Washington DC

I had a wonderful time in DC this weekend. The weather could not have been more gorgeous! When I landed on Friday it was sunny and 79 degrees. Saturday was a little cooler in the low 60's. I'm not fully certain of the area my hotel was in, but I know I was close to the zoo. The recruiting event was not until 2:00 on Saturday, so I got up early that morning (at least early for me) to do some sight seeing. There was a Metro station not far from the hotel which would take me to the mall area to see the monuments. The Metro is located underground, much like the New York subway. The particular station I went to had the longest escalator I have ever seen! We just kept going down. This escalator will come into play again during my day's events.

I was able to spend about 2 hours at the mall area. I forgot how spread out the monuments are--I definitely got a good walk in. I was able to see the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial (which was not there when I came in 8th grade), the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. I was also able to grab a couple of quick pictures of the White House and the Capitol Building.

By the time I had finished visiting each site, I realized I needed to get back to have time to eat and primp for the recruiter fair. When I got back to the station near my hotel (the gigantic, massive escalator), I realized there was only one up escalator working. There was quite a line waiting to get on. I also noticed there was a broken escalator that people were walking up. I decided to take the healthier option and walk--it's just a few stairs, right? Oh my word. I was half way up when my thighs started to burn and I was getting really tired. By the time I reached the top I was breathing as if I had just finished a five mile run. Never again.

The event went well. I was sitting next to a recruiter from the University of Chicago who I got to know very well. I also saw another recruiter from the University of Illinois that I had met at a previous event. Usually when I go to the events I don't know anyone. It was rather enjoyable to see a face I recognized.

Below are a few pictures I took of the monuments:

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone, especially all you Irish lads and lasses. Today was Match Day for the medical school. This is one of my favorite events at the University. This is the day when all medical students find out where there residency will be. Every medical school has Match Day on the same date and at the same time. At our school it is held in the main lobby. It is quite chaotic as staff members stand on the coffee tables, calling out names and handing out the envelopes. If you can't see the action, you definitely know when the students receive their envelopes by the screams of excitement. There are also tears on this day, of joy and of sadness, but the overall feeling is one of excitement. It's exciting for me because I know a handful of the fourth years due to their help interviewing applicants. I made sure to scout out as many of them as possible to congratulate them and find out where they would be headed for the rest of their education.

The month of March seems to be all about travel. Two weekends ago I traveled down to Texas to spend some time with Travis. It was so good to see him and talk in person instead of on the phone. It was such a thrill to step out of the airport into the 70 degree weather. It was not as pleasant on the return trip when I stepped out into 25 degree weather. I made sure to get some Texas food in while I was there. I had one of the best chicken fried steaks I have ever had at Saltgrass. We were also able to find a Freebirds which was so divine. It was so hard to come back, but it is remarkable how fast the time is flying by. I am planning to make another trip down to see him in April.

This weekend I am traveling to Washington, DC. I am going to a recruiting event for the medical school. I haven't been to DC since 8th grade; so I am very excited. Kristi, in case you read this, with this trip, I have been continuously thinking about how we got lost in the massive DC zoo! The event is from 2:00-6:00 on Saturday. I am thinking I will venture out in the morning to see a few sites. I would like to go to one of the museums, but I'm afraid I will be too tempted to skip the event and stay all day! My plan is to go instead to the mall area and visit the monuments. Hopefully, my next blog post will be pictures from my weekend.

Erin Go Bragh!