It is Thursday, February 6, around noon. I leave for China in approximately 20 hours. I think I finally have a handle of the vast majority of things I needed to get done before I left...except for the whole packing thing.
I realize I attempted to do this "blog" thing about 5 times during the beginning of my second year of medical school. Let's just say that second year was pretty busy. Brutally busy. You couldn't pay me any money to retake second year of med school. I remember looking at Pierce after I took Step 1 (my first round of boards) and saying, "If I failed this, I'm dropping out." I didn't fail. In fact, I completed third year and am now almost done with fourth year.
Where has the time gone?
Fourth year is a fantastic year, but has its own set of stresses. You know, like taking two more rounds of boards, interviewing for residencies, and attempting to match into a residency. I'm at the awkward point where all my interviews for OB/Gyn have been completed since mid-December, my match list has been set since a few weeks ago, and now I'm just waiting. And waiting. And waiting. For Match on March 21, to tell me and my husband where we're going to be living for the next 4 years. Then we can buy a house, move, and Pierce can find a job all before I start in mid-June. Or we may just be staying in Indy. Who knows at this point?
The uterus is kind of my thing, ya'll.
If you've never heard of the Match, it's how us graduating physicians find our residencies. You can Google it. I compare it to sorority rush. It's not my favorite thing (clearly, I was never in a sorority). The process is complicated, but I feel like a lot of it boils down to whether places like you or not. Plus, the next four years of my life depend on a computer algorithm.
Enough of the Match before I have an anxiety attack. I decided to bring the blog back to life for my stay in China. I've always wanted to travel abroad and experience medicine in another country. I've been to China, during the summer of 2007, with the UIndy Festival Chorale. It was so very different from the US that I figured, let's go again! Plus, my college roomie and her hubby happen to live near Shanghai (visit time!). So I signed up for a month elective through Sun Yet-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. I get to experience China and work in the OB/Gyn Department at the hospital associated with SYSU, which is so very cool.
The Great Wall of China, which I visited in 2007. Sadly, I don't get to visit it this time!
So here I am! Sadly, Pierce has to be an adult and work, so he will not be joining me. This will be the first time I've ever traveled abroad completely by myself... I may be a tad bit nervous.
And crazy excited!
I may not have access to Facebook in China due to their firewalls and things. I will not have Verizon either. If you want to text me or send me a message, there's a couple things you can do.
Skype me! My username is ebingerjea.
Download the app called WeChat and add me (ebingerjea). This is free texting that anyone can use!
Download the app called Viber and add me (it imports your phone's contacts and I should pop up). This is free texting and calling as well.
Email me! I prefer my IUPUI email address...which I'm not going to post on here. So text me before I leave the country tomorrow or use one of my other methods to get it from me.
Ok, I better go finish laundry and start thinking about packing. I'm probably just going to stay up all night, pack, and tire myself out for the 14 hour plane ride tomorrow. And the whole 13 hour time change thing.
Until next time, from Guangzhou hopefully!
jessica.eae
No comments:
Post a Comment