Yo estoy asentada.

I finally started on my personal statement.  I got as far as one sentence and stopped.  Periodically I’d return throughout the week, open the word document, and those seven black words would stare back at me off the white page, “I have no idea what to say.”  Eventually I got over myself, regurgitated something onto the page and sent it off to a friend saying…Help!  Hopefully between the two of us we’ll be able to produce something acceptable.  

When I moved into my studio the toilet didn’t exactly…behave, shall we say.  Since then we’ve come to an understanding., and, well….it works now.

My building is just across from the entrance to my hospital’s emergency room.  This means I know when each and every ambulance arrives.  I first hear them as they cross the intersection before arriving at the hospital.  I don’t mind the Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!  But the majority don’t Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!  Instead they just repeatedly bump the siren making more of a Wa. WaaWa.  Waa. Wa. Wa. Wa. WaWaWaa.  And it rather annoys me, but I figure most would prefer the staccato whine over the full out cry so I guess it is what it is.

To throw out garbage in my apartment building bags can be thrown down an incinerator chute which run the entire height of the building.  On my floor the incinerator chute happens to be up against the wall of my studio and every time someone discards the chute closes sending a clang echoing through my apartment.

You know how when you’re in a new place you hear a bunch of sounds but as time develops you don’t recognize the sounds as much as you’ve become desensitized to them.  I have actually spent time at night just listening, trying to recognize what all the new sounds are and perhaps speed up the desensitization process.  I’m not sure if it’s worked.  Most sounds have faded to white noise, but I still hear the incinerator chute clang.

On our way home from the medical college the other day, I noticed the traffic starting to back up and a sign announced an accident on one of the connecting roads we take.  I made a quick exit and took an alternate route home all without even slowing down.   I patted myself on the back for that one.  Getting more used to these crazy NY roadways and traffic.

Hasta!

Yo estoy feliz alrededor de mis hermanos y hermanas.

I went to Connecticut for the weekend and returned Sunday night absolutely exhausted.  To be honest I originally was a bit apprehensive about the idea of showing up at a random church where I didn’t know anyone, but a friend got me in contact with a friend, Steve and Dorothy Viens, and I was set.  Even went to the Rockville young group on Saturday night with their daughter Rebekah Viens.  Once again I was apprehensive about the prospect of attending a young group function.  I realized I hadn’t attended such a function…well…probably since my last ISU Bible study, and I felt horribly out of practice.  Rebekah patiently answered my bazillion questions on proper yg etiquette for Rockville, and I survived it all, knee-knocker singing, snacks every 30 minutes and all…, and by the end of the evening I was on the yg email list!

I have to say that Rockville officially joins Chicago in a being a church of shining hospitality.  Everyone in Rockville is so friendly, so welcoming.  They really are family.  I was a bit shocked at just how large the Rockville congregation is.  For some reason I was expecting it to be smaller.  So I met lots of Bahlers and Reutters and Gerbers and many many more.  In addition, it seems my cousins doubled in the stretch of just this one weekend.  Only in AC world would 2^nd cousins – once – removed and 3^rd cousins be tickled pink to meet you and call you family. 

 On the drive home I tried singing along with the radio and my throat was so sore.  I fear my vocal cords are out of shape, and after 1 ½ plus hours singing on Saturday and at least 45min more singing on Sunday they were kindly asking me to give them a break.

And finally, New England country is absolutely gorgeous.  And if it’s gorgeous now…I am most looking forward to the New England fall.  I haven’t had a Fall season in four years.  I am quite excited.

Rebekah drove me up to see the view from the top of Fox Hill overlooking Rockville, Ellington and Hartford is over to the left in the distance.  Definitely going to have to return to this view in the Fall.

Went with the Viens on Sunday to a picnic by a pond.  I loved the New England area from the moment I stepped off the plane in Boston last summer, but....I'm liking it more and more!  

Come visit me and you'll understand why! :)

Hasta!

Yo estoy caliente.

The windows of my studio face East.  The sun wakes me up well before I need to each morning.  Definitely not used to that.  I used to enjoy waking up with the sun, but then I got used to waking up first and now all I can think about is how difficult it is going to be when the time changes and I have to adjust back to waking up before the sun again.  A benefit to East facing windows is, however, that I don’t have the glaring New York sun heating up my studio right now.

