With new classes under way and the spring creeping up behind the winter cold, Sinai is beginning like a whole different place. People are smiling despite the increase in work. People are going to the park more often to relax, as have I. Central Park is one of the big reasons why I came to Mount Sinai. Although most people wouldn't identify me as an outdoorsy person, I really do enjoy fresh air a lot. I actually just went rollerblading just a couple of days ago. Yes, rollerblading. On my way back I ran into a few people in my class and we began to talk. One kid asked me,
Kid: "So what's the hardest part about rollerblading?"
Me: "Going uphill sucks a lot. I really get discouraged going around Central Park because its so hilly. Every time I go down once I have to go up again. There's just no break for me. And I sweat a lot so that can get in my eye sometimes, and I always have this crazy fear that a pebble is going to get lodged in my wheels and I would eat it while going fast and break my face in on the asphalt."
Kid: "No, it's telling your parents you're gay."
Nice.
Only a week ago I was in Florida for my Spring Break. It's always different going home now that I'm in school here. People ask different questions than they used to when I was at UF. At UF the conversations went something like this:
Person: "What are you majoring in again?"
Me: "Biochemistry"
Person: "Ouch. I'm going to get a drink."
But now the conversations tend to go more like this:
Person: "Have you dissected anyone yet?"
Me: "Yea, why?"
Person: "Like you cut it up real good? What was it's name?"
Me: "Charles was his name...but that was last semester, this semester's been interesting too. Physiology blew my mind sometimes."
Person: "Yea, but how did you know his name, and did you have to cut his privates? Wasn't that gross?"
Me: "It was underneath the body, but again that was last semester. Now I'm taking microbiology among other classes which is very different."
Person: "I'm gonna go get a drink..."
I can't blame them for taking an interest in cadavers. It's a pretty amazing thing. All I know is that people are much more interested in my political opinions and my medical education than people ever were.
Since it was Passover over my entire break I was extremely limited with what I was allowed to eat. I never realize how much our lives depend on food until Passover rolls around. Yes, there's Yom Kippur when we're not allowed to eat anything, but that's just one lonely day. Passover is 8 1/2 days of restricting yourself from eating or drinking anywhere unless it's been certified Kosher for Passover, which of course is never the case.
So I spent the first couple nights of Passover in Miami with the family and then drove up to Gainesville for the rest of my break to spend the rest of Passover with my girlfriend. I knew that if you took the drinks out of Gainesville you rape the city of its true potential...so of course I brought backups (see right).
Of course these drinks tasted less than desirable but they did the trick. And they saved me money at the bar when I brought them along with me.
Gainesville, believe it or not, has fantastic restaurants. My favorite sushi restaurant is in Gainesville, not NYC. There's something about ordering appetizers when you're outside on the lawn of Swamp with a big pitcher of cheap beer to wash it all down. None of that could happen this time though. Instead for me it was Peisachovka and matzah in a ziplock bag. De-lish.
I still had a sick time though. I floated down Ginnie Springs with great people and got to spend plenty of time with Sam. Oh, and I met Tim Treebow:
<---Tim Treebow and I
Medical school has done a wonder to relationships as long as medical schools have been around and my class is certainly no exception. Most people came into Sinai with significant others. Some were living with them in couples housing (a great way to get nice housing for 2 people without having to pay a lot in Manhattan), some had their significant others in NYC, and others have to maintain a long distance relationship. There's no doubt in my mind that most of the people who have broken up were in the latter position, for obvious reasons. The usual reasons had something to do with not having enough time to visit every weekend or to talk on the phone when there's a big test the following day.
By this point though it seems as though most of the people who would break up already have. It's a weeding out process, just like any other. So for any of you looking to make a big decision about your relationship because your moving, all I can say is that it's important to give it a try. Everything will unravel on its own if you just let it.
Some students here swear that they'd never, ever hook up with another medical student so as to avoid the high school drama that happens when people in the same institution hook up. Others immediately gravitated towards one another and are still together. I met a few alumni who came as couples to a revisit weekend who met because they were in the same medical school class. One word to describe the whole hook-up situation here at Sinai for the class of 2013: boring.
This is a good thing though...since nobody likes high school drama.
My summer plans have also started to take shape as well - looks like I'll be in NYC for the better part of it after going away with the family. I'll be doing research here at Sinai in the World Trade Center Study looking at asthma prevalence in rescue workers. Sinai really stressed making use of my Summer instead of just wasting away in a living room playing video games for two months. I'm excited to do a project that I can actually finish and also super excited to be in NYC during the Summer, which I hear is fantastic. Just like I said earlier about the spring, the summer brings out the smiles in people. Central Park hosts Summerstage which holds free concerts with awesome bands. People go out in shorts and flippy floppies and miniskirts - and its a beautiful thing. Hopefully it wont take me until then to write in this forsaken blog.
