a cold day in may

friday, may 5th. my very last day of medical school. which seems unreal, particularly since graduation is more than a month away. but i just spent 8 hours of my last ER shift waiting around for an emergency call to come in so i can fly on the helicopter. of course, luck would have it that we never got a call. but i still got oriented to the helicopter and got to put on the helmut, sit inside, and look around... it's pretty cool.

as i was walking out of the hospital today, i ran into a future attending of mine. one of my favorite people. "when are you coming to work for me?" he asked. as much as i respect him and love our hospital, i could only think about how my freedom was going to be usurped in 6 weeks. how drastically different my life was going to be. how difficult, frustrating, tiring. yet, i can still muster some excitement and for that i'm grateful.

i'm also grateful because i thought about all the wonderful people i've met since moving to chicago. and all the friends i've had the privilege to meet and know. i would never have been able to survive medical school had it not been for my friends and the joy they bring me. i'm going to miss them. but i also know that they'll always be my friends. there's nothing like the traumatic experience of medical school that could bond a group of people more tightly together. :)

i guess this is it. i'm done. and i'm about to become someone's pediatrician. i don't feel ready at all but i know there are lots of people who will help me through this next phase of Life.