preparations

I am currently living in a dorm room across from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. This is the kind of dorm room that makes me realize, for the millionth time, just how lucky I was when I was at Smith.

I have a week left on my family planning rotation - clinic should go until around 3pm on Friday, and after a stop in Northampton to drop my car off at my dad's I will head back to Springfield to catch a bus so I can get back to Boston and pack. My taxi will be calling for me at 3:10am on Saturday. This leaves a relatively small window of time to do what I consider some pretty complicated packing. Usually, with this kind of packing it all gets done at the last minute, but that last minute has been prepared for by at least a week of going through my closet and picking out outfits that may or may not work, of finding money belts and small absorbent towels and power converters. I doubt there will be sleep on Friday night.

The good news is that I actually ordered a cystoscope today. After weeks of freaking out, worrying if there was going to be enough money, then worrying that there would be too much money, and then finding that the one, perfect scope had been sold, I found another, less than perfect, but actually pretty awesome cystoscope. I called the seller and he was super helpful and said that going to Chad sounded "neat" and that he would make sure that the cystoscope was in my hands by Wednesday. I will be holding my breath.

So I am making lists. Packing lists, things to learn on the airplane lists (do I remember anything about obstetrics? must read about external version, and what to do when the placenta doesn't deliver, and oh goodness, they may expect that I actually know how to do something beyond getting the fetal heart rate. Is there even a doppler? And antibiotics! There are so many antibiotics. 4th year is awesome, but it sure is easy to get complacent). I must remember to go to the bank and get some money. Must remember to submit my rank list and mail thank you cards (hA! residency. ha!). Must remember... the lists never stop.

At least I have my visa. (Though that feels a bit like saying "Gosh, the ER is quite tonight." as I haven't actually seen my passport. It was delivered to my dad's office and I am to get my hands on it tomorrow. I am having waking-nightmares that I will open it up to find a 90 day tourist visa to China or Chile or the Czech republic. That would be sad).

So forward march, one foot in front of the other. Hoping for calm, but more than willing to walk through the chaos that seems more likely.