checking in.

written as an e-mail...sometime last week

I am now three weeks into residency and almost done my first block of internal medicine. Overall I am really enjoying Prince George. Our house is slowly coming together, and most spare minutes and bits of energy we have spent cleaning or fixing various things, scavenging for free or cheap used furniture, and generally getting set-up. I keep thinking that there will come a time in my life when doing all these house chores and errands will make me crazy or bored, but for now I am contented to be nesting. I find that I enjoy the simple tasks, and Kyle and I both are happy to putter around and create our new home. Last weekend (our first one off) we really turned the corner with our furniture situation, and most rooms are looking like someone lives in them now. Having more space is so nice, and we LOVE having the yard. Our raspberries are really coming to life since we arrived and started to water them, and we are going to have more apples than we will be able to eat/process in the fall. I really do love apples, so I am really excited about that. The guest bedroom is the project for this weekend, so anytime you want to visit...

Other than our various errands, we haven't really had the chance to explore the area. I keep hearing about all the fun outdoor activities, but we haven't had the time to check it out too much. We are going to a 'river float' down the Nechako on Sunday and we joined the YMCA last week! I hope to get on my bike a little bit soon, apparently there are some good rides out to the lakes surrounding town, and there seems to be lots of residents and med students who are into being active.

The resident group we are a part of seems to be pretty like-minded, and we are getting along quite well. We have been having Friday get togethers, and there is talk of a knitting group in the works! The girl that is the other resident on internal medicine right now and I get along very well which is so nice. We have have plans for spinning at the gym together, and her fiancee has come out to play ultimate and hang out with Kyle and Cortney. It is so nice to have Trish and Cortney here, who make it feel more like home (we have dinner together a couple times a week). We are certainly going to miss them next year.

The start of residency itself has been very positive and overwhelming! I LOVE the Prince George Hospital. The staff has been so friendly and helpful which is such a welcome change from Vancouver, I don't even know if I can articulate how much I appreciate it. It is so wonderful. Also, the medicine has been quite varied and interesting, I feel like I am learning a ton. It is overwhelming sometimes to deal with the change in responsibility, but I have a way better perspective now than when I started my third year. I am prepared for low times, and hits to the confidence, and I know that they will come for certain, and they will also pass for certain. All the challenges are the same as in med school, but the benefits of knowing your way around a hospital (any hospital), and the accelerated learning that comes with being a little more autonomous is amazing! Scary and good, I guess that is what I expected! It is a much better headspace for me this time, even though I have confirmed once more that I do not like internal medicine very much! I am having to just take one week at a time though, because when I think if how tired I already feel, and know that I am going to be this tired for the WHOLE YEAR it gets me a little down. Our schedule is way crazier even than in 3rd year. whooo. On Monday I start peds.

My computer died shortly after arriving, and my new one is not set to get here until next Friday, so that has been kind of frustrating...also expensive. It is hard to stay on top of my e-mails and harder to send all my new contact information out without it. I did get my first paycheck last week though!

So, all in all we are doing well here. I am doing well here, and I am really pleased that we will be training in PG for the next couple of years. It seems like a great community, and a fantastic medical community. I have been so busy that I have only had a few moments that I have slowed down enough (and not fallen asleep) to think about missing home, but I do of course. I miss knowing how close I am to everyone even when I don't have time to get together, and I miss the convenience of living in the city, and I miss the sushi! I am excited about our new place and stage though, and the space and pace of being out of the city is a welcome change (just wish they had an IKEA up here!) I am excited to have visitors to come and see it and share it with us!