Medical School Starts With White

So it's been a while. Mostly because in the past few weeks after getting back from Paris, we've been running around like chickens with our heads just barely still attached.

We ran to IKEA, bought all of our furniture, built all of said furniture, dealt with an IKEA delivery mishap (they forgot to deliver one piece of furniture), unpacked all of our stuff, went on a trip to Hawaii (awesome!), came back, painted the apartment, cooked food for a month to feed us, went to Acadia (awesome!), came back, finished unpacking, and oh yeah...started medical school.

Ziplining in Kauai

A morning swim. Tyler and Adele. 

Our jam-packed apartment! 

My dad and I picked blueberries in Maine!

Hiking in Acadia

Surreal

Typical

More Hiking!

Love and a red hat :-)

My lovely sister in law and her frog

After a life time of dreams, moments of wavering fears, and still completely unsure of what's to come, I am now a medical student. Not a pre-med. Not a doctor. A medical student. A physician-in-training, as one of our professors put it.

One of the major events that most medical students in the US all experience is the "White Coat Ceremony." At the beginning of your medical school career (or in some cases, later) you are given a white coat by your school, signifying that you are now on the path to becoming a physician. Our coats are shorter than the actual doctor's coats, with a plastic name tag that we pin to our pockets, but they were significant none the less.

Cotton, slightly larger than expected, and white, they represented the culmination of the work we had all done to get to this place. The studying, the activism, the caring, the growth and maturation as individuals. But more importantly, the coat was humbling.

It's amazing that a piece of clothing humble you, but I should have known putting on a white coat would. I realized, or rather re-realized, that in a few short years, after my brain has been jammed packed with more information that I thought possible, people will be opening up their world to me. The life, the secrets, the illness, the pain, the happiness--all of it wrapped up into one person for me to care for. I became suddenly and uncomfortably aware of my ignorance. There is much to learn in the next four years, both in terms of the science and the humanity of medicine, before I really can touch my first patient. It is scary. But I am thankful for that time to learn, thankful for the support and guidance, and thankful I have seen my family go before me and do it well. I am not afraid.

So the white coat ceremony is done, my white coat is neatly put away, waiting to be taken out for my Introduction to Clinical Medicine class where I take my first steps talking to patients. Classes have started, and my time is spent primarily on concepts of Biochemistry and, soon, Anatomy. But every once in a while, when I open my closet and see my coat, and I get that tingly feeling of excitement for the day it becomes just a bit longer. 

Politics on vacation

Unsurprisingly, I have been avoiding writing about politics much on vacation. I have read about it, rolled my eyes at it, became over joyed by it, but definitely did not write about it. Why? Because I am in Paris. But there are things happening abound that must needs be discussed.

 

1. Justice Roberts restored some of my faith in the Supreme Court. He shook his fist at judicial activism and instead, a month before the decision was to be rendered, told his good friends Antonin, Clarence, and Anthony that they were going to be ridin' solo on this decision, since he wasn't going to allow petty partisianship to affect the decision that he, the Cheif Justice of the highest judicial body in all the land, would make. While I am a bit disheartened at just how happy I am that a conservative justice put the constitution above politics, I can rest easy knowing that America is on it's way to becoming a more morally correct country.

To those who oppose it: we will all use the health care system at least once in our lives. To ensure that our system can actually remain solvent, we must compel everyone to purchase health insurance, prior to actually being sick. This way, we can reduce the number of emergency-room-and-not-gonna-pay visits, allow for physicians to actually provide preventative health care to all (including the underserved population) while knowing that they're going to get paid, push our system to become more efficient and evidence-based, all the while increasing the health outcomes of our nation. More than that though--more people will be able to save money on their premiums, which will help overall. To those who think we should let people without insurance die on the side of the road: I hope a pigeon craps on your head.

 

2. Mitt Romney saying people should get as much education as they can afford. I completely agree with the sentiment--you're trying to say that people strive for higher education and spend their money on that. That being said, your idea of what people can "afford" is a bit skewed Mr. MoneyBags. Not everyone collects $200 dollars when they pass go. Most students and their families cannot "afford" to pay for any real higher education, that's why we have these things called grants and loans. As for your suggestion that people join the military and the government will cover the cost of your education--this is definitely not a feasible option for all those students in our country that cannot afford a higher education, nor is it ideal for all.

Also, the concept of, "if you're willing to serve, we can help you" as he puts it baffles me because increasing our rate of higher education IS serving--the more highly educated individual we have, the more economic output they can produce, the happier the general population will be. Either way, this further underscores my concern that Mr. Romney's childhood and subsequent life bathed in wealth has pushed him far out of touch with the "common man." So much so that the small bouts of volunteer work or interactions with the masses cannot mend the gaping hole in his understanding of the life the common folk. A man like this cannot be the President of the 99%.

