The meet and greet

So on Wednesday (a day and a half ago) we finally had our very first Big Sib/Little Sib get-together, which involved meeting our Big Siblings for the first time and using them to help us with any questions/fears/comments we had about starting med school. I had to share my Big Sib with another medical student because there weren't enough siblings to go around for the MS I seedlings. So, not only did I receive a Big Sib, I also received a Regular Sib as a compromise for having to share my Big Sib (a 2-for-1 deal, you could say). Now that I'm thinking about it, though, it's a misnomer for me to call my other Sib a Regular Sib because, in truth, she's actually really really tall (so tall that it makes me look more like the Littlest Sib out of everyone). So my Big Sib, my Tall Sib and I talked about many aspects of medical school. Some questions that around our group:

"I am really excited to start medical school. Will that change quickly by next week?"

"I am not going into medicine to be a dermatologist. Am I making a huge mistake?"

"I would like to have some-what of a social life in medical school. Is this at all a possibility?"

I realized after the event that this little meet-and-greet was exactly what I needed to feel more comfortable about starting school on Monday (yes! I know! Monday! Only three more days!!!). It was also pleasant to meet other slightly-nervous, slightly-awkward med students, most of who could quickly identify with the fear of dealing with the daunting task up ahead for the next four years. I also liked the fact that most of the folks I met seemed to be very nice, gentle people who weren't going into medicine for the wrong reasons. It was nice to see that there weren't too many ego's floating around saying "Ah, yes, medical school. This is where I own your asses!" A pleasant change from undergrad. For those of you reading this who have no idea what I'm talking about, a small word about the pre-med world: Pre-meds are notorious for being the most cut-throat, competitive, egotistical, conniving people in undergraduate courses. They can be vicious; they sometimes are vicious. The most frightening part is that these pre-meds don't disappear and burn in a fiery vortex like they should for being mean and manipulative, they actually end up going places in the future...places like medical school, even good medical schools. (scary music). You would wonder why in the world admissions committees would willingly accept disagreeable, heartless people in a profession that depends on people having a good, pure heart but I think that is just one of the unanswerable conundrums that falls under the long list of questions without answers (some of which include "why did the Giving Tree have to be so ridiculously generous?" and "what was Britney thinking when she decided to have a baby?").

But, anyways, the overall thoughts on the Big Sib/Little Sib/Tall Sib Luncheon: thumbs up! Moving on to this weekend, now, there are two reasons why this next weekend is going to be monumental:

1) Last weekend as a free woman
2) My 21st birthday!!! (Perfect timing, if I might add, with med school literally right around the corner)

Talk about the end of an era. This birthday makes it all the more divisive. The end of the first two decades of my life and the beginning of the next phase are marked to the tee with this 21st day celebration. More thoughts to follow on the pre and post birthday events!