M3 Begins

It’s finally here.

My 3rd year of Medical School.

At 8:30 a.m., I officially start my surgery rotation.

So I thought it would be a good idea to recap my summer before I got too busy to update.

Boards.
Wow. I spent a month and half getting ready for Boards. It was pretty intense. I felt like a Jesuit monk holed up in some monastery doing nothing but reading. I got pretty stir crazy. I got a little depressed at times from the isolation. I grew out my hair into a gigantic KoFro and also grew out a goatee.

In the end… it was a great experience. I reconnected with God in a powerful and meaningful way… and really began to appreciate my Quiet Time with Him. I listened to an online sermon every day… and then followed that up with 4 or 5 QT sessions throughout the day as a study break. I found myself enjoying just getting close with Him without being in a “serving” context… and that was an incredible blessing.

Studying for my Boards and taking them was not a pleasant experience. The actual test was 8 hours long with 350 questions covering everything from my first 2 years of Medical School. It was a miserable test. But I passed. And ultimately, I was glad to have had the experience. More importantly, it's over... and I never have to take that exam again.

After Boards, my family and I went on our annual vacation to Va Beach. It… was… great.

I haven’t had a vacation like that in a long time. One that just felt good all over. We stayed in a 2 bedroom cottage with 180 deg ocean views. We played 3 rounds of golf. Spent some time in the pool, on the beach, and in the house. I cooked for my parents every night except for Capt. George’s Crab Legs night. And I got caught up with some serious sleep. I read some good books. And I watched a lot of TV. You really can’t ask for more than that. In fact, I wish I were there again, now.

The last day of our vacation, we went to Fort Meade, MD, which is where we spent about 4 or 5 of our early immigrant years. We played golf there, and then we drove by the Projects we used to live in. It was pretty amazing driving to our old Project apt in my parents new Mercedes. And it was the perfect way to cap off our vacation.

When we got back to Fairfax, it was time to get ready for the College Group’s Retreat. There was something special about this one… and I was pretty excited about it. We spent 3 days in Frederick, MD at Anna Prayer Mountain. It was one of the warmest and most loving retreats I have experienced in a long time. I felt like after having a vacation with my immediate family, I was able to have a vacation with my extended family.

A vacation with a twist… my young brothers and sisters were fired up. They were ready to start being different. They were ready for there to be a change in the way they were living. I was really excited for them.

There is some excitement stirring in the Korean-American Christian community and I don’t know what’s going to happen… but I am excited for it TO happen.

After that short 3 ½ weeks of vacation… I find myself back in Richmond… on the verge of stepping into an incredibly busy and sleep-deprived phase of my life.

Surgery is a 2 month rotation. I start with 1 month of General Surgery with the Surgical Oncology Team (Cancer), followed by 2 weeks with the Transplant Team, and 2 weeks with the Cardiovascular Surgical Team. I will have to wake up at 4 a.m. every day and I won’t be getting home until 7 or 8. At which point, I will have to then put in an hour or two of studying. Monday through Saturday. Somewhere in there, will be a few overnight stays in the hospital as well. We are told that we can’t be forced to work more than 80 hours a week. Ha ha. We’ll see how that works.

I’m excited to finally get in the hospital and start taking care of patients and learn a ton of clinical skills. But I’m also nervous, too. Mostly just because I don’t know what to expect and because I’m fairly certain I’ll be confused most of the time.

I also am feeling like I didn’t get to spend enough time at home. I miss my parents for the first time in a very long time. And I miss my extended family at church. As much as I like my church in Richmond, it isn’t quite the same as my brothers and sisters at Shining Star. I wish I could have had another week at home.

But, it is what it is. Nothing I can do about all of that.

This is the year I have waited for since I first started Medical School. And it is finally here. Everyone I know tells me that this is my year. They all say that this is my time to shine. They tell me that my personality, experience, and people skills is ideally suited for this year. And as much as I want to believe this to be true… the past 2 years of medical school have taught me powerful lessons about the unpredictability of life. So I'm walking in it with guarded optimism.

So I’m going to bed now… with the hope that I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I know God is with me. I know that He’s been with me every step of the way.

And I’m looking forward to see what He has in store for me this year.

I love all of you.
I miss all of you.

KL