Orientation Week COMPLETED!

And so it begins...

It's weird to think that my goals for essentially my entire life are finally being realized. I have completed high school (more unsure for me than some others), completed college (an exciting challenge), and completed the application process for medical school! Contrary to what many expected, I chose to attend  Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. I was attracted by the students I met who were passionate about many things, especially outside their interest in medicine. There is a vibrant extracurricular life here filled with a cappella, theater, comedy, writing, art, music and more! (Who gives a f*ck about an Oxford comma?)

This recent journey started out with a long drive back out to the east coast with ALL the stuff I had just driven to La Crosse after Yale's graduation! Silly, I know... After loading up the van so that it was bursting at the seams, Dad sent Mom and me off for a 3-day driving adventure. I-80 feels like home after having driven along it so many times. We even have our favorite restaurants, hotels and rest stops along the way! (See Ambrosia Lounge)

I spent last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday moving into my 10x13 dorm room of Bard Hall. It is bigger than I expected, but I half wonder if I will be living with communal bathrooms for the rest of my life... There's only one kitchen for an 11-story building, so I got a refrigerator, George Foreman-esque grill, microwave and hot water heater. Plus I have a sink in my room which is super convenient. So far, they have been feeding us, so I haven't had to cook yet!

I stayed at the Yale Club with my mom for a few nights! It is super nice and right across the street from Grand Central Station. I even got to see some of my Yale friends for a birthday party. It's nice to know I already have a group of very close friends in the City. We went to this amazing bar called The Press Lounge at Ink48. I felt totally not cool enough to be there, but it was AMAZING!

Once orientation started, I stayed up in Washington Heights. Everyone here is SUPER nice. Mom even made friends with the security guard and got to park right outside the building one day. I've already got a group of friends to hang out with, one of which I met at revisit weekend. We're all excited to explore the city and survive med school together!

Orientation was 5 days of non-stop action from 9am to 1am every day! We had sessions on student life, classes, and team-building exercised during the day -- my team won field day games (think wheel barrow races and egg tosses) and received a neuro reflex hammer as a prize! We met with our advisory deans (a built-in mentorship program), learned about the Hippocratic Oath (which we took Friday) and were told about all the support services available at P&S (say it fast and it sounds surprisingly like penis... we all quickly figured this out and never stopped giggling about it. Future doctors of America here, aren't you proud!)

The nights were spent going to restaurants we couldn't afford, bars we weren't cool enough for, and shows we won't have time for. All together it was an amazingly fun introduction to the city. The first night I ran into a friend who is going to Columbia Law school at a bar down by the main campus in Morningside Heights (aka Harlem).  The city seemed much smaller after that. I saw In the Heights, a big Tony winner, which is about the area I'm going to be living in for the next four years. It was AMAZING! The bar we went to afterwards was another rooftop, called the Hudson Terrace, where we ran into Joe Jonas, one of the famous Jonas Brothers. That was exciting! The third night we went on a river cruise (read: booze cruise) with the dental school. We all decided Lady Liberty looks a lot stockier close-up. It was fun and the 2nd years that had been leading us around all week got to let loose with us for once! Many went on to Johnny Utah's where they had a mechanical bull. I decided I needed to slow it down and get some sleep and returned to campus with a few friends. We drove right by the Seinfeld diner on the way!

On Thursday we began the real business of medical school with our first anatomy lecture and lab. My group got introduced to Richard, our cadaver for the next semester. We got over our squeemish-ness and the phenol smell to progress in our scalpel skills. I won't give any gory details, but it was a very cool, moving experience. Each cadaver in the lab donated their bodies specifically to P&S first years to learn anatomy. This was humbling and we tried not to get detached from the significance of what we were witnessing. I hope I will becoming more relaxed as the year goes on... my shoulders were quite tense when I got out. The final night was spent at Coffee House, a talent show display of the abilities of our classmates. Though shorter than the one at revisit, we witnessed a concert pianist, a comedy routine, a broadway sing-along, and an amazing cover band. The party moved up to our 11th floor roof lounge to end the night!

Friday began with a talk titled "On Becoming a Doctor" which made us all aware of the honor and responsibility that is gained with donning a white coat. It addressed the questions we are all sure to have over the next phase of our lives and opened us up to talking about our fears and excitements. It was followed by the White Coat Ceremony which was founded at P&S in 1993. Kathy Matthews, my mom's good friend from college, flew out to attend my ceremony (and to give my mom company on the drive home). After the ceremony, Mom, Kathy, and I went to tea at the Plaza Hotel, just like Eloise! We proceeded back to the Yale Club after a short walk (Mom has SO many blisters from her week in Manhattan!). Vidur, my friend from Yale, joined us for a celebratory dinner and drink afterward! Yesterday we explored the neighborhood of Chelsea in downtown, Manhattan, especially the Chelsea Markets, which is housed below the Food Network Studios! Lots of good produce, cooking utensils, food and an Athroplogie store! Mom got gelato while Kathy and I enjoyed crepes! We then had dinner at db Bistro Moderne, home of the $32 dollar hamburger made with foie gras, black truffles, and braised short ribs. The food was amazing and we proceeded down the street to see Memphis, this year's Tony Best Musical! This was my mom's 5th Broadway show in this visit! She had made a friend with a young guy from Finland who joined us for a drink afterward. He wants to do set design and directing and is on his way to Canada for school. 

Mom was glad to get into the car this morning after having walked ALL week! She said she has blisters on TOP of her blisters! She and Kathy drove me up to Washington Heights and helped me put some finishing touches on my room. They started their drive to Maumee, OH, the stop for tonight, while I took a nice long nap! It was necessary, as you can see!!!

Please update me on your life! I hope to keep up with this blog as much as possible, but remind me if I'm slacking!

Love you all!

Hayley

View from my dorm room window:

The Hudson River at sunset from the 8th floor of Bard Hall