And so it begins again

With the change in season also come the start of a new academic year and a new apartment :D. I arrived back to Milan on September 18th. I ate some food and went to bed the next day was the day to go sign the official contract for my new apartment :D. So exciting. Along with my new apartment came two new great roommates and also new challenges. Anyone who ever said Ikea furniture was easy to assemble is lying. 38 minutes, 13 seconds and the brains of two medicals students later I had a desk... only a chair and dresser left to build :(. But we managed and a few weeks in everything was settled for the most part. The apartment is nice three bedrooms, living room, bathroom and kitchen. :D

After we signed for the new apartment and kinda half moved in I started my General Surgery Ward attendee where I shadow a resident in General Surgery at San Raffeal Hospital. This was great fun. I had one over night as well as the weekend shift. The surgeries were interesting but it was not my first time in the OR. To be honest the weekend shifts seeing patents was the most interesting to me. We had about 10-15 patients we saw that were staying on the ward. One I had seen a few nights before during my ER overnight shift. So that was really neat to follow some patients for a few days. It was also nice to see one of the patients a week later doing much better around the hospital grounds. I don't think he remembered me but it was nice to see him doing so much better.

Lessons began on October 1st. This semester I am taking Basic Pathology and Immunology, Microbiology and Mechanisms of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Laboratory Medicine. So far Micro is the most interesting to be but Pathology is a close second. My schedule this semester is good because expect for wednesday we rarely have more then 1 or 2 lectures in a day which leaves a lot more time to study this semester.
Another exciting thing this past month was having my parents and our family friends come visit me in Milan. They got to go see some great sites of Italy as well while I studied but it was great while they were here. We spent a few days touring Milan and showing them where I go to University as well as introducing them to my friends here. My mom was very excited to get her hair cut and styled here in Milan and it turned out so wonderful.

On the Saturday they were here we went to the city Bellagio on Lake Como for the day. OMG totally going back. Although the weather was only ok it was still a great place, just beautiful. This spring I think I will need to take a weekend trip back. Then we hurried back to Milan to go grocery shopping because the next day my parents cooked dinner for my friends at the new apartment. We had a great dinner with veal piacatta and polenta. There was enough food to last me for like a whole week :D An additional benefit to having them around.

They then went on the rest of their trip around Italy while I studied. The day after they left my university put on an exam that was a moke NBME (national board of medical examiner) they returned a week later for just one night. We had a calm evening with dinner at a pizzeria near my apartment. The next day they left to go back to Minnesota. I was sad to see them go but I knew there was no way I could focus on my studies enough if they had stayed.

Next up study study study until it is Thanksgiving time.

Till We Meet Again,

~M~