Sight Seeing in Paris + Travel Tips 4&5

The amazing thing about Paris is that you can be walking around and you'll just walk by a random gothic tower, or a pretty church in the middle of the bustling city...the juxtaposition of the new and the old, the conventionally beautiful and the industrial. For example, we were walking to get a falafel today (by the way, who knew Paris had SUCH good falafel? I didn't, but wow...they do. When you come here, you must visit Maoz, a tiny falafel storefront in the 6th arrondissement,get the falafel and the French fries, you will not be disappointed. Anyways, I digress), and I just looked up as we were walking by a courtyard and saw Notre Dame. It's amazing that Parisians can just look up and see stuff like that all the time!

Our view from the top of Sacre Coeur

Me sticking my head out of the fence on the top of the Eiffel!

Us inside notre dame

Flying buttresses of Notre Dame...Tyler really loved these

Anyways, beyond just eating the amazing food--which is truly, truly amazing--Tyler and I also wanted to do a bit of sight seeing in the basin of history that is Paris. We spent our first few days getting to know our area, and kind of wandering around in awe at the people speaking rapid French, eating crossaints, and never seeming to gain a pound (as well as the extrodinarily well-behaved dogs, and the pretty, pretty parks).

By day 4, we got a little ansy...so we sat down with our travel book and went through each monument, museum, historical sight, or random cool thing that was mentioned in our book and made a list: name, genre, location, rating (1-3) of how much we want to see it, rating of time sensitivity.

For example, the louvre is in Tuileries, we wanted to see it very much (1), but I didn't care when we saw it (3). This was one of the best ideas for us...now we had a document that we could look at and say...hmm, okay, I want to go to the Louvre today, what else is around there? OH! Arc de Triumph...so let's go to the louvre, then this, then this, etc etc. So we minimized the time we spent on the metro, and maximized our overall time enjoying Paris and walking around seeing stuff.

My journal of "crap I want to do in Paris"

Tip 4: Make a list of everything you want to see in Paris

Whether you do this when you get to Paris like we did (since we are spending 3 weeks here, time was not an issue), or you do it at home...just make sure you make a list of the things you want to see in a well-organized manner. Trust me, this will save you time. I'm not the type of person, on vacation, that likes to stick to a super strict schedule, so I didn't make any "At 900 hours we'll do this and at 2100 hours lets rally here" type of plans, just a general list so I could look the night before and say hey, let's do this tomorrow, and here's all the other stuff around it we can do as well.

This kind of leads me into my next tip, so really it's a double-whammy post. Two posts, for the price of one people.

Tip 5: Know What You Like

To Museum Pass, or not to Museum Pass, that is the question. Before you come to Paris, you will here a lot of people talk about this wonderous Museum Pass. Basically, it's a pass that you pay a certain amount of money for, and it allows to visit almost any museum in Paris (and some other things like the Eiffel Tower). The passes can be for 2,4, or 6 days from what I've seen, and have some other perks, like they get you in front of lines at museums (and trust me, some lines at museums can be long). It's a pretty cool pass.

Us at the gates of hell in the Rodin museum

I chose not to get it. When you go on vacation, it's important that you know what you want out of your vacation, given the amount of time you have. For me, I knew that if I got the museum pass I would feel: A) Rushed to squish in all my sight-seeing into a short period of time and B) Compelled to go to museums that I would otherwise have little interest in. I knew I didn't want that--feeling rushed in appreciating artwork (with my novice skills that barely extend beyond "Ohh! Pretty colors, shiny brush strokes!") would only serve to make me tired, and grouchy. Moreover, I knew that if I visited the Louvre, Rodin, and D'orsay in the span of a day or two...the artwork would blend together. So, I didn't buy the pass and I'm quite happy with what I've seen (eiffel, Rodin, Louvre, Sainte Chappelle, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and soon to come--the catacombs!), and I promise...I haven't had to wait in epically long lines, or pay beauchop d'argon (a lot of money).

Tyler inside the Louvre after bypassing a three hour long line into the main enterance by simply using one of the two enterances. We were inside in a matter of minutes rather the hours.

Us looking furtive after we bypassed the crazy long line, AND got into the useum free since it was the first Sunday of the month when the Louevre is free for all!

Basically though, just know yourself and you'll have more fun on your trip. If you know that you want that whirlwind experience--get the pass! It'll be fun and worth it. But if you know that you want to see a few specific things, or you have more time to spread it over, just take it slowly.