Our training/review courses are underway at the NYMC campus in Valhalla.  At our orientation Monday morning not only did they hand each of us our own completed schedule for the whole year, but in addition we received a packet of which I am going to quote for you the first sentence. “This Guide is to help you understand both what we expect of you during your rotations as well as what you can do to make your rotation run more smoothly.”  And those were only a small part of the whole orientation binder we each got.  I might as well have been told they were refunding my tuition for the year…I couldn’t have been more thankful.  Definitely not in Kansas anymore Toto! 

Finished ACLS/BLS today so I am now legally certified to send 360 joules of electricity coursing through your body.  Talk about a JOLT!!!  Don’t worry…I’ll only do so if your heart tells me to. ;)  

Can’t say I feel at home yet here in my studio apartment and probably won’t for awhile.  Unfortunately about that time I’m scheduled to be away.  I have my first away elective scheduled in 4 weeks.   In other words I have to research residency programs, make my list of options I’m interested in, and then proceed to call them about letting me visit for four weeks.  And I have to do it all, like, yesterday.  I’ve gotten to the beginning of the phone call step and so far nothing but, “Sorry, you’re home school is in Mexico…we can’t accept you.”  Lord, this would be so much easier if you could just tell me where, hmmm?  Because right now I feel like I hang up the phone, look at my list and depressingly think, where do I want to be rejected from next.

On another depressing note: I already knew that we have to wait until after this year to receive our actual “titulo” from UAG, which I had assumed was the M.D.  Well…..I had assumed wrong.  We learned the other day our “titulo” is issued as DMS (Doctorate of Medicine and Surgery).  We can work on a DMS, but eventually we’ll run into problems as people don’t know what a DMS is.  Meaning….more hoops for us to jump through.  Once we have our DMS we’ll have to additionally complete a specific application to get the MD.  

Hasta!

Yo estoy en New York!

I'm moved.  I guess you could say I'm settled in...just spent the last two hours doing online training modules in preparation for this coming week.  I've got more to do, but decided to take a quick break.  I've located one of my GDL classmates in the same building as I; so I'm currently sitting on his floor using his internet. 

I enjoyed the move out here.  And enjoyed the time with my parents.

Waiting for them to cross Park Ave., aren't they so cute! :)

Times Square.  The previous night we were there but couldn't get on the bleachers as they were filming 'Project Runway.'

Central Park....well one corner of it at least.

And last but most definitely not the least.  NEWSIES!!!!!!!!!!  When you're King of New York the world is your....little clam thingy with the pearl in it.

May the Lord be ever before my feet.

Hasta!  (Thought just crossed my mind....should I sign off in English now?  or keep with the traditional hasta?)

Yo estoy porque yo soy.

This blog post is a long time in coming.  About 4 years late in coming in fact.  Why did I name my blog "Yo Estoy"?  But I figured better late than never, and since I didn't explain when I moved to Mexico might as well explain when I moved back.

For those that know Spanish I apologize if I do a horrible job explaining, but I'm definitely not a Spanish teacher.

Back in 1st or 2nd year Spanish, when you finally get to learn verbs, the first (so it must be the most important) is ser (translated: to be) then immediately followed by estar (translated: to be).  Yes, Spanish has two words for the verb 'to be', making it's own argument for why Spanish is a harder language than English to learn.  A Mexican, who learns Spanish verbally, can correctly use them both without even knowing why they sometimes use ser and other times estar. (I've actually explained it to them before.)  But us, being those who learned Spanish from a textbook, learn that there is a set of rules dictating when to use ser and when to use estar.  In other words, in the Spanish language, what kind of 'to be' you use sends a message in addition to the simple 'being' action you want.  In a sense, it describes the 'be'. 

To use ser and estar in the past tense a completely different set of rules dictates when to use which one, so even though I'm going to explain the basic presant tense rules just know that even though to a certain extent they can, they can't exactly be used in the past tense.

The most basic way that I remember when to use ser and estar in the presant tense is by length of time.  Estar is used for something that is currently happening but has an end point, or used for a current state of being that will change.  Ser is used for something that is a permanent sate of being.  In an even more simplified explanation, estar = change, ser = permanent. 
Examples:
Yo soy niña. - I am a girl.
Yo soy cristiana. - I am a Christian.
Yo estoy escribiendo. - I am writing.
Yo estoy cansada. - I am tired.


