But now I'm back

Well, it's been a while. I feel like I've been less inclined to write and more likely to amass pictures that I want to post. This will probably ring even more true as boards study time inches closer and closer. We are already on Block 4 aka Pathophysiology aka the last block of pre-clinicals! Block 3 was all neuro and psych and totally up my alley. And as the new class started, it really sunk in that we are not the babies of the school anymore. Eek!

Orientation week party for the new kids on the block.

Med school is really hard.

Like really hard. Like so much so that your MS3 friends will bring you treats from their vacation.

In other news, my good friend L from like preschool (seriously) is getting married!!! I'm a little bummed that I won't be able to attend the wedding. It's on the East Coast and it would be nearly impossible with my class schedule. :(

BUT, I was able to attend the bridal shower, which was so much fun! And here are the cupcakes to prove it.

September Break Fun:

Chicken katsu.

Restaurant by my house that I did not know existed. 

Brunch with the fam.

Shakshuka for the win. 

And hot cocoa. Of course. 

I like to eat.

Go HuGE or go home

Orientation this week. While it's been super jam-packed, I am so in love with my school and classmates. I've met about 50% of the class so far and everyone seems so personable and friendly. We are a smaller class than most med schools (104 in our class), so it's very intimate and family-like. Most of the days consisted of presentations and small group sessions to orient us to school policies, introduce important people aka deans and course managers, and just get to know everyone. And every night, the MS2s organized a fun event, like Trivia Night (nope, I'm not competitive at games AT ALL) and a Scavenger Hunt all over Sacramento.

Yup, scavenger hunt. Not your average run around and find hidden items deal. But a full city-wide search of Sacramento gems, like Gunther's Ice Cream, the Capitol Mall, the Art Museum, the Zoo, Evangeline's Costume Shop, and local coffee shops. Oh and we also had to get random people to take pictures with us for $1 and perform on the street corner. No sweat. Twenty-six items to check off in under 4 hours. And yes, my team got them all ;) with pit-stops at McDonald's and buying a bike off of a Craigslist post. Bam!

Our team mascot.

Costume Shop in Old Sac.

Dared to try the wackiest flavor. Rum Raisin.

At UCD, students also get divided in colleges, a la Harry Potter. So I'm in HuGE college, which is, of course, the best one in my humble opinion. [What size is it? HUUUUUUUUUUGE] Blue is a good color, after all. The color of Ravenclaw House, in fact! But to heat up the rivalries among the colleges, the MS2s also hosted a College Olympics this week. I'm talking Tug of War, Sack races, Wheelbarrow races, Water Balloon Dodgeball, and my personal favorite, Watermelon Eating. Translation: I am never eating watermelon again. [Why is there an entire watermelon all sliced up and ready to eat in my fridge? Why? WHY?] Needless to say, these last few days have been ridiculously fun.

Our awesome House t-shirt.

College Olympics with our amazing school in the background. [Photo credit: VL]

Most importantly, I got inducted into medical school, white coat, stethoscope, fancy badge, and all. The school put on a nice ceremony to officially welcome us into the fold. All med students receive white coats before starting this journey. But UCD likes to present its students with our first stethoscopes as well, as a symbolic gesture, which is super cool. [Fun Fact: the length of your white coat determines how far along you are in the field. So med students have short white coats, residents have medium-length coats, and attendings wear long coats.]

Sibs. My, he looks happy.

It's going to be a kick-ass four years. Classes start tomorrow!

Welcome to the real world...sort of

First blog post! Cause for some celebration, I think.

Med school orientation begins in less than four days! In order to capture the journey over the next four years and beyond, I decided to start this blog. I hope to look back some time in the not-so-distant future (or maybe sometime far far away) and reminisce over the small details I may have forgotten, chart my growth throughout my studies, and most importantly, laugh at my MS1 naïveté.

I've titled this blog "the scrub life" in order to encompass all things that might be related to my adventures as a med student. This includes books that I have read (yes, other than textbooks) and recipes that I attempt which turn out reasonably well, i.e. are edible and presentable to people other than my mother.

Here we go...but time for some ice cream first.