 

Mita vs. the Parisian kitchen

Tout a Paris est miniscule. If my French is somewhat correct, the sentiment I'm trying to get across is that everything in Paris is tiny. The apartment in Paris is tiny, the shower is such that I have to you have to literally turn and slide to get in, and the kitchen makes the galley kitchens I was complaining about in Boston apartments looks huge.

A tasty meal of lentils and pasta with radishes,olives, and mushrooms

It's time to face the facts: I have been spoiled by a large kitchen in Texas, with a gas stove, a huge oven, and tons of prep space. Not that I would trade that for living in Boston next to my family, but still, my opinion of "normal" has shifted after two years of being spoiled.

This kitchen is about big enough to fit one person...or more like 3/4 a person. You stand in one place and just turn in order to reach EVERYTHING. To be completely honest, when I first saw it I started laughing and nearly had a cooking melt-down...how was I supposed to cook in a kitchen that small?

Teeny tiny kitchen

For three weeks?! But a cook is a cook...and you cook with what you got! So I pulled it together...and tried it out.

Our tasty meal of cheese, herbed cooked potatoes, radishes sautéed in thyme butter, blue cheese, Comte, olives, toasted baguette, and some rose wine.

After a few spills, a few bumps on my head from hitting it on the same damn cabinet over and over (literally, there is a bump), and one instance of veggies going flying when I tried to be supremely awesome and flip my food during a sauté situation, I'm happy to report that it's not that bad. Except for lacking an oven, it's pretty cool. I have all my spices, my tools, etc. It also has a pretty sweet washing machine in it! Okay, so maybe it's not ideal, but I can make some pretty darn good meals in that kitchen. Don't underestimate what you can make with a pan, some olive oil, veggies, and some spices.

Basically, my point is--don't judge a book, or a kitchen, by it's cover. You can make the most of anything..and make it pretty darn tasty.

 

Paris and the Internet, Travel Tip 3

Have I mentioned that I'm a fan of airbnb? We found the apartment we are currently staying in with ease online, booked it, locate it, access it, and live in it without a hassle. It is exactly what we expected, with no extra hoops to jump through, no giant rats running around, etc. I've loved coming home to our huge windows, a kitchen we can cook in, and the sounds of the 10th arrondissment bustling outside.

A view of the Market on Rue Mouffetard

We have only had one problem: the internet. For some reason our internet was not working when we first arrived. Now of course, me being slightly more tightly wound than Tyler, I immediately began to freak out...running around like a chicken with my head cut off. It was as though the world was ending--no interwebs?!? What will we do? How will we eat?! HOW WILL WE SHOWER?!

Cafe p'tit Louise on rue saint martin

Tyler kindly reminded me that eating, showering, and other day-to-day activities did not actually require the internet, at which point I was mildly placated. After a pastry or...dozen...my rational, albeit sleepy, mind had returned to me as Tyler explained to me that travel did in fact occur prior to the advent of the interwebs. Ahh my lovely husband.

Je bois un double cafe por la rue saint Martin

So we set off to solve this problem by first and foremost contacting the individual through whom we rented the apartment. Simple enough...except we had no phone or internet. Where to turn?! Ahhh...good old McDonalds. You see my friends, despite its many, many, many flaws, Mickey D's has something awesome to offer everyone--free wifi.

Tyler's new jacket!

In the land of pay-for-everything-including-a-tiny-plastic-shopping-bag Paris, free wifi is a silly notion. Until you see those golden arches. We turned to McDonalds and even Starbucks (though McDonalds is more affordable with more reliable internet), to contact the owner, check our e-mail, move money around, etc. We finally have internet in our apartment, but this experience has definitely provided me with an important travelers tip that I would love to share with you...

Maddie C'est ici dans notre apartment!

Paris Travel Tip #3: Find all your nearby McDonalds and Starbucks.



You can be certain these American institutions will retain some vestige of their native country in terms of free wifi. Though you may not suffer our woeful wifi issues, you may well need navigation help during your time in the city. If you have an iPhone or any other smart phone, internet is key--you can save pictures of maps to your phone or even pull up and save directions. One of the most helpful things we have done is save the location of every McDonalds downtown, so that we know where we can get some free wifi if we need it.



 

 

Parisian thoughts

Bon jour tout le monde! Nous sommes a Paris, dans in apartemont petit e mignon! I think I spelled that all correctly...thankfully I can speak more French Than I can write. Either way, I am writing to you from PARIS!

Pictures from the phtomaton in the metro!

The first few days have been a whirlwind of discovery--the bakeries with fresh bread every day, the cafes that serve wine for ridiculously cheap, the cheese...oh the cheese. I cannot even begin to describe what my first taste of chevre in France was like. A totally new experience--I have never had something so rich in flavor, creamy, and fantastically textured before. Needless to say we have beaucoup du'fromage in our fridge right now.

