Peace out, 2008

2008 was an interesting year for me, to say the least. Because of all the things that have happened, I'd like to recap the year.

JANUARY
I got accepted into medical school! After all the sweat and tears I shed over whether or not I'm cut out for medical school, Ross University decided to take a chance on me. I was pretty happy that it was a school that I knew produced good doctors and one that I knew I wouldn't mind going to as long as I could get through the 16 months of living in Dominica.

Gabe also turned 24, and we celebrated by having the most amazing (albeit VERY expensive) sushi dinner at Sushi Yasuda. <3

FEBRUARY
Hm, I can't think of anything exciting that happened during this month. Gabe and I celebrated our 5th Valentine's Day together casually by eating paella and tapas at La Nacional. I guess the Giants won the Superbowl too.

MARCH
I finally got to take Gabe home to Chicago and show him around the city and suburbs. We happened to come on a bitterly cold weekend, but it was still fun to explore the city together, show him where I come from, and introduce him to some of my relatives.

APRIL
I don't think anything all too interesting happened in April either, but the urgency to make the most of the rest of my time in NYC hit. At this point, I only had a couple of months left in NYC and wanted to spend time with my friends, eat out, and explore the city as much as I could.

MAY
Graduation parties!

JUNE
Last month in NYC, so I had to live it up. I spent as much time as I could with Gabe and friends, explored the city, and ate...a lot. Gabe and I had a fabulous meal at Eleven Madison Park - THANK YOU! I moved out of my Astoria apt (::tear::) and then moved back to Chicago for 2 months.

JULY
The entire month was spent in Chicago. It was nice to have no real obligations. No work, no school. I basically just spent time with my family, ran the usual errands with my mom on a daily basis, and rediscovered Chicago. I began to realize how much I love this city and how it really is home. NYC will always be my second home, and it will always have a very special place in my heart, but Chicago is truly where it's at. Vadicel came by for a few days during my birthday week. I got to show her around the city, and I know she loved it hehe. I celebrated my 23rd birthday in style at both Cafe Iberico and Blackbird Restaurant. Yummy.

AUGUST
Another month mostly spent at home, but my family also traveled to the southern coast of Italy, which was PHENOMENAL. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever traveled to, and I'm grateful that we got to go there as a family. We go on family vacations every year, but this one truly stands out in my mind. Then finally, I left for medical school in a foreign country...

SEPTEMBER
This was definitely one of the tougher months of the year. I had to adjust to a completely different environment from what I was used to as well as adjust to medical school. It was tough being away from both family and friends, but I adapted well in Dominica. I still can't say that I like it there, but it truly is a blessing to be in medical school.

OCTOBER
Blah, nothing. Medical school, what else?

NOVEMBER
Same as above again. It was my first Thanksgiving away from home, but I tried to stay positive and simply be thankful that I'm in medical school.

DECEMBER
Got through my first semester of medical school. It was a milestone, and I'm so happy and relieved that I passed and can move on to second semester. Spending a few weeks at home is a nice relief. Gabe gets in today (December 30th), so his visit will be a great way to kick off the year.

I was never really one to make any major New Year's resolutions, but for 2009, my goal is to stay in better touch with my friends in NY. This past semester, there were definitely periods of time when I didn't communicate regularly with all of my close friends. But for the rest of 2009, I want to make sure I'm able to find the time to catch up with friends on a regular basis. My other obvious goal is to pass the next 3 semesters so I can officially be off the island of Dominica by December 2009. It's gonna be a tough year, but I'm excited about all the things I'm gonna learn and experience during the rest of my time in Dominica.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!