Mile 24417 + 1204: Shortie: The Final Leg

Above: Oddly found a four-leaf clover in front of the cath lab this month.

I MIGHT HAVE TO BRING
THE WHOLE HOSPITAL WITH ME.

That's what I said when everyone reacted with interest when I mentioned that I was heading south, with fall right behind me.

I'm about to head off to bed, but I just wanted to log that we're 1204 miles in. Tomorrow begins the trip to St. Petersburg, Florida, where my final rotations in Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology will take place. I'm looking forward to it. But first, time to rest, there's 17 hours of traveling ahead. I'll update you on some of my final adventures in Columbus soon, when I get an opportunity to stop on the road.

Mile 2896: Experience the Difference

Above: Nope, I'm not driving in Britain. The Florida Turnpike (right) and I-95 (left) run side-by-side for many miles in South Florida.

CAN YOU WRITE
A LITTLE BIT BIGGER, PLEASE?
My preceptor at my Family Medicine Rotation

(Relax: It might be April 1st, but no pranks here. But this might help.)

I'll admit to you that I was thrown into culture shock as I got settled down in my apartment here in Miami. My apartment isn't exactly in the best of areas (although the accommodations are pretty nice and I'm staying with a friend from high school), and some of the neighborhoods where I'll be driving through were quite sketchy (I wouldn't walk outside here at night). At a point, I started feeling like I wasn't admitting things to myself. I had to finally admit to myself:

I'm a suburban kid who might be afraid of the "big city" concept other than in my hometown of Chicago.

I was scared because of the rumors that I've heard about the horrible drivers, the high crime rates, and the not exactly country-friendly people in Miami. And my doubts about Miami were further hastened when I was assigned for my first two weeks to a private clinic in an area that didn't exactly get "smiles" when I mentioned the place to anybody local. I did a test drive to find my site there, and the environment was different from anything I was used to: numerous black bars were on the windows, people talked through plexiglass at the surrounding gas stations, police cars were patrolling the area left and right, and sketchy-looking trailer homes with poorly-maintained landscaping were prominent. And the kicker: I was the only one assigned there for the first two weeks. On the first night, I took some time that night to remove the CD's, bags, and anything valuable out of the interior of my car.

However, as discouraging as all that sounds, I'll say the first week turned out to be the best mind-opening experience I had to date. What made the difference?

First, time. With each day, I found myself getting used to the area. I found out that driving in Miami takes patience, predicting, and communication. I also found appreciation in the lack of big stores along my route (I could probably call it the Pawn Shop Parade) in creating a community-driven economy. And not to mention, now experiencing an area first-hand that originally I would only want to see through pictures in magazines or newspapers is now something I am truly enjoying.

Second, the clinic & the patients. The clinic I'm working at isn't exactly the most modern up-to-date clinic on earth, but the nurses and the staff treat me well. For instance, as I was leaving today, one of them shouted out the window as they were backing out of the space, Have a good one! It made me smile as this friendly gesture went against my original assumptions of people here in the area. It also surprised me that I've seen my interesting share of cases in a primary care clinic. Folks, the material that's present in textbooks really happens. Last, but not least, the patients I have worked so far with have been extremely cooperative with me, and I'm thankful for them contributing to my learning.

Third, the experience. For the first two-weeks, my assignment was one-on-one to a doctor instead of a larger group of 3-5 students, as in my last rotation. What this provides is some awesome personal attention. As for my attending, she's awesome. She really trusts me, and is patient as I'm still trying to master the art of history taking and diagnosis making. I am able to make the clinic an effective learning environment as she is always accommodating my questions.

As one of the travel program hosts on PBS always suggests (I think its Rick Steves), travel with an open mind. It's true. It's that open mind that helped turn what I thought was going to be disaster into pure pleasure.

BTW - There's a fourth reason: The weather. But that's kinda expected in Florida, so for me, that doesn't count.

Mile 2740: Roadgeek Alert

Above: I am appalled to see so many signs about Dix on the road.
(SB I-57, Illinois Mile Marker 103)

I LIKE YOUR SUNGLASSES...
BECAUSE OF THE GREEN TINT.
Attendant at an Effingham, IL Gas Station

Even with long shifts, eating crappy fast-food, not looking debonair, sleeping on beds that aren't mine, and seeing my eyes dyed a crimson red at the end of the day, I still feel like I'm enjoying where my life has taken me. No, I'm not describing what residency is like: It's how to experience Americana through a road trip.

Whew. 1438 miles done and set.

I've actually made it to my Family Medicine core rotation, which takes place at the Miami Jewish Home & Hospitals in Miami, FL. With only a weekend from the end of my last pediatrics rotation and my family medicine rotation, I've been on a rush to make it from one part of the country to another. However, its good the route is actually not foreign territory, so 2 days went by no sweat.

Our family has visited the state multiple times and are yearly visitors to the legendary Disney World. My mom and dad have accompanied me on these trips, and even when as I was just 6 years old, I was the navigator of the trip, looking through road maps to keep us en route. In 2003, just after getting my drivers license, I added onto my duties, taking over my dad at the helm of our van for my first trip. To me, that drive to Daytona Beach in 18 hours from Chicago was one of my rites of passage.

I ended up loving road trips, and not only for the sights at my destination. I discovered a few years ago that the best way to describe my love for the road is with the term "roadgeek." I'm not alone either. There's many other people who are amused when an expressway comes to a stoplight, a 5-level stack carries cars in multiple directions, or trying to explain how poor designs of interchanges leads to traffic jams. I'm also the type of person when, if I have the time, would stop at every hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and little point-of-interest along the way. And finally, but not least, I love road trips because of the people I meet. On the way down to Miami, I chatted with one of the cashiers at a Wendy's in Georgia, a clerk at a gas station in the middle of Illinois, and another clerk at a Winn-Dixie here in Miami. Learning about how other people communicate and their respective culture can be done most of the time with a simple hello. Just keep the attitude that being on the road isn't just a long car ride. With an open mind, you find out its an awesome experience.

Anyway, tomorrow at 8:30 AM, I begin my next six weeks of the journey... Provided nobody blasts through a red light here and hits me, I should make it to May.