Friday, May 26, 2006

Travel

It seems I have been days and days in the weird half territory that is airport land. I am currently in my fourth airport in 26 hours. Yesterday morning I arrived at Point Salines in Grenada—having driven myself in my right hand drive Nissan Sunny—leaving my friend Sherri to drive on the left hand side of the road for the first time as she took my car back to campus. I was there early and lines were short because the plane was SOOOOOO small. 65 seats that I counted. One waiting area with three sets of glass doors and signs for gates one two three and four hung randomly across. Not much was available in the way of food concession but there was the Columbian emerald outfitter and all the rum and nutmeg I could ever want. The flight to San Juan was quick and smooth.. we walked onto the tarmac and got through customs and I settled in for what I hoped was a four-hour lay over. We finally left four hours after the originally scheduled time. This of course stymied my plans to see Steven and Kelly in Philadelphia, who were to pick me up at 6 in Newark, wisk me out of Jersey for a civilized dinner in Philadelphia, put me up for the night so that I could come here to the Philadelphia airport for my 9 am flight to San Jose. I knew that the ever diligent and hardworking Mr. S. L. Kenney had to be on the 4:50 Amtrak to D.C. for a 8 am meeting in the pentagon so I was more than reluctant to hold him to his promises to meet me at the airport. When I called Larissa to see if I could crash at her place in New Brunswick she not only offered to pick me up but also offered to drive me to the Philadelphia airport this morning.

One more 4-hour flight later I am in Denver. Having subsisted on airplane airport food for the better part of the last 36 hours I just finished my first baby green salad in a little over four months. I inhaled it. Larissa provided a lovely a lovely refuge—good conversation with someone who knew my stories and who I did not have to explain my story too is something I have been hungry for a long time. All this travel makes me pensive.. I wonder about the strange and ordinary stories that surround me. It strikes me not for the first time that I am a pretty odd duck. Here in my 40s having sold everything and on break from med school for 12 weeks. It feels appropriate to be traveling this long--spending my days in airports in this strange land of sudoku and blackberries.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Week on the beach

It has been a low key week. Currently I am standing under the awning of the beach side food concession next to my dorm. It is quiet, most of the first termers have left—but the Internet is good here and I am attempting to download the most recent episodes of lost and alias so I can watch them as I pack.

The sun set, and hid behind one of the few clouds on the horizon as it did so. I am beginning to pull in upon myself a bit.. pull away from the folks I have been hanging out with here and pull toward friends and family back home I will see starting Sunday. I tried to back out of a viewing the turtle breeding expedition to the north of the island tonight , but the trip fell through anyway and I am exceptionally glad to be sitting here on this beach feeling the breeze. For better or worse my little old rundown room and this stretch of beach feels like home and I find myself reluctant to leave it in many ways. I am going to a Giants game a week from Friday and I haven’t put on as much as a sweater since the 11th of January. It has been so nice to spend time on Grand Anse this week rather than glance back at it as I ride the bus to school. And good to have some quiet days. Very good.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Done!

My last final was frida and I am done!

I got Bs in Anatomy and Histology and an A in Embroyo and am waiting on my final biochem grade. I am a little shell shocked frankly. Friday I hung out on the beach, got a little drunk on Sangria and stood in the surf as I watched the sun go down and the moon go up. Yesterday I had lunch with my old roomate Nichole before taking her to the airport and watched a movie with another friend and this morning I am having brunch with still another. For all that I am feeling a little lost, a little alone without the weight of classes and labs to anchor me down. I leave a week from today.. I can't wait to see everybody.. see my little dog. I wish I could Have recruited ONE of you to come for a visit, but I will work on you for christmas break (December 14 -January 8)

More soon.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Some sort of landmark

I just finished my first final of my first term of medical school. I don't answer or respond to the question "how did it go?" because all the post mortems make me too crazy. I just operate under the assumption that since I intended to mark down only right answers, that is in fact what I did. And I don't look until after finals to find out if something else happened.

My last final is a week from todayl.. I herad for the east coast two weeks from sunday.

Some sort of landmark

I just finished my first final of my first term of medical school. I don't answer or respond to the question "how did it go?" because all the post mortems make me too crazy. I just operate under the assumption that since I intended to mark down only right answers, that is in fact what I did. And I don't look until after finals to find out if something else happened.

My last final is a week from todayl.. I herad for the east coast two weeks from sunday.