Friday, March 20, 2009

So let me explain that career switch Sheila was talking about. Until about a year ago I was strongly considering doing a career in fusion energy research. Through the applied physics department where I am currently finishing my undergraduate degree, I was studying plasma physics--the physics of ionized gases, which behave like fluids and can be manipulated using magnetic and electric fields. They have all kinds of special properties and combine the studies of fluid dynamics and electrodynamics. Under certain circumstances this is called magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). I did some research as an undergrad and took some classes in plasma, but started to wonder whether I'd enjoy everyday work in this field, with the end of working towards fusion energy production.

Instead, I began to reconsider a subject I had long since left by the wayside, figuring I wanted to do more applied work: I began to reconsider doing astrophysics. This came after receiving some career advise from different unusual sources: a faculty dinner with a neuroscientist and a neurosurgeon, as well as a life-issues discussion over coffee with my friend Stephanie. From the former I learned that I ought to be considering what I could see myself doing from day to day, and from the latter I was able to find peace being a "useless" career academic, rather than having a more "applied" type job. People keep telling me I don't fit the engineering school mold. (I masquerade as a liberal arts student, taking philosophy, literature and music classes).

So I was excited to take up astrophysics again. I am looking at doing computational astrophysics. Explanation: I will be using computer simulations to study stars, planets and galaxies. Simulation is a powerful tool for testing our theories and for giving us new research directions. I've been accepted at McMaster University to study this. I will be beginning graduate work there in September. Since describing my work has probably already alienated most of our audience (sorry Sheila), here's a video from YouTube to give you an idea of what computational astrophysicists do. This is a simulation of a collision between two galaxies, ostensibly ours and the M31 Andromeda galaxy.



Sheila is marrying a dork.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

So more big news (it seems like for the past year, my life has been one "big news" after another).

First of all, Mikhail was accepted the other day into the Astrophysics department at McMaster, meaning that now, officially, we can plan to move in together after the honeymoon in August. It's definitely very exciting; it means I finally get to pull out my IKEA catalogue again and tag pages of furniture to match my white and red apartment color scheme. It also means that in my "spare time" I can apartment shop for a new loft or 2 bdrm place nearby and fill the registry with more "household" items. It's also much of a relief...it assures us that we'll be together for the next two years. It was a decision we'd made a while ago, the one to be together, but it's nice to have confirmation that things are working out to move us closer together. Astrophysics has been a bit of a career switch for Mikhail, from fusion energy to black holes, but it's probably something that'll be much more fun. I can let him tell you guys about that part.

Secondly, I'm going to Uganda in July with a team of med students from Mac. I'll be there for a month working obs/gyn, internal medicine, surgery. There are about 16 of us in total from my class, not all of us going at the same time. We'll be spread out over at least three different hospitals - two in Kampala, the capital city, and one in Mbarara near the Rwandan border. I'm aiming to go to Mbarara...and not just because it's close to the greatest national parks in all of Africa! I also mean to help people, really.
It's finally happening though; going on medical missions to Africa has always been my dream. And I'm sure it won't be exactly as I've dreamed, or even close, but it'll be one of those life-changing experiences both career-wise and character-wise. I guess I'm feeling a whole mix of things, all of elation, excitement, anxiety, apprehension and contentment all rolled into one. The last, contentment, just because everything's now falling into place. My pursuit of medicine, moving out, the wedding, my future husband's career. We've both received scholarships, his for Astro and mine for Uganda; God is taking care of us.

Not to say that med school is a breeze. It has definitely been (and is still/will be) a struggle balancing the amount of time I have my head in my laptop with the time I have a stethoscope around my neck with the time I have to myself, sleeping, hanging out with friends, talking to my fiancé. But it's that slow lesson that all (future) doctors need to learn: that you'll never know everything about medicine, or be able to help everyone you want to help; someday I hope to get close to being right at balancing all the right things in life.

But now the clock is ticking and I need to cook dinner, organize my notes, pay my bills, take a shower and learn all there is to know about chronic renal failure before I go to bed tonight. Maybe my beloved fiancé will be the next to post.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

New York is always a gastronomical adventure.
Three weeks ago, I was in the City again visiting after finishing up a grueling unit on gastroenterology and endocrinology. It was a great five-day vacation in New York. I did tons of shopping (but proud to say that I didn't spend that much!), picked up a veil at David's Bridal, and of course spent good quality time with Mikhail. Since we'd mentally postponed our "Valentine's Day" of the previous week, we went out some place special for our own Vday. Check out the Spice Market:


Great food presentation! And it was super tasty. Some kind of Vietnamese, Indian, Thai fusion...delicious!


This is where we sat for dinner. Notice the really cool pseudo-Indian temple structure in the background. Definitely brownie points of ambiance.

We also went to a bar called Fat Baby, which I made Jon Ho yell out three or four times over the phone that morning because I couldn't catch what he was saying. Street noise, what can I say... Something about "stat abie" or "tat tabee"...he ended up just saying "like a fat kid". And I got it. Jon's band, Patrick Murphy, played there one Thursday night. They were very groovy, very chill. Nice job guys.