soy una doctora

me llamo Erica, soy una doctora aqui

apparently now I speak spanish. or at least am really, really trying to speak spanish.
this month, I'm assigned to our resident clinic, which serves a large spanish-speaking population.  One thing I love about living here is that I feel like I travel to different countries throughout the day.  During my morning commute, I feel like I'm in India - where people can disregard lanes and honk just to say hello (as well as to communicate several other, less kind, things), when I enter the hospital parking lot, I feel like I'm in Ethiopia, since all the men who work in the parking garage are Ethiopian with huge white smiles and absolutely no patience for my inability to fit into the parking spots they have chosen for me.  Later, in clinic, I travel between rooms and it feels like I go from El Salvador to Guatemala to Somalia to Cote D'Ivoire.  After clinic, travelling to happy hour, it's as if I drove down to Mexico, because our waiter tells us (in spanish) that these are the best nachos in town because the chef is truly from Mexico.  I don't know what's better - that nacho chefs exist or that I got to eat the illustrious final product.  When I coast back home on my bike, it's a bit like being in Amsterdam with all the bikes lined up one after the other along the river bike path.  Finally, while falling asleep, I hear Billy Holiday playing loud on our neighbors stereo and realize it doesn't matter where it is, I'm home.

e

spring cleaning 2013!

Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.” 

― Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye

~~~~~~

yesterday at approximately 1:30 am we returned to our lovely home in Vermont!  While we did immediately drive down to Stowe to meet friends at the end of their long weekend bash in an incredible house down there, we have since had time to revel at home.  With only a few short weeks left in this place that's been my home for four years, with people who have been my home for four years, and with thoughts about designing my next home (stay tuned for more on that soon) I've been thinking about ways to REALLY immerse myself in feeling home - leading me to the question:

what makes you feel home?

(seriously, tell me!)
for me, it's FULLY unpacking and settling things back into their places - it's planning impromptu runs and walks with friends - it's lacing up my running shoes and just going, not having to plan out a route because this is my home - it's making my own coffee just how I like it, instead of hoping I can ask the barista at the closest coffee shop for just the right amount of soy milk without sounding obnoxious - it's curling up with the manfriend in our most comfortable bed and feeling like we are back in our places too.

unpacking and changing to a spring/summer closet!  yay dresses!!

morning coffee ritual at home

 all our shoes are ready for any kind of spring weather in our mud room

(note the bean boots, running shoes and birkenstocks - one can never be too prepared)

plans for the next few weeks in Vermont include:

* hiking the presidential traverse
* canoeing in lake champlain
* visiting the kitchen table restaurant (on our list for a long time along with all the farm animal restaurants including: the black sheep, hen of the wood, the belted cow, the prohibition pig, the bearded frog, the starry night cafe, the bluebird tavern, and of course, to keep them all in one place, the farmhouse) 
* walking/running in Shelbourne farms
*the burlington farmers market (now outside!)
*hike camel's hump for the last time in a while
* get creamies with buddies from Burlington Bay Cafe
*play paintball in our white coats
* boat cruise on lake champlain
* pack up our whole house!

the adventures of the travel bugs

"Wasn't that the definition of home? Not where you came from, but where you are wanted?"

- Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

~~~~

since the last time i wrote, we have been in VT, Boston, Worcester, Saratoga Springs, D.C., northern California, and Lake Tahoe!  We have walked over battle grounds, cooked dinner for my grandparents, been under house arrest in my sister's tiny apartment for almost a full day, ran around several lakes, hiked up several mountains,   signed a lease for a new apartment (!!!), ran on the national mall, got to see so much of both of our tribes, wine tasted, and driven through the night to get to our next destination.  We have spent a total of 3 days at home since getting back from Nepal - most of them scrambling to finish up residency paperwork!

All this with just our little backpacks (i should probably write an ode to my backpack at some point) and each other.  It's made me feel really, really lucky to have such a great travel buddy, and that we have so many people we love that we want to spend time with - who we can finally spend time with!  

Here's a quick instagram recap of more recent travels.  more soon!

xoxo, the travel bugs 

back in action

We're back from Nepal!

what an incredible trip, incredible experience, and incredible country

*

we have about 800 photos but here's one on the top of Kalla Pattar (5440+ meters) that provides a demonstration of what it was like

*

more soon - stay tuned!

breathe in, breathe out

trekking in Nepal -

stay tuned for stories and photos!

in the meantime, check out this amazing blog: & Kathleen 

where she posts photos like the one above and talks about her experience on a similar trip 

(click on the photo above for link)

Try the Mountain Passes

and we're off to Nepal!  

(stories and photos to come)

Rebirth

I don't know about where you are, but we have certainly had spring-like weather for the past few days, including a beautiful thick-raindropped storm today.  My day consisted of running a few last minute errands for our trip with the manfriend, cosying in at home to do some work/some yoga, and planning a venture out to get Pho for a casual dinner date.  Sounds like spring to me!  In the spirit of almost-spring, from a new blog I love, a passage from Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years""

"People get stuck, thinking they are one kind of person, but they aren't... The human body essentially recreates itself every six months.  Nearly every cell of hair and skin and bone dies and another is directed to its former place.  You are not who you were in February"

Myself, I know I'm not who I was in February - and certainly not six months ago.  Instead of feeling so in need of nestling in to my lovely home, I want to spread my wings and adventure!  Which is why - while it also feels a bit crazy - it mostly feels so right that I'm about to find out where I'm spending the upcoming four years of my life and then almost immediately jumping on an airplane to Nepal for a month-long trek in the Himalayas.

