Long Distance Vacationing

Amelia and Rob are back in Minnesota, while I am starting my first rotation here in Vermont. They are up at the cabin with Rob's parents, and I call constantly! It sounds like everyone is having a wonderful time together, and the grandparents are enjoying Amelia! Last time I called, she was obsessed with the phone and wouldn't let Rob talk to me. I heard her babble through the phone, and I told her about all the things I've been doing here in Vermont.

I spent the weekend in New York City with Rob's sister Suzanne since I had the weekend to myself. It was so nice to see Suzanne and her husband Matt and to visit the big city for the first time. I had an enjoyable Sunday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and took the time to read about the paintings I was interested in. This is something that would be difficult if I had little Amelia along! Since I went to the Picasso exhibit, I purchased a book about Picasso for kids. I may bring her to the museum in the future, but it will be a different type of visit! Eventually, I can't wait to go to big museums with her when she is interested in the art as well!

I took the train from New Haven, CT into the city. It went smoothly, until the train stalled on the tracks on my way home Sunday evening. After transferring to another train right out there on the tracks, I finally arrived in New Haven three hours after the scheduled arrival time. Then, I had a 5 hour drive home, during which I witnessed a terrible accident, and I finally got home at 2am. Wow, what a trip. Despite my preference for train travel, next time if Rob and Amelia come along, we may consider driving into the city and parking outside of Suzanne's apartment. I hear driving into the city is not bad on the weekends, especially with a GPS.

I started my cytopatholog rotation this week. It basically involves learning how to interpret cervical pap smears. There is much more to cytolopathology, but this will be the focus for my first month. Honestly, this program is so great. Everyone is very kind and the learning experience is enjoyable. I am confident that I found the perfect program for me. But too bad it is so far from home!

The past two evenings I spent shopping in the area since no one else is home. It has been fun to explore the Church Street area in Burlington, which is a cobblestone walking street with lots of great shops! This evening I went to an outlet center in a nearby town. I bought Amelia a cute fourth of July outfit that I can't wait to put on her when I meet them at the cabin in MN this weekend!