Crowned WWAMI QUEEN!!

Oh my goodness gracious!  What a whirlwind the last couple weeks have been!!

Last week I had what seemed to be final after final, with my final final ;), Infectious Diseases, having taken place last Thursday morning.  The exam marked the end of my first year of medical school, and afterward, it was time to celebrate!!

The class reacts at "The Roast" in our usual classroom.

Immediately after the exam, all 20 students, and a handful of the faculty, had a barbecue, followed by what we called “The Roast”.  The Roast was a gathering that took place behind closed doors, during which the director of the program went through student by student and dished on them the “dirt” (often humorous things they have done or been known for over the year) he had been given by other students and faculty, and then finished with giving each student a gag gift that went along with the “dirt” on them.  The whole room laughed hysterically as everyone proclaimed things akin to “oh YEAH!” and “that’s SO TRUE!!!” for each student’s “dirt”.  My dirt included the naming me as best dressed of the year, the most public face of the program (via the public speaking and media attention/awards I have received), the joke that my severe peanut allergy was a great way to get me out of class, and:

When poked fun of for my peanut allergy. :)

                “But the accomplishment that puts Analiesse into a category all her own, she may be the only WWAMI student ever to win a pageant during medical school!!  In honor of this great, and most unusual of, accomplishments, we have our very own WWAMI tiara!”

…and thus, I was named WWAMI Queen.

Instructor Katerine and I with our tiaras (my WWAMI tiara from "The Roast").

                After "The Roast", 19 of the 20 students all went out to celebrate with dinner and a celebratory toast - and what a truly FANTASTIC evening shared with fantastic people!  The next day was filled with much of the same….official ceremonies and informal celebrations after.  And while most of my classmates stuck around for another day (or few) of celebrations with one another, I hit the road, eager to turn the page on this chapter of life and move on to the next.

With Dr. Novan, one of my faculty mentors for the year, after the end of year ceremony.

                You see, while most wish to revel in the memories and accomplishment of completion, it has been a most painful and difficult year for me.  I do not wish to stick around and reflect, but wish to push on!  For the next two months, I am not a medical student, but I am Miss Moses Lake to my community and state, Auntie to my nephews, Friend to those who surround me, and Dr. Haiti when I leave for Haiti in three weeks!  Onward to new opportunities, new friends, and new memories!

                And my goodness, what a busy first week of summer it has been!!  I will write on the last week's many happenings in the next couple days!

 Philippians 3:13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead!!