What has changed in you since February? 

Getting Ready

My To-Do List
(because sometimes these are the most revealing of what's going on in my life right now)

1. re-learn cholesterol synthesis so I can teach a review session this afternoon
2. review applications for the Schweitzer Fellowship this year so I can interview applicants later and decide who gets it!
3. go take passport photos at the post-office for visas etc. (no smiling)
4. drop off/pick up travel medicine prescriptions (cipro- check! diamox- check! diflucan - check!)
5. bake home-made bread to take to grandparents house tomorrow
6. schedule a post-match financial consulting appointment
7. turn in my tutoring forms from the fall to get paid
8. write up the introduction and methods for my paper on teaching medical students sign-out
9. apply for a leadership conference in family planning scheduled for May (the last day to apply is Friday, shoot - I need to get on this)
10. call my parents and catch them up on all my travel plans
11. buy new hiking boots, as after 10 years mine are officially no longer waterproof thanks to a big rip in the seams - and then wear them constantly to test them out before our trip!
12. run 5 miles today to shake out my legs, run 8-10 miles with my buddy Katie tomorrow early morning before traveling to see my grandparents for the day
13. swim/yoga/stretch my sore muscles this weekend
14. check in with my tribe
15. watch this TedTalk on the power of vulnerability
16. pick out an outfit for match day (1 week!!!)
17. write my next narrative medicine story (stay tuned)
18. pick up a used copy of Into Thin Air to read again about the history of Everest.
19. send some papers I've been promising to 3rd years whose research projects I'm trying to help with
20. kiss the manfriend (this makes me smile when its on my to do list)

what's on your to-do list these days?

photo source

~~~~~~

and I really like this one:

"two things define you: 

your patience when you have nothing 

and your attitude when you have everything"

-unknown

White Out

Two amazing things happened this Friday: one, I finished my medical school requirements. 

Not for the rotation, not for the year, but COMPLETELY.  done. with. medical. school. requirements.

Second (and actually, equally as exciting) my sister came up to visit!

I wanted to show her a truly Vermont winter experience, so we went for a hike!  Now is probably a good time to tell you that the manfriend and I have just solidified all of our plans for a >20 day hike in Nepal.  

Yes, friends, we are going adventuring!  

And this time, it's not for away rotations or interviews, just us and some very, very large mountains.

In preparation - besides getting about a million administrative things done (plane tickets - check!  travel clinic with vaccines - check! learn what gaiters are - check!  order gaiters online - check! etc.) 

- is HIKE! a lot! in the winter!  and rock climb (even though we won't be doing any of this officially on our trip, it feels in the spirit of the trekking in large mountains, plus it's super fun)

photo source
by this amazing blog by a couple who did a very similar, if not the same, trek as we are!


I definitely feel like part of the fun of this trip has been in the planning and anticipation for it.

And a big part of that has been our "training" hikes.

(which we may have done anyways, but feel even more fun because we're training)  

***

Our hike was a lot more snowy and at a much (much, much, much!) lower altitude.

but it still felt pretty intense.

Chris took this photo, but if we include him, this was our trekking crew!

note Steve, the best dog ever

as well as how warm and colorful and energetic we look

(warning: some of these things do change as the hike goes on)

K and I in front of what could be rolling vermont hills

or just a white wall

couldn't see, didn't really matter

G and I in the snow - I'm so lucky to have the best sister in the whole wide world!

G gets fierce on the rock face as we reach towards the peak.

(and I zip up all my layers)

and yes, I used poles. for the first time ever.

no, not because I'm aging and my knees hurt more than they used to

(although those things may or may not be true)

but because they recommend them on our trek and I wanted to see if I liked them

the upshot: not really

G, C and I climbing in seriously deep snow up to the face

there are trees behind us

no, really.

you just can't tell because it's a WHITE OUT

and everything is all fluffy snow and WIND.

but we made it to the ridge!

and to our peak!

(not so warm and energetic now - but very, very happy)

as evidenced by the manfriend 

who sits proudly in the snow before we begin our 3 mile slide down :)

we ended the day with a Mardi Gras/80s themed dance party with a whole bunch of medical school friends that I haven't seen in ages.  it's so thrilling to have everyone back in one place and off of crazy schedules for a brief moment in time.  

sister visits, snowy treks, and 80s dance parties - 

can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday?

PS: stay tuned for more details about our trip to Nepal!

~~~~~~

"The mountains are calling - and I must go"

-John Muir

(one of my heroes, as you can see from my blog description above)

be it what it will

This is the first big deep breath in my travels in over two and a half months (including 7 cross-country flights, 3 car rides of 6+ hours, not sleeping in the same bed for more than 2 nights in a row) - and it feels so good to just. breathe.

which is not to say my travels didn't have some huge benefits.  besides being so grateful for interviews, they let me visit new places and see friends and family that I wouldn't otherwise get to travel to see this often (of course that just makes me think: why am I not doing this more?)

