Japan

There are so many stories to be told about Japan.

First- the story of my family. Growing up an "only" child - with three half brothers all 14+ years older who never lived with us - family has always been something of which I wish I had more. Most of my grandparents passed when I was young and Dad passed in 2003. So having family around has always been one of my goals. I'd like to end up near them, end up marrying someone with a huge family, and end up making a big family as well. So, going to Japan to visit my brother Scott and his wife, my nephew and his wife, and my niece with Mom was worthwhile beyond measure. Scott has been in the Navy for 25+ years and he was being celebrated at a Change of Command for the USS Lassen in his final days as the commander. It was amazing getting to see him in his professional setting, uniform and all, and hear what his men had to say about his leadership abilities. Spending time with Sonja and getting to really know my nieces and nephew, their personalities, and the type of people they've become was priceless.

My family fights dirty! ;)

Wrapping paper roll ninjas!

On top of that, we were in JAPAN. We went to as many temples as possible. We ate as many different types of Japanese cuisine as possible. And we payed SO MUCH IN TOLLS. Seriously. The tolling is ridiculous.

I don't have near enough time to write any of my stories, but I wanted to share some of the photos. It was like being deaf and blind. The street signs made no sense to me. No one spoke English (nor do I think they should- I'm just saying it was a tad bit overwhelming- my first Asian country). And there are literally people everywhere. There is no alone time except maybe in the temples. And space is a luxury only for the extremely wealthy. Superficiality is an issue there. So is suicide. The children are quite independent at a young age and you will see 5 & 6 yr olds by themselves on mass transit going to and from school. People are very polite. No one talks on the train... no one. It's silent (except for the McClelland family, of course). My favorite temple was the Bamboo Temple (will add pics later). I got my temple book there - which you get monks at each temple you visit to sign- and it's so beautiful signed.

Calm in the Storm

It is incredible to me how far we all have come. I look around at my friends and family and I'm amazed at how old their children are, how mature (ie OLD) we've gotten, and the amazing life stories everyone has now. My own changes every few months and lately, I've felt like I live in a constant flux. For those of you who are my Facebook friend, I apologize for the constant onslaught of photos and updates. But with friends and family all across the world, sometimes I feel like that's the only way I have to reach out to everyone.

So let's begin.

This semester of medical school has been a mixture of 80 hour weeks and entire months off. I spent July studying for the 2nd section (out of 3) of my licensing exam. August and September I was in the hospital almost constantly doing internship-level hours and work (loved it!). October... I can't even remember. I literally have no idea what I did for the entire month of October. Moving on.

November was a challenging month for me. I spent the month in the Intensive Care Unit and traveling for interviews. It was like going back and forth between seeing my entire life in front of me and watching other lives fade to a close. Actually fade makes it seem more sweet than it was. There were pages in the middle of the day, CPR administered, struggling to balance the intensity of the surroundings and the details of what's occurring, the delicate balance of giving information but not hope to the families. I lost two patients in my first 48 hours and I hadn't even had time to learn their names, meet their families. It makes every other patient's case that much more of a light in the day of a doctor bogged down by the realities of death and the understandable naivety of hopeful family members. All I can say is no one expects to die, so please get your affairs in order and talk to your family members about what you want, no matter how old you are.

Opposing that, interviews were amazing. The juxtaposition of these two times in my life was tangible, like a slap in the face. To go from the ICU to flying to NC/CO/WA for an interview... it was surreal. I flew all around the country to some of the best Family Medicine programs in the country [Update: I decided to go into family medicine!]. Choosing to do a lot of interviews was financially burdensome, yet ultimately the best choice. Not only do I feel more confident in my decision to stay in Amarillo [Update: I want to stay in Amarillo, it's my #1 ranked program], but it build my confidence in myself. Going to places like University of Washington and Oregon Health and Sciences University was amazing- I was literally interviewed by some of the best programs in the country, some of the smartest people, and some of the most progressive people in the field of Family Medicine... and they wanted me there. It's unbelievable to me- someone who BARELY got into medical school, who was scared I had forgotten how to study/learn, who was terrified that I was too old to go back to school.  It made me feel (yet again) like this is where I belong, strengthened my resolve. 

UW is my number two place, rank-wise. I loved Seattle. I loved the program and the people. And oh my God if the Pacific Northwest isn't the most beautiful place in the world, then I'm wrong about everything. But in the end, I grew up far away from family, and I just dont want to do that to myself. Mom is turning 68 this year and while she is healthy, I cannot stand the idea of being far away if the unexpected occurs. Another issue... once I started discussing political activism with the UW faculty, I had the sudden realization that I wouldn't be representing Texas anymore. And I definitely didn't like that feeling. So it turns out I am much more of a Texas girl than I ever would have believed.

Pictorial Interview Summary (the pictures are winding, like my life):

North Carolina was gorgeous.

Ran into some friends on the interview trail...

Ft Collins, CO was fun and festive.

And I fell in love with the Seattle and Pacific Northwest again...

Portland and OHSU were amazing as well...

And I ate some of the most amazing food in the world.

Multnomah Falls, OR... I'd go back a million times.

Seriously Kim deserves an award for humor. And gift giving ;)

Also during this time, I turned 28. I still feel like I'm 18, but with a drastic increase in wisdom and knowledge... and a hard earned sense of humility. Geez, life can really show you who you actually are. Yet again though, I was reminded how awesome the people in my life are. I am truly blessed by the people in my life. Bruce and Rick say I attract good people - I don't know about that, but I hope it never changes.

Dawn - a new but permanent addition.

Cole and Miranda... keeping it real.

The boys love LOVE karaoke.

John can't dance to country to save his life- but he makes me happy :)

The residents in AMA will change your life. No really.

This girl. I can't say enough. Catalina, my Colombian love!

In December, I took the entire month off.  Mom and I went to Japan to see my brother and his family during a time of celebration for them. My brother Scott has been in the Navy for more than 25 years and just finished an 18 month assignment as Commander of the USS Lassen. He's being promoted to the Afloat Training Commander in January and it's a good move for him; high level of responsibility, politically important position where he gets to work with the Japanese navy as well. Overall, it's a good move for him and something we're all excited about for him. AND we got to see Sonja, Stormie, AND Skye and Milissa... first time to meet Milissa despite them having been married almost two years. Seriously, it had been too long all around.

I want to do a separate post about Portland- I spent about 4 days there and it was amazing.  I'll probably do one with more details about Japan, as well. Just trying to let everyone know that I love you all and I miss everyone. So much has happened, I don't mean to leave anyone out. Know that I love you and send me a photo of us if you have one.

As per usual, either respond to this or respond to my email and update me with what is going on in all of your lives. I know it's a corny way to keep up with everyone, but I LOVE hearing about your lives. And there have been some major changes for many people in my life- I can't wait to hear about it all!