this is my thoughts

So, I actually like medical school a lot.

1. Professors are (for the most part) interesting
2. The science-y stuff is fun- I get to cut out and hold a human heart tomorrow
3. The people I've met here are awesome. Pretty much everyone I've met here is friendly and so interesting. They each have their own stories to tell- I have classmates who did Fulbrights in Africa, worked as professional chefs, worked as firefighters, who had pregnant moms that refused to deliver until the NBA finals were over. There's even a Quaker in my class!

A few months ago, I blogged about how excited I was to move onto a new stage in my life. The prospect of meeting people who were from faraway places and cultures seemed adventurous and inspiring- and I had my heart set on going somewhere far away for school.

So, I ended up in Southern Cali which was actually a lot closer than I had projected. But nonetheless- the geographical proximity was far enough and the diversity ensued. As I mentioned above, my class is full of fresh faces from different backgrounds. One of my closest friends here is from the Phillipines, another is from Florida, and I have a few from LA. I even have a black friend! I HAVE NEVER HAD A BLACK FRIEND BEFORE. None of them are Chinese or are from the Bay Area- which has been a stark contrast from the community I have been raised in for the 22 years of my life.

I like this. Now don't get me wrong. I love Chinese Bay-Areans. But this change of environment and its milieu of people is new for me. I have much to learn from people who think differently from me.

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For the last 3 months I've been living the same schedule. Go to school, webcast, study, study study. Break once in a while to talk to Lloyd, study, facebook, sleep. With all this information I have to retain- I can't fathom how I could change the cycle- it literally feels like every minute I have should be filled with studying.

I talked to a friend at the gym today who has a completely different approach to this beast. He goes to class, finished studying by 5, and reserves weekend for playing, hanging out, and basically having fun. So then I thought "What the heck... FUN???! How can you manage to do that with all the lectures we have to study!"

And then I sat and I thought to myself. What I'm doing- this is not the way it should be. What's the point in immersing myself in this city of LA, full of incredible people... if I'm not going to make time to actuallly do fun things. Yes, I know that getting a good medical education is #1 on my list of "Reasons why I'm here in LA" but to neglect the other good things in life is surely...foolish.