i've reconnected with college friends- and not just any ole friends, but friends i was really close to in college and that saw me through lots of growth, good friends that i haven't seen due to distnace and ocean. i've reconnected with childhood/school friends, friends that saw me through everything from snotty nosed days, to awkward middle school days, to adolescence....i am so so lucky!! i've connected with new friends- friends i've made along this interview trail- people in my exact shoes but across the country, whom i've connected with for one reason or another. i've connected with friends i met up at davis who are also on the interview trail. to some extent, as corny as this sounds, i've reconnected with myself, forced to talk about myself and think about and express who i am and what i believe in at every single interview. it's sorta crazy...

i really connected with one guy. his name is nate. out of fear that someone will read this or that i will share this with people i'd rather not share this with, i won't go into all the gory details, but i do know i've made a friend with good peeps and i see us being friends for a while. there's mutual respect and mutual understanding and pure vibing. i get excited when i think about him.


my interview at santa barbara was fucking unreal. i fell in love with the place and could see myself there. my interview at kaiser was aiiight. i could work there but i don't think i'll rank it high. i really really liked loma linda, which i did today, and will also rank it high. i've had some tough questions asked of me along this interview trail including:
Tell me about an interesting case.
What book did you last read?
What's the most exciting thing that ever happened to you?
Let's say....[insert ethical questions/scenario]....what would you do?
What would you correct about yourself between now and July 1st when you start your intern year?
And of course..
Why surgery?
Why our program?
What would you bring to the program?
What's your weakness?
What are you looking for in a program?

and i'm SO GLAD i haven't gotten the following questions:
Take me through a whipple operation, skin to skin.
Teach me something
What was your last presentation? Now re-enact it for me.


At these interviews, they're looking for the delivery and your reaction and less what you have to say. you are under scrutiny constantly. i feel like a lab animal in some sense.

i've realized that an OR is an OR, an ICU is an ICU, and an ER is an ER, whereever you may be. the reason for the tour of the hospital is to make sure it isn't absolute shambles. so far i've been blessed with gorgeous hospitals. including the newest and best county hospitals in the nation, which also happen to be in the most violent counties in the state. hospitals by the beach. big hospitals. small busy hospitals. VA hospitals. private hospitals. ..it's been a journey...

anyway, so here i am. i'm going to meet up with my girlfriends julie and shanithin from high school for dinner. i have all day tomorrow to play in LA, then fly out to denver on sunday for my last interview before the holiday- i'll be there for 2 days, then head to hawaii via newark. i unfortunately have to overnight in newark but that's okay.

i do miss hawaii tons. i want to surf as soon as i get there. i want to catch up with friends and my life in hawaii. i want to reflect on this experience and really decide what i want for the next crucial 5 years of my life. i can't wait to see my family.