Habitat

So medical school does center around the hospital, but once classes are out and rounds are over, I return to my bling bling crib right next door.

This is where I'm working right now:



































And this is my kitchen and common room:






























From my window there's a wonderful view of Newark's gritty streets:






















All in all, I really can't complain, this is pretty much as good as it gets in terms of student housing. If I crane my head out the window, I can see midtown Manhattan, a mere 10 miles away, but 1 full hour's journey to 33rd street via public transport.

So these streets aren't quite as welcoming as the Big Apple, but at least we have these nice digs we can lock ourselves in. Yes, there is 24-hour security. And a swipe-access corridor to connect us to the medical school.

Do drop by and visit sometime!

Costs

Reflex hammer: $6.50
Sphygomanomometermeter: $51.95
Stethoscope: $150
Books: $500
Tuition: $25,000
7-10 years commitment, 80 hours a week: $??????

It's been quite a long road already, arriving at an allopathic medical school in the US and beginning year one. Quite expensive, too, with hundreds of dollars for the MCAT, thousands of dollars for medical school applications and interview costs, and tens to hundreds of thousands in undergraduate tuition. But all that is sunk now. As I wrap up the first week of medical school, it's not the material costs that worry me. Rather, it's the fear of commitment.

Am I ready to commit the next decade of my life to working in a hospital? Do I have the intelligence, stamina, and endurance needed to study mounds and mounds of facts about the minutiae of the human body? Do I have the patience necessary to work in a hospital while my peers travel the world "out there"? Do I have the compassion it takes to listen to patient after patient, offering them the very best I can?

I'm really having serious doubts. Don't get me wrong, being a doctor is indeed a unique and rewarding career. But now that I'm standing at the precipice, I'm only now realizing that I have cold feet!

Coming of Age

2008 has been a monumental year for China, with its people braving one test and trial after another. It has been a year of growth, a coming of age for the country, and though it has been difficult at times, I believe she has emerged more unified, sure of her identity, and with courage to face the future and her increasing role in it.

Living in Beijing for the past year, I couldn't help but notice similar themes in my own life. Within the tumultuous changes that the country was experiencing, I was undergoing my own personal struggles. When I moved to China, I was quite anxious. It was my first job after college, my first experience living outside of the country (and even my home state!) for such a long period of time, first time being apart from friends and family in an unfamiliar place...The year was far from an easy one, but in many ways rather turbulent. Each trial stretched me to my limits in dimensions I had not moved before, and much of the multiplicative nature of the tests proved overwhelming at times.

But in hindsight, it was a precious time. When climbing a mountain, the steepest sections of slope are also the most strenuous -- life is no different. Looking back, I can see I've grown much, and I wouldn't give away the challenging times for anything. Without times of dryness, God can't give us streams in the desert. And I'm so thankful for the streams.

Much has been written about China and the Olympics recently, much of it critical. Whereas I agree that it's far from a perfect place, I see how much it's changed recently and how much I've matured along with it as well, and I'm hopeful for the future.

Dear Reader

Welcome to the story of the next phase of my life, as I enter medical school and whatever lies beyond!

The name of my blog is shamelessly stolen from Nancy's argenchine page. "Medi" is just about all I know about the field right now, and "chine" refers to that little bit of me which loves that country with the 1.3 billion persons.

As I transition back to life in these good 'ol United States and retreat into the hospital, I invite you to join in and experience a bit of it all with me. I hope you it proves interesting, controversial, and perhaps even inspiring at times. Enjoy.