Windroses on Steths

Just the two of us

2011-06-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

All of June I've had my sister's little bundle of energy under my care. All day. Everyday. Just the two of us.

Parenthood:
After my first week with him I wondered how anyone could possibly do this!
One month later, I can't imagine going through life and not possibly do this.

Holographic Self

2011-06-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

You can want to arrive somewhere, but not want to leave where you're at.

There's nothing better than being at my sister's home and their bubbly little toddler. My departure date is nearing, but I don't like to talk about it, since saying you are going away makes you half invisible and fills the days with nostalgia.

Yes, there's a very big difference between planning to arrive somewhere, and planing to leave somewhere: It means either being a hologram of your self by being physically here but mentally elsewhere, or being fully present.

It's a fine line, but an important one.

I am here, at my sister's home in California, all of June:

Will be here soon, at my parents home in Mexico for July:

If everything continues going well, I should be in Italy in August.

Lucky & Unlucky

2011-06-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

It's been very easy for me to move about by train, and my life is outside the US now, so time passed and I let my California driver's license expire.

Well. Here I am in California for June, and there was an important exam I had to take in the East Bay to send to Italy -emphasis on important- so my first thought was Amtrak!

Oh, but the train was an hour late, which sent me into full panic mode. But if you stop and see, you'll notice there's usually good luck hidden behind unlucky situations, and I in the end I managed to arrive on time despite the delay and get everything done.

Meanwhile, during the wait I had time to take a few pictures.

Notice that Davis is a very green city. There are recycle bins, a sea of bicycles and a train station right next to the UC Davis campus.

I'm shy about photographing strangers, but the train conductors photo bombed my shot.

No, really. I was trying to get a good angle, when one conductor came behind me as the other stepped outside the train.

Energy

2011-06-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

So the documents did arrive, and everything is moving along at the embassy. So far, so good.

Meanwhile, I'm now in California, but I've been on the road a lot whether by car, bus, train or plane, and it felt good, no matter how tired I was, and having to be productive on the road, because of where I was going and what it meant for my life.

After 7 cities in 2 weeks I hit a FULL STOP once I arrived to California to visit a sister and a brother I hadn't seen in 2 years, and I miss having something to do, somewhere to go.

Month's Lesson:

It's counter-intuitive, really, to tell yourself to get up and go when your body really wants to rest, but you'd be surprised.

When energy is low, activities that poke your interest raise your energy levels. Resting does not!

I took both of these images after a storm on the freeway arriving to Puebla, México.

You know Puebla. The Battle of Puebla is celebrated in the United States as Cinco De Mayo!

Burning the Midnight Oil

2011-05-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here I am, still in self-imposed lock down, hiding in isolation at my parents home in México as I test prep. There are several certification exams I need to hand over to the Italian embassy and Milan, the last of which is next week.

Meanwhile, groups of little kids like to stand outside the big brown front door you see below and peak through the cracks in the wood, and whisper to themselves as they stare at me.

Finally, when I get tired of feeling like a locked tiger at the zoo, I either get up and walk away, or if I'm not in a good mood, I walk up toward them since they always scream and run away.

One brave little soul with big round eyes, around 6 years old, did come up to my door to ask me, "W..w..why do you never go out?" Obviously, I've become the neighborhood scary cat lady kids fear.

This is the last week of this. Ah, but of course, my marathon prep session had to go out with a bang. Literally. Walls are being sledge-hammered down, moved and restored. It's noisy and there's a film of dust everywhere.

But in the evening, as the workers leave with the sun, a nice breeze brings relief from the heat, and there's precious peace and quiet. It's my favorite time to do review at our courtyard.

It's hot and there's no sleeping until the summer rains start, which always reminds me of this Italian song from the Soprano's Soundtrack, so I'm going to leave that with you as I sign off...

Welcome to Modern Italy

2011-05-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

This post is for all those who've been asking me why Milan over Rome. To my surprise, some who live in MILAN have admitted to me that they don't know where Rozzano is located.

For those who think they've seen all of Italy, let me tell you ...the country has more layers. Many layers!

There's a suburb of Milan, called Rozzano... that even some in Milan may not know.

It's built on its outskirts, nestled in green.

You can take the subway from the heart of Milan and arrive here.

The city itself is new and modern.

There are gathering places to sit and chat.

Have a Pizza...

Rozzano also has...

a shopping center...

Within a short distance there's yet another park that houses the...

Arts center...

You can enjoy art functions...

Or visit its library...

But this is where I'd prefer to spend most of my day; Studying at the Hospital.

What's more impressive to me is that this Italian city just opened an international medicine program given in English THIS YEAR, so I wrote to them in November to be part of it.

Ah, but that's not all! It has dreams, BIG dreams, for its future.

This project was just approved, and is waiting to start.

The future landscape of Rozzano. Both modern and green.

I do like clean and modern, but I like more its softer side the green. Best of all, its professional side, the medical training program, is quite impressive! Half of those selected for the program must come from outside Europe, and half from Europe, making it a very diverse body.

Rozzano is a good balance for me since I could focus on my profession during the week, and on week-ends travel a short distance to enjoy its other side, too :)

Do cross your fingers for me! I'm right in the thick of filing embassy paperwork this week.

Super Moon

2011-03-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the desk were I'm writing from right now.

It's a warm night, so tonight I opened the curtains and just let the moon beam in...

English as the Universal Scientific Language

2011-02-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

Year, after year I spent pounding over grammar books to be able to study medicine in Italian and **kapow!** the best Italian medical schools switch to English. Three this year.

There is a lot of talk lately about English as the Universal Scientific Language.

The Italian system is undergoing changes. I'm reading newspaper articles calling for all science programs in Italy to be done in English, as a lot of countries in Scandinavia and Europe already do.

Why? Science globalized. There are significant advancements coming from every corner of the world. In order for scientists to exchange information, the language barrier is being eliminated.

On Inviting Others For The Ride

2011-02-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

One time, as I volunteered in a med student-run clinic for the uninsured, a med student with a 10 year-old special needs child was telling us her life story.

Her dream was to go to medical school. --Her husband said "Fine."
She applied to college and was accepted. --Her husband said "Fine."
She did well in college and took the MCAT. --Her husband said "Fine."
She began applying to med schools nationwide. --Her husband said "Fine."
Acceptance letters to medical school finally arrived. --Her husband said "NO!"

Imagining what something might be like, and actually experiencing it first hand are two very different things. When she received her acceptance, he saw the reality of the long road ahead and absolutely refused to come along for the ride.

What's more, he gave her an ultimatum. "It's either med school or me." She went. She began medical school as a divorced single parent to a special needs child.

Another time, a med student's wife was complaining to another that her sleep is often interrupted by his erratic schedule, and he never has time to do his share of the house chores.

They were both very passionate about making it clear that before entering in a relationship and "inviting others to come along for the ride" med students need to realize that it's their calling, not their loved ones, and if they chose to carry a heavy load, it's their load to carry and no one else's, and in addition they must also go the extra-mile for their spouse, not the other way around.

These conversations slapped the entitlement right out of me, and helped me understand why my loved ones weren't as happy as I was that I had open doors to a program in the other side of the world, which would keep me busy, and away from them, for years to come.

As I quietly panic over my workload and the long road still left to travel, I'm trying to be sensitive and not ask others to take on burdens they never intended on carrying... and before "inviting others to come along for the ride," I'm trying to find creative ways to be there for loved ones and overcome the little time and a big distance.

Windroses on Stethoscopes

2011-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

New blog, first post!

Still tweaking this.

K. BRB.