Back to the Homeland (not Africa this time)

It has been a while since we danced but I have once again picked up my pen. Don't get too excited though, as I only write when I'm on an adventure and yet I am usually too engrossed in my adventures to write extensively or in a timely fashion.

4th year of med school has flown by. Sub-internships followed by applications, personal statements, and interviews accompanied by extensive travel. The last few rotations were painful but finally the end is looming near. This is both good and bad I might add. Closer to being a real doctor (as opposed to a glorified scut monkey that is a medical student) but also closer to the reality/pressure of the responsibilities of an MD.

I stacked my 4th year rotations and even managed to squeeze in most of my interviews without taking many months off during the year. This was all in an attempt to end medical school with a grand adventure. I had at one point or another applied for and/or scheduled rotations and travel in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and the dangerous refugee camps of the Burma/Thailand border. After hearing that my grandmother was sick in India I changed my schedule instead to include a Infectious Disease rotation in Chennai. From there it slowly morphed into a tour of the Indian subcontinent. I convinced 3 of my childhood friends to join me for 2 weeks in Kerala's rainforests/backwaters, Delhi/Agra/Taj Mahal & my cousin's wedding in Chennai. I then joked with another college friend (currently residing in New Delhi) about climbing in the Himalayas and he promptly set up a month long foray into Nepal with a trek to Everest's base camp.

This schedule is probably a tad ambitious but I've always espoused the philosophy (which some look at with disdain) that there is no point in living if you're not continually pushing yourself to your limits. The next 3 months should hopefully continue to expand my horizons.

Last U.S. rotation. check. Rank list complete. check. 7 round trip flights booked. check. Learning how to hail an auto-rickshaw without getting swindled. Priceless.