The happenings of 2006 - extended version

as promised, here's the fleshed out version of my life this year... actually, more than that, it's a reflection of my time living in nyc - which, quite amazingly, has passed by with a blink of the eye... ok, ok, so this is really cheesy, but i actually came up with 10 sub-categories pretty easily, so i'm just going to run with it. ;) so here goes!

Thankfulness Countdown, 2006

10 My Graduation - after 4 lonnnnng years, the last of which was my favorite by far (if i could be a professional 4th year med student, i'd do it in a heartbeat. ;), i finally graduated. hooray! :) my favorite pictures are the ones of my mom and dad trying on my cap and gown, though, heh heh. :)

i had my graduation dinner with four of my med school buddies - carolyn, cindy, jason, and steve. i just heard recently that carolyn and jason, who are doing their internships out in LA, are finally a couple - woo hoo! :)



These four years were realllly long - filled with ups, downs, tears, and laughter. it's one of those things where i'm really glad i went through it, but i wouldn't want to do it again! i'm really thankful for all my role models - Dr. Bogdonoff, Dr. Konopasek, Dr. Mtui, Dr. Ogedegbe - whose passion for teaching, for medicine, for ethics, and, most importantly, for patients continues to inspire me.

annnd, of course, the cool and random resources this school has - like this winter wilderness/emergency medicine training program i got to go on. of course, it was the only time that i thought i was going to shake myself to death via shivering, but it was also one of the most memorable moments of my life - snowshoeing, riding the zipline (a redeeming moment for me - i was one of the few kids who didn't make it up to the zipline in 6th grade, and i always felt marked as a failure... but yay! God gave me an opportunity to erase that wound. praise Him! :)

9 the residency whirlwind and the infamous MATCH... i once told a friend who, in good faith, advised me to "consider all specialties, including radiology," that "i will never do radiology" . ha ha, last laugh on me. i finally decided last april that i was going to spend the rest of my working life in a dark room - heh heh. this decision in itself was a difficult and drawn-out one - i honestly didn't expect it, as i came to medical school expecting to be dr. macgyver, out in the woods, practicing with one syringe and a small bag-ful of medicines. i questioned my motivations repeatedly, but what God wanted, what i wanted, all culminated in this decision.

so, i will be heading to massachusetts general hospital to complete my radiology residency this coming July (all God's doing as well. i was really resistant to going there for some reason. then, of course, my mom says, "well, since you have such a bad impression, why don't you give it a chance so you can see if your conclusions are valid?" sooo, i went for an elective. and know what? i loved it, of course. the attendings and residents were all so smart AND yet SOO down to earth. then, i serendipidiously got to work closely with some of the top people in the department and program - who still remembered me when i came back to interview like 4 months later! in fact, 2 of my 3 interviews were with faculty who i had already worked with. what, . 4 more long years ahead of me, back in Boston, for which i have mixed feelings of apprehension and excitement. :) i know God has a plan to prosper and not to harm me, but the unknown is always a bit scary. help me, God, to dive straight in - because i know you are waiting on the other side for me! :)

8 Internship at Lenox Hill... i thank God most days (heh heh) for placing me at Lenox Hill - i really do love it. i enjoy my co-workers, i love the ancillary staff, i adore the nurses...
i'm learning a lot too - not only medical knowledge, but about how to navigate people, situations, and myself. last week, though, i was starting to feel a little short on empathy. in the beginning, no matter what a patient would say, i would be all there, trying to rectify every little situation. however, now, i often shrug and move on. i was disappointed at how quickly i've become jaded - although maybe my resident is right - it is just a defense mechanism (that doesn't make it ok though! ;) a co-intern once said, "patients care about three things: poop, sleep, and food. if you keep them happy in those three areas, they hardly complain." i would say that's true about 75% of the time. i've got about 4 months left until i get a true vacation, and i will need God's grace more than ever to get through until that time. Lord - i am at the end of me, but Lord, help me to remember Your promise - that You are at my workplace already - i simply need to join You there in what You're already doing!

my awesome co-interns like rachel (isn't her daughter josie soooo cute!? :) and liza keep me sane at work. :)

7 Biking Adventures... :) sooooooooo, i bought a bike this year, and i love it. love it love it. i had one biking trip with my friend across manhattan to buy tickets at lincoln center my first year in medical school. it scared me so much i swore i would never do it again. welllll, now i've totally rebounded. :) i want to do a bike tour before i leave nyc, but i'm not sure that's going to happen. oh well! it was worth getting anyway. my favorite trip thus far was biking across the GW bridge - i felt like i was flying! :) annnnnnnd, even the court expereince was ultimately good - not only for again, humbling me, but also for helping me to understand a tiny smidgen of what it feels like to stand in judgment...

ok, ok, so there is somewhat of a personal agenda in me putting up this picture again, but you'll have to excuse my one little bit of propaganda... ;)

i LOVE, the GW bridge!