Notre dejuner cafe avec quatre fromage, noix, e un petit salade

So I have a few things that I've noticed about Paris and Parisians aside from the cafes, etc.

1. They're not as rude as people say they are. I had this expectations of Parisians walking around with, well...for lack of a better way to put it, sticks up their ass (pardon my French). But their not. For the most part people have been quite nice to us. You'll have your random rude person or shopkeeper, but nothing like people make it out to be. I will say however, it is much appreciated when you try to speak a bit of French to them.

Je manges à l'extérieur d'une boulongarie

2. Paris: the land of green eyes. I've always wondered where all the green eyes in the world were...now I know: Paris. In the States, I almost never see clearly green eyes, but it's common place here! I find myself constantly staring at someone's eyes, shocked by how green they really are.

Mon beau mari

3. They dress exceptionally well. Initially, I simply thought that all Parisians were just...gorgeous. However upon closer inspection, I've come to realize that it's not the facial structure or anything that separates them, it's the mode of dress. The day-to-day is simply a bit fancier. It is rarer to see jeans and a t-shirt, but instead a cute pair of colored slacks, a nice shirt or blouse, and a scarf fashionably hung around a woman's neck. For men, nice jeans, a casual button up, and a casual blazer. The casual blazer is BIG here for both men and women. Anyways, this leads directly to my next Paris Travel Tip...

Nous sommes a la fete de la musique, 21de juin

Paris Travel Tip #2 Pack few clothes, but nice ones.

Why? Because the easiest way to be spotted as a "tourist" and taken advantage of--either ripped off of worse, robbed--is to look like one. This is especially helpful, I think, if you, like me, do not speak the language fluently.

Anyone that has been inside my closet would most certainly not call me a fashionista by any measure. But when we were packing for Paris, I made a promise that I would pack no more than one bag for 3 weeks, and it would contain travel-able but chic clothes. So I packed 1 fancy dress, 1 simple day dress. 1 linen skirt, 1 pair of blue slacks, 2 T-shirts, 2 tank tops (one formal, one informal), 1 button down shirt, and 2 scarves. These, along with 3 pairs of shoes, provide me with a solid rotation of outfits and allow me to blend in with the crowd.

Additionally--bringing a large purse with a zipper has been super helpful in allowing me to minimize the number of random bags we have to carry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Travel: Paris Edition

Since we drove into Boston, things have been pretty crazy. We had to unpack our overloaded VW, sell said VW, find an apartment, acquire said apartment, and put the finishing touches on time in Paris. 


We finally had a few moments to breathe, and I thought it might be nice to document our little excursion. While we were packing up, I had the opportunity to look at some of our old pictures, and memories...and it really made me realize how important taking pictures are. Or at least documenting memories in some way. Pictures can transport us from time and place to another, reminding us of happy, sad, and in between times. 


This picture, we took in 2010, the day Tyler left to go to his first JAMP program in Dallas. He was driving across the country, leaving Boston for two years, to join me in San Antonio, TX. He drove in the same white VW Rabbit we drove back to Boston in, and it was just as overloaded then as it was this time around. 

Revere Beach, 2010

So when we came back this time around, I thought it fitting that we go back and take a similar picture. A bit grainier, not at sunrise, and a completely different sentiment. It wasn't a bittersweet "see you later" to Boston, but instead an ecstatic "HALLELUJAH! We're BACK!" sentiment. Two years later, married, older, wiser, more in love, and pre-grad students. Some things change, some things don't. 

Revere Beach, 2012

The long and short of it is: I'll be taking a ton of pictures when we go to Paris. I want to experience it, and then be able to look back, holding a picture (or let's be realistic here, looking at a picture online), and be transported back to that time and place. 


Also! Travel Tips! So I usually do recipes, and although we will have a kitchen in Paris, I may be too excited by the fact that I'm eating in Paris to actually take pictures of it, so I'm going to be putting down Travel Tips! First one is below...it's actually how found our apartment! The next time I post...it will probably be from Paris!


Travel Tip #1: Explore airbnb. 


Where to stay is always a question when you are travelling, especially internationally. It can get really expensive, and if you're staying for a long period of time, do you really want to stay in a hostel the whole time? This website is a short term or long term apartment rental website. Basically any where you want to travel, you can find different places to stay, all in different price ranges.  We found our apartment in central Paris for 3 weeks at a reasonable price (something a teacher and a student) could afford. We'll have the one bedroom to ourselves, with a laundry unit, fridge, great view, and stove/oven.