When we returned to Madagascar in 2003 my parents enrolled me in a Norwegian school as it was located on the compound we would be living in. In preparation for starting a school taught in an entirely different language, my parents hired a tutor for my brother, Nathan, and I. They hoped that having some exposure to the language would make the transition a little easier.
One of the exercises included in those lessons were flashcards. On these flashcards were pictures of toilets, chairs, animals and people. However, the one that I remember most distinctly was one of a man sitting on the floor with a broken chair to his side and an exclamation point above his head. This was my first exposure to the out cry, "Uff da." I would argue that this particular flashcard prepared me for my lessons at the Norwegian school about as much as the word "woof" prepares you to communicate with dogs. However, I imagine that if I were to teach someone the word "uff da" today, I would share a highlights video of last week.
For a simple rundown of last week's major milestones...
Friday Nick, Briony and I attended our first wedding as a party of three.
Saturday, we hosted my dad's side of the family at our house for a meet Briony party.
Sunday-Wednesday we went on our first family trip to Northern Minnesota.
Thursday was the much anticipated Match day (more on that later).
Friday I spent 8 hours away from my newborn attending an advanced life support recertification class.
Needless to say, I woke up Saturday morning in desperate need of harnessing my inner hermit. Rather than do the piles of chores and odds and ends that have piled up this week, I spent the day cuddling and cozying with my beautiful baby girl. It was wonderful. As a side note, it is amazing to me how much she has changed in five weeks, and I can hardly wait for the changes to come in the next five weeks.
Thursday did me in. It was a wonderful day, filled with many happy and excited emotions, but it was the culmination of several long months of waiting. I think one of Nick's cousins put it best, when he said that we have had three christmases this year. Our first was the actual holiday, second was Briony's birthday and third was Match Day.
Just a brief explanation of Match Day for those that have no clue what I am talking about. Back in October, Nick began applying for residency programs. Residency is the next phase of training to become a physician. He spent December-January setting up and attending interviews for these programs. He had ten total interviews ranging in location from the here in the Twin Cities to Boston, Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin and Colorado. He submitted a rank list in February. This list rated prioritized his top residency choices. The residency programs also created a similar list with their residency candidates. The list was compiled in some master database, and he was "matched" to a single residency program to which he is legally bound to attend. Every medical student in the country goes through this same process and everyone finds out on the same day, at the same time.
Needless to say, it wasn't much of a surprise, when Nick opened his letter at 11:03 am, that I cried happy tears. Nick has had his heart set on being at Hennepin County since he started medical school. I haven't dared believe it would happen because I feared the disappointment if he didn't. It was such a relief to find out he matched exactly where we wanted.
I have been impressed with Nick throughout this entire process. I remember when he started medical school and people told me to say goodbye to ever seeing him again. "Oh, he is going to be busy and it is so rigorous he won't ever be around" is what I was told. Nick used to get upset when he heard this. He promised me from the beginning that no matter what our relationship would always be his number one priority; that he would find balance in this process. He didn't let me down. While there have been times when he has been consumed by studying, or clinicals have kept him at the hospital for unfathomably long hours, I have never felt cast aside. Our marriage is thriving and our relationship is stronger than ever. We've even thrown ourselves a few curve balls with the purchase of a house and the addition of a daughter to our family.
Now, I find us transitioning away from the state of ambiguity we have grown accustomed to over the past few months. We no longer have a plan A, B and C based on whichever program he is assigned. Instead, we can begin to focus on a specific program and place. The next three years will be intense. We will have to adjust to added stressors as Nick begins to transition from the relatively sheltered role of a medical student to the much more intense responsibilities of a resident. However, we have time to recover.
Thursday did me in. It was a wonderful day, filled with many happy and excited emotions, but it was the culmination of several long months of waiting. I think one of Nick's cousins put it best, when he said that we have had three christmases this year. Our first was the actual holiday, second was Briony's birthday and third was Match Day.
Just a brief explanation of Match Day for those that have no clue what I am talking about. Back in October, Nick began applying for residency programs. Residency is the next phase of training to become a physician. He spent December-January setting up and attending interviews for these programs. He had ten total interviews ranging in location from the here in the Twin Cities to Boston, Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin and Colorado. He submitted a rank list in February. This list rated prioritized his top residency choices. The residency programs also created a similar list with their residency candidates. The list was compiled in some master database, and he was "matched" to a single residency program to which he is legally bound to attend. Every medical student in the country goes through this same process and everyone finds out on the same day, at the same time.
Needless to say, it wasn't much of a surprise, when Nick opened his letter at 11:03 am, that I cried happy tears. Nick has had his heart set on being at Hennepin County since he started medical school. I haven't dared believe it would happen because I feared the disappointment if he didn't. It was such a relief to find out he matched exactly where we wanted.
I have been impressed with Nick throughout this entire process. I remember when he started medical school and people told me to say goodbye to ever seeing him again. "Oh, he is going to be busy and it is so rigorous he won't ever be around" is what I was told. Nick used to get upset when he heard this. He promised me from the beginning that no matter what our relationship would always be his number one priority; that he would find balance in this process. He didn't let me down. While there have been times when he has been consumed by studying, or clinicals have kept him at the hospital for unfathomably long hours, I have never felt cast aside. Our marriage is thriving and our relationship is stronger than ever. We've even thrown ourselves a few curve balls with the purchase of a house and the addition of a daughter to our family.
Now, I find us transitioning away from the state of ambiguity we have grown accustomed to over the past few months. We no longer have a plan A, B and C based on whichever program he is assigned. Instead, we can begin to focus on a specific program and place. The next three years will be intense. We will have to adjust to added stressors as Nick begins to transition from the relatively sheltered role of a medical student to the much more intense responsibilities of a resident. However, we have time to recover.
Thank you, Molly, for a good blog! Nice to hear about your happy life. You write well! Hope the "uff da"s keep staying away from you:) and that you still remember your Norwegian:)!
ReplyDeleteLove from Astrid