When I choose to name this blog "Yo Estoy..." and it's URL yo estoy en mexico. I was admitting up front that I where I was going and what I was doing was not permanent.  What I am today is not necessarily what I will be tomorrow.  Where I am today is not necessarily where I am going to be tomorrow.   Four years ago, by naming my blog "Yo Estoy..." it was almost as if I subconsciously knew that the road that lay ahead of me was full of change.  That who I was when I moved to Mexico was going to somehow get left behind and who I emerged as four years later was going to be someone different.


For the most part I titled my blog posts along those same lines, "Yo estoy..."  Maybe only about 1/4 of the time did those sentences actually relate to the content of the corresponding post.  Sometimes I just put an emotion I was feeling at the moment.  Other times I couldn't think of anything to put so I just put the first random adjective that popped into my head.  On rare occasion I would try to say something with the title that perhaps one would only understand what I was trying to say if you'd learned Spanish from a textbook like me.  
For example the title of this particular post.  Yo estoy porque yo soy.  Literally translated: I am because I am.  But taking into account ser and estar, what that translates as to me (not literally): I am able to be me because I know who I am. I am able to constantly change, allow God to continue to mold and shape me because my core is permanent.  Without a ser, without a firm foundation, in my opinion it is virtually impossible to estar.  Because without knowing who you are how can you define yourself or know what you are changing from or into.  


I suppose I didn't have enough long term insight when I made the URL 'yo estoy en mexico', because even though I am no longer in Mexico I still stand by my initial reasoning behind "Yo Estoy..." and therefore will continue to use this blog as I move onto the next stage of my life in New York.  


Hasta!

Yo estoy bien ocupada.

Took a trip recently.  Me, my buddy Jesus, the wheel and the open road.

2:00 AM  Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to hit the road.

6:10 AM  So thankful to see the sky start to lighten.  I was definitely startin' to nod off.

7:15 AM  Thankful to see the sun burn through the clouds.  It was quite chilly at the higher altitude and no sun.

9:40 AM  Road for miles, but always something beautiful to fill the view.

10:00 AM  Oh Lordy!!! Middle of the tollroads and no hint or sign of an exit nor gas station in sight.

10:30 AM  Time for a Pepsi Kick!  

11:10 AM  Rolled the window down to pay a toll....it only made it 1/3 of the way back up.  Just happened to be driving through a rain storm at the time.   Oh the irony!

12:30 PM  Time to get my car ready to cross the border.  Unfortunately changing plates ended up being a job much more complicated than I had anticipated.

1:00 PM  We (a gas station attendant came over to help me) finally got the front plate off and the new one half on.  But the back was not budging.  The most creative I could offer was to break the screws and I could buy some new ones.  Yes..I realize now that wouldn't have worked.  Study the picture below.  Can you tell how a Mexican solves the problem?  He flattened bottle tops then nailed through them to nail/fasten the plate to the car.  Haha!  I was happy with the solution.  My plates were attached the car.  I'm so thankful for Mexican ingenuity.  They find a way to make it work.

1:30 PM  Waitin' to cross the border.

2:10 PM  Hello U.S.A.!

3:45 PM  I have to pump my own gas again!?!? What!?!?!

6:00 PM  What would a road trip be without getting stuck in traffic at least once?

8:30 PM Saw the sun rise in Mexico and took a picture.  Might as well take one of the sunset in America!

 

Zhae and Alyssa!  Look at their beautiful faces!!!  Got to crash for the night at my cousins in Lewisville.

8:45 AM  On the road again!  Scott, Jennie, Zhae and Alyssa sent me off complete with some cafe!!!

4:40 PM  Not as interesting to drive across America I guess.  Went through more of my candy and had to replenish.

6:10 PM  Yahooooooo!

10:45 PM  Hello house!  After 1947 miles and about 33 hours it's nice to finally see you!

 

So what did I do for 1947 miles and 33 hours.  Really I don't know...time just passes.

There was some amusement provided by picture taking.

 

There was a bit of Dancing While Driving.

 

And a whole bunch of listening to audio books. 

Only drove in circles twice.  Only pulled over at the military check-points in Mexico twice.  Only had to unload half of my car at the border. 

It was quite the adventure! :)

Hasta!

Yo estoy siempre y nunca.

 They asked me in Ixtlan this past weekend...

"Will you remember?" ...always

"Will you forget?"  ...never

I cannot, no I will not, say good-bye, but farewell.  Farewell until we meet again.

Blest be the tie that binds
Words: John Fawcett

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

y como siempre...
Hasta la proxima! :)