one of our crazy rides to brooklyn...

our bikes! :) mine is red, angie's is blue

6 Retaking Anatomy... the way my schedule worked out i had pretty much April on free. i had considered going on a international elective, but then i felt like God telling me to stay in NYC. i'm sooo glad i did, because i had the priviledge of working with the first year class for four months as they blasted through anatomy. i thought i would like teaching, but i never expected to love it so much. call me weird, but i had such a fun time spending hours in the lab, prepping, teaching, reviewing, and, most of all, getting to know all the students. :) they were a blast! :) plus, learning from Dr. Mtui was definitely a valuable experiences in itself... as well as goofing off with Mike, Charles, and Crandell. :) watching my students learn, enjoy learning, and excel gave me soooo much joy -i want to spend my life teaching!

5 Spiritual food... i've been totally spoiled this year - by sooo much good teaching, and actual time to go receive it. first and foremost, Redeemer. not only Pastor Tim Keller, but also his wife Kathy, all the support Pastoral Staff, the Counseling center, and other volunteer School of Gospel Foundations teachers. i've lost track of everything i attended this year - a counseling seminar on resolving conflict, gender roles talk by Kathy Keller, Paige Brown's 7-week Biblical History class (where i also got to meet Sharon Sayre - a co-YWAMer, whose third sentence to me (after "hi" and "how are you") was "what's God doing in your life now?" - i didn't even know her name until like week 3 or 4! ;), the fellowship group leader's training course, the Gospel and the Community seminar by Tim Keller, and medical fellowship talk about death and dying... then i finally joined Bible Study Fellowship this year. i caught the tail end of Genesis, which was very good - but this year's Romans study has been phenomenal - helping me to claim the victorious life that God has already won for us through the cross and His resurrection. thank you, God, for all this Spiritual Food - but with all this knowledge comes soo much responsibility. help me, God, not to be the guy James talks about - who looks in the mirror and forgets what he looks like when he looks away. help me, Jesus - to live out Your Word, and to worship you in Spirit and in Truth!

4 catching up... This year I have also had the chance to revisit with old friends. MIT and my college years seem so faraway now – and I am a really different person. my relationship with my college friends as also changed and matured - they are all such amazing people, and i feel so lucky to know them! The cool thing is, we have all changed, yet when I am with them it feels as if nothing has changed. :) I imagine it will be the same way when we are 50 or 80 years old!

i went to a conference in San Diego, so i got to see Yining and Vivian. :)

Judy came for a wedding over Labor Day weekend, and we got to hang out. we went to see Avenue Q - sooo hilarious, i would definitely recommend it for any young, single person, especially if you live in NYC! :)

Elisa came to visit me at the hospital on Thanksgiving Day. :)
Angie (MIT) also came to visit and stayed over with me (don't have pictures :( ) - but i'll get to hang with her for SURE next year in Boston. :)

3 a home in NYC... Madelene L'Engle wrote in her book on friendship a quote that goes something like this, “I need all my friends in the world, because they each complete me in a little different way." Thank you, my dear, dear friends - for sharing with me the love of Christ!

andddd, thank you God for my apartment. i love it sooo much. even though it devours my salary, it is exactly what i hoped for - a place to bless, to bring together, and to love on God.

2 Dad, Mom, Jai, Berhan, Kaitlyn, Brandon, and Karynna... :) i've been through a couple of stages the past two years. first, i had to grow up and become my own person. that required a painful cutting of the umbilical cord from my parents (at the age of 26! aiyah! :). but now, i think our relationship is much healthier, and i also realize how lucky i am to have parents who love me unconditionally and always support me. my sister is my greatest fan and my hero. :) and my bro(-in-law) - who i've known since i was 12 - and who can commisserate with me about the frustrations of medicine :). my best buddy kaitlyn - who never fails to make me feel special. and brandon, who smothers me with hugs and kisses. last but not least, karynna - who finally looked at me last month in the eye, cocked her head, and said, "ah ee?" (chinese for "aunt"). i almost cried. luv u all, my dear, dear family! :)

1 My Lord, Savior, and Best Friend, Jesus Christ, who never ceases to amaze me. ok, ok, so this sounds really cliche - but it's TRUE! hee hee. if you had asked me back 5 years ago if i thought my relationship with God was still pretty superficial or if i was unhappy or if i was immature, i would have said "NO" to all three... yet looking back, now that i know Jesus more as my Lover, that He has helped me to claim the freedom He bought for me, and that He has repeatedly humbled me, my perspective is much different... and what excites me even more is that 5 years from now, i'll hopefully look back and say the same thing. :) yayyy, freedom in Christ! in my heart rings the cry of Reepicheep (the mouse) in The Last Battle (by C.S. Lewis) - "Higher up, and further in!" Yes Lord, here i come!

MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)