Between Muscles & Making Friends
Welcome back to another week in my life. This one was not nearly as exciting as the last one since we are deep into the content of MSK1. I actually am enjoying MSK1 a lot more than I thought I would. There is a lot of content to learn, but it does feel cool knowing how the muscles are innervated, their functions, the blood supply, etc. Plus, we learn some pathophysiology as well, so it’s interesting to learn how, why, and when things can go wrong in our bodies. This is also our first cohesive block where each class (genetics, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology) is working on teaching us material related to the same body system, so a lot of the content across classes ties into one another and has some overlap, which makes studying a lot easier. Speaking of studying, I bit the bullet today and bought AMBOSS because my free trial expired. I decided to go big and get the one that will last me through PGY-1 since it was the most cost-effective in the long run. Still, my wallet hurts… Anyways, as you know, most of medical school is spent studying, and that is exactly how I spent most of this week and weekend.
I did make it out to the gym a couple of times, but still not as much as I would like. I say this every week, but every day feels like a decision between studying and gym vs studying and social life. Maybe one day I will crack the code on how people can do more than those two things in a day, but today is not that day. During one of my workouts, I worked out my upper body and quizzed myself on all things muscles. Besides the gym, I also decided I was in need of a little self-care, so I treated myself to a mani and pedi earlier this week. My nail girl was super sweet and so funny, she called me a foreign baddie when I told her I was from Canada LOL. Other than that, I spent most evenings studying and even managed to start a new show called Sterling Point. It’s filmed in Muskoka, Ontario, so I feel weirdly patriotic watching it down here in the US. I am only one episode in, but so far, so good.
On Friday evening, I was lucky enough to shadow a Tulane orthopedic surgery resident at a local high school football game with one of my classmates, as part of exposure to the realm of sports medicine. Tulane is awesome for providing opportunities like this to medical students, and as someone interested in sports medicine, it was awesome to see what it’s like to be a physician on the sideline of a sports game. The game itself was pretty cool to go to. New Orleans and the South in general are huge into football, so the high school game had cheerleaders, a band, and all the Friday Night Lights you’d expect for American football games. The game was also at City Park, which is a beautiful park here in NOLA, so I got to see another interesting part of the city. The actual shadowing part was also super cool. Talking with the resident about their time in medical school vs now as a resident, how they chose their specific specialty, and their life outside of medicine is always something I love to hear about. Like I said, I was also there with one of my classmates, so it was fun to get to know another person in my class whom I haven’t talked to yet.
Another amazing thing Tulane does is this event called Walk with a Doc, which is a monthly event where a Tulane-affiliated physician leads an hour walk in Audobon park, and people (med students, other faculty, residents, undergrads) who are interested in their field can come along and learn more about them. It’s a great way to get outside, get some physical activity, and learn more about various fields of medicine. I went for the first time this past Saturday and got to learn more about child psychiatry from a super cool doctor, Dr. Goodenough. She talked a lot about loneliness and how people who are often surrounded by others can be the most lonely, and about healthy ways to cope and overcome loneliness. Her talk resonated a lot with me as someone who has been feeling that loneliness since moving here, but according to her strategies to help cope, I am doing all the right things, like going out and doing things, talking about my feelings, and doing things that make me happy.
Later that day, I celebrated Rosh Hashanah with my Jewish classmates. We were invited for dinner by one of our faculty members, which was super sweet. She cooked a delicious meal that included some Jewish staples like motza ball soup and challah bread. We also had to have the apples and honey. I have never really celebrated these holidays, so it felt cool to learn more about the traditions and feel like I am a part of it. After the dinner, I went to my friend Mia’s house to play in a Mario Kart tournament. It was super fun because there was a small group of us. While we did play some Mario Kart, we mostly just talked. A lot of them have been feeling some of the feelings I have been feeling since coming here, so it was nice to feel that I am not alone in how I have been feeling. It’s a huge transition for everyone, and finding your people who make that transition easier takes time, but I feel like I am starting to build a really great community of people I call friends.
Then Sunday came along, and I spent the morning playing pickleball (as usual). It was so humid, and we had lots of studying to do, so we didn’t stay too long. After studying, I went to Trader Joe’s and stocked up on my regular groceries, as well as more fall items. Trader Joe’s is genuinely the best grocery store to ever exist. For my fall items, I decided to try the pumpkin brioche loaf and the maple brown sugar butter. If you live near a TJ’s, you need to try this 10/10 combo. You can thank me later.
I then proceeded to spend the rest of my day studying before calling one of my friends from Ottawa. It always feels amazing talking to a best friend, so it felt like the perfect ending for my mostly in my feels week. Now I am once again writing my blog and prepping for another week.
Thank you again for following along, and see you next week. Let me know if you try my TJ’s recommendation, and send any and all TJ’s recommendations to me!
