White Coat Ceremony, Part One
As many of you who follow me on social media already know, I had my first white coat ceremony last week! It was such a surreal, AMAZING experience and I'm so happy that my family could make the cross country trip to be there for it.
I dreamed about that day since I was a little girl, and my parents always made sure I knew school came first (even before chores teehee) and that I had whatever I needed to get here. I truly owe it all to them.
This ceremony was more intimate, and there is a tradition where you can choose who you want to help you put on your white coat. Naturally, I chose my mom and dad. When it was finally my turn and they helped me (clumsily cause that's just who I am HAHA) put my arms into the sleeves and straighten it up, I felt a rush of emotion because of the symbolism and how special the moment was. I didn't even care that it felt like 100° under the tent. I will remember that moment as one of pure happiness and gratitude forever.
I know it's probably weird that I keep saying "first" and "part one"when it comes to white coat, so let me explain. Since I'm in a special program focusing on service to disadvantaged populations and underserved communities affiliated with another school, I'm lucky enough to get not one, but TWO white coats! *happy dance* My other ceremony will be at the end of orientation week next Friday, and I'll share a blog post with more thoughts on beginning this amazing journey at that time.
The Big Move ✓
Whew, what a whirlwind! Since I last posted in June, so much has happened. Let me give you the rundown; I finished my gap year with AmeriCorps, packed up my apartment and moved home for a week, celebrated my little brother's graduation from high school, shipped my car, spent time with my family and boyfriend, packed (again *le sigh*) my life into two 50 pound bags + a carry on (which was SO hard), boarded my one way flight from NY to CA, moved into my new studio apartment, ANDDDD started the pre-matriculation for medical school. Needless to say, it's been a little crazy!
It has officially been a week since I moved in and it went surprisingly smoothly. I flew in by myself with everything and I was admittedly a little nervous. It's not everyday that you leave the only place you've ever called home for a new one across the country. My uber driver was super friendly and the staff at the apartment checked me in really quickly. I'm living in graduate student housing and it's fully furnished, which really took off some of the pressure of moving too.
First of all, I LOVE the apartment! Like I mentioned, I have a studio and it actually turned out to be bigger than I thought it would be. It looked like a little closet with a kitchen online, so I was really relieved! Since I'm so far away from family and friends, it was at the top of my list to make it homey and I got started on that immediately. I got a two cute little plants from Trader Joe's and stocked up on some affordable decorations at TJ Maxx and Target.
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| Living Room Area |
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| Jade Plant & Succulent |
More photos to come when I decorate the rest of the place! In the meantime, you can find more photos/deets about my new life in California on instagram or twitter.
Overall, I'm really starting to get settled here already! I'm just waiting on my car to get here so I can get the rest of my stuff out of the trunk (especially my memory foam mattress pad because this bed is um really not too comfortable >_<) and finish up this move for good. Other than that, the area is beautiful, there's so much food and shopping available in walking distance, and I'm seriously not getting over the fact that I live in a place where palm trees grow anytime soon.
As for pre-matriculation, it just started on Friday and it was so great to finally get to meet everyone. We will spend these next two weeks locking down some study skills, getting to know the curriculum and PBL, getting tips from 2nd and 3rd year classmates, and of course, bonding with eachother! It still hasn't really sunk in that I'm starting my medical school journey, but I am (pinch me)! The program will end with a white coat ceremony, and my whole family is coming to visit for a few days to be there. I'm so excited!
Well, that's all for now. I can already tell that things are going to pick up sooner rather than later, so my goal is to post here about every other week at minimum. If I ever fall behind, I'm always on instagram and twitter, so keep in touch with me there!
Have you ever made a really big move? Any tips on life in a new city/staving off homesickness? Comment below!