I've also become exceedingly good at knowing just what I need - no more, no less - which makes me reflect now on my house full of stuff and wonder why I have it all.  turns out most of what I need on a daily basis can fit in my little backpack.

and probably the best part of these travels is because I've confronted so many situations that are just barely out of my control (a plane delayed, a store not open, a friend having to work late so not being able to pick me up), I've come to trust my own ability to take things as they come so much more.

instead of trying to over-plan for every possible scenario, I try to just set myself up with the resources and information I need, and trust that I'll be able to figure it out.
and not carry too much - that's definitely a big help in being more flexible while traveling.
that could probably be both literally and figuratively, actually.

what I've learned in these travels:
don't carry so much.

~~~~~~~
"I know not all that may be coming,
but be it what it will
I will go to it laughing"
-herman mellville, in moby dick

source

Picking A Watermelon

this past summer, I went to a fruit stand with the most amazing peaches I had ever seen (see below) and the best watermelon sign possibly known to humankind.

"picking out a watermelon is like pick'n out a wife...

you can look at it...thump it...turn it around...and squeeze it.

but you never know much about it until it is TOO LATE."

whahahahahaha.  the owner of the fruit stand was this older man 

he saw me taking a photo of the sign and kinda giggled.

:)

nemo and pasta con le sarde

Recently, my family gathered all together at a big house with a pond.  While we were there, I also made this incredible (both in its deliciousness and its easiness) sicilian pasta recipe that I found over here and slightly (very slightly) adapted - and due to popular demand, have re-posted below!

As soon as we arrived, we jumped in the pond. 

I think Nemo is trying to save me.

I need to come up with a caption for this one :)

and without further ado, 

Pasta Con Le Sarde

Ingredients:

1 bulb fennel,

EVOO

2 tins 3.75oz each, of sardines in olive oil (wild is best according to Seafood Watch)

1 small can tomato paste

handful of pine nuts 

handful of raisins

4 cloves of garlic

box of spaghetti

salt and freshly ground pepper

olives, breadcrumbs (for garnish)

one large pasta pot, 1 frying pan or wok

Instructions:

1. put water in a pot big enough for your pasta on stove, bring to boil

2. cut off green top part of fennel bulb and put the whole bulb (the white part) in the boiling water for 10 minutes or until soft enough that you can stick a knife into it

3. while that boils: chop up garlic and fry in EVOO, using frying pan or wok 

4. add sardines to pan with garlic

5. crush them with the back of a wooden spoon so that they no longer look like sardines

6. add tomato paste, stir in

7. thin sauce to preference, using water from boiling fennel bulb (I used at least 4 cups)

8. take out fennel bulb, put pasta in boiling water

9. cook sardine/garlic/tomato paste/water on med-low for 15 min while pasta boils

10. chop up fennel bulb into 1/2 inch pieces (whole thing)

11. add fennel, raisins, pine nuts, and some of the whispy greens from the top of the fennel to the sardine mixture about 2-5 minutes before the pasta's done

12. drain the pasta, serve with heaping spoonful of sauce.

Buon Appetito!

And two italian phrases that will be sure to get you thinking:

"This is a sweet expression.  Il bel far niente.  [It] means 'the beauty of doing nothing'... 

There's another wonderful Italian expression: l'arte d'arrangiarsi - the art of making something out of nothing."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

quests

on a recent study break (I'm studying for a big med school test which is why I've been so off-blogging) I went on a hike with some friends where part of the discussion led us to the types of quests we're interested in reading about.  There are lots of types of quests - 

One is the classic quest towards a primary goal where all the tasks along the way are necessary in order to learn things or obtain weapons or make friends that help you in achieving that goal.  A contemporary example is Harry Potter - where the goal is to beat Voldemort, or Lord of the Rings, where the goal is to destroy the one ring in Mt. Doom.

The other quest is the one where there is a vague goal at the end, but the adventure is much more the point, and the obstacles have less to do with moving you closer to the quest and more just what happens to get in your way.  The classic example of this might be Odysseus, where he keeps trying to get home, but adventures just keep popping up in his way.  They don't necessarily help him get closer to home or learn things that help him get home, but the journey helps him learn just how important home is.   Hobbit (part of my current summer reading) is also this type of quest and I had forgotten just how many adventures are squeezed into this short book.   It's what made it way more fun to read than the LOTR as a kid, and in a funny way, is a better metaphor for my life right now.  Even though there are definitely some big goals that I'm working towards, my daily life feels like a lot of not-necessarily-related obstacles to puzzle through, that don't exactly get me closer to those big goals but allow me to stumble into all sorts of adventures and questions.  I'm into it.

"There is a lot more to [Mr. Baggins] that you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself."

- Gandalf in the opening chapter of the Hobbit

ingots and ferry wheels

a little bike adventure with the manfriend through the shapes and sights of Pittsburgh

"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those yeas wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. what weather they shall have is not ours to rule.

- Tolkien