Since moving from Loma Linda, I have definitely stolen away into the quiet and peacefulness of my little hometown. I've readily welcomed this quiet retreat to put my life in order once again before setting out on another lifechanging chapter. I've taken to steaming marshmallowy mugs of hot chocolate and chapters of microbiology. Such an enchanting pair, yes? I had come to miss cooking real meals for myself and others this last quarter at Loma Linda (I didn't throw one dinner party), so that has been a real treat as well. Most importantly, this transition between the questions and accomplishments of the past year and the arrival of the new year's promises and hopeful opportunities has been a time of reminiscing.
Driving the 12 hours home to Northern California gave me ample time to replay the memories and lessons that my time in Loma Linda enriched my life with this past year. Picture this here little blonde driving her little white car home while squeezed in between all her junk that was threatening to pummel her in a deluge from the backseat as she is singing along to every emotional Sarah McLachlan song with a lampshade in her lap. It was enough to throw a passing car of young Hispanic teenagers into a fit of giggles as they sped along next to me, pointing and laughing hysterically to the point of tears. So, yes, there was plenty of time to process all that became of 2007.
The real beauty of the year revealed itself in the comfort and reassurance of a few precious old friendships and the making of many new friendships within my program. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to finish a Master's degree with some of the most remarkable and intelligent individuals I've ever worked with. The blessing of friendships with those who are motivated by the same ideals but approach the same problems with such a spectrum of creative solutions can't be overstated. I've never felt so challenged, stretched to what I perceived the limits of my abilities to be, and perhaps never have I searched so deeply for answers and solutions. On so many countless occasions I felt overwhelmingly inspired by the compassionate genius that stood behind our projects, proposals, and research. I am so proud of everything that stands behind my MPH. Every village touched in Peru, the homemade soccer goal posts that sit on the future site of a real soccer field in one of the poorest, tragically underserved neighborhoods in San Bernardino, and each bulging proposal pounded out during sleepless nights for the expansion of surgical units in struggling hospitals in countries like Nepal.
