#jabsom

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I found out yesterday, that I will be spending the first three months of 2013 living and taking classes in Hilo. I am so excited for this opportunity, and I think it will really help me figure out what I want in my career. Before moving to Hawaii, I always thought of myself as a city person. One year ago, I couldn't imagine myself practicing medicine outside of an urban area. But since arriving in the islands, I have really fallen in love with the 'aina. My trip to Big Island, drives to the North Shore, and hikes have shed a new perspective on country living.

Today, we broke up into small groups and talked about the literal mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans, winds, and rains in our lives (accompanying hula optional). It was a very insightful experience. In the Hawaiian tradition, health not only includes the physical well-being of the body, but also one's connections to the heavens, ancestors, and the land. Because the concept of aina is so important in Hawaii, we had a brief discussion of what these six basic elements meant to us. In essence, we "talked story." I learned that one of my classmates would hike with her parents in the mountains of Aina Haina almost everyday. Another sailed the Ala Wai. A third lived along a river in Vietnam where houses were often built from leaves. While we all have unique stories to tell, our connections to the basic elements of Old Hawaii are remarkably similar. Finding this common ground allowed us to open up to each other and communicate effectively. I hope that I am able to carry this lesson into my practice, because after all, primary care is a lot of talking story across cultural borders.

I was just accepted off the waitlist at Albany Medical College. I really enjoyed the campus and could see myself thriving there, but JABSOM just has so much more to offer me on a personal level and I have withdrawn my application. The whole process is tricky. I would be happy to go to medical school anywhere. I feel like I did when I applied to undergrad programs. Every campus I visited seemed quite nice. That said, I am very thankful that I will be attending UH, and it was my clear favorite among the med schools I interviewed at. I don't think Albany, NY and my actual destination (Honolulu) could be any more different. There's something to be said about casting a wide net, I suppose.