Graduation Speech, Class of 2018

June 30, 2018

Dear faculty members, beloved families and friends, and above all, my fellow graduates.  I am honoured to be part of the Medical University of Gdansk, graduating Class of 2018. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in this endeavour. A special thank you to our loved ones, who gave us encouragement and their unconditional faith that we would succeed.

What I would like to do now is reflect a bit on the unique experience of being a student of English Division in Gdansk. Of course, I will not be so bold to say that my interpretation of these past years will be universal to all my colleagues. Each of us has come from different backgrounds, and we have all faced our individual trials and tribulations throughout our studies.

However, we do have something in common: We survived GUMed! And, we are bonded through our understanding of what it really takes to make it through this program.

My fellow graduates: Do you remember the moment when you first arrived in Gdansk?For most of us, it was six years ago. It was our first time in Poland for many of us. Everything was new.

The Polish language was – and still is— a huge struggle for most of us. We had to memorize the most important phrases. To say thank you: dziekuje. To stay awake while studying: poprosze kawe. And for after exams: piwo i wodka!

Oddly enough, though, even as we tried our best to learn Polish, the most useful language in English Division might actually have been Swedish!

First year was difficult, most of all because we had to learn how to learn. It took some time to figure out our personal study methods. And in the meantime, we were also establishing ourselves in a new country, overcoming language barriers, making new friends, and maintaining long-distance relationships with our loved ones back home. Like most things, though, all of this became easier with time.

Each of us has invested so much into this education; in terms of effort, motivation, and literally blood, sweat and tears! We practiced taking blood samples on each other. We worked up a sweat doing CPR compressions in the emergency medicine simulations. And, indeed, sometimes there were some tears, during this emotional roller coaster of working to meet extremely high expectations.

For six years, we have been responsible for attending classes and passing our exams. Now, we are beginning the next chapter where the stakes are higher. Our actions and decisions will impact the well-being of real people. This is a massive responsibility, as well as a true privilege. We finally get to embody the motivation for becoming a doctor: to help people, and to make a positive difference in the world.

It is incredible to think of how far we have come since first year. We have tested our limits, endured stressful situations, learned how to be confident in our abilities, and developed lasting friendships. Moreover, some of us have even been lucky enough to fall in love, or get married, or even become parents during this time!

I am so grateful for this opportunity to have studied abroad. In addition to the study of medicine itself, I believe that I have learned so much more as an international student than I would have by remaining in my home country.

We have experienced how it feels to be placed in unfamiliar environments, which will help us empathize with patients and people around the world. We have learned how to cooperate with a translator, and how to utilize non-verbal communication. We have learned how to be adaptable to unexpected situations. And we can apply all these skills to our work as physicians, to help us improve the lives of people we encounter.

This is the turning point, where everyday life in Gdansk changes from a routine to a memory. I hope you will cherish the happy memories, and feel proud of the challenges you have overcome in this journey to become a medical doctor.

So, to each of you incredible graduates in the class of 2018, I congratulate you and I wish you all the best in the future.

Thank you!

There’s No Place Like Dance

June 12, 2018

I’ve lived in so many different places that by now, I don’t identify a single city as my hometown. Home is more a feeling than a location for me.

Moving to a new city means adapting to a new house or apartment, making new friends, learning my way around the neighbourhood. It means shedding the roles that people have previously defined me with. In some ways, my identity has a fresh start as I make first impressions and establish myself once more.

They say the only constant is change, but there is a permanent fixture in my life: DANCE! Ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and everything in between. Having dance in my life is a gift that fills me with so much gratitude. My love of dance is stable and solid as a rock, and I bring it with me wherever I go.

Dance is an international language. Whether I’m in Canada or Poland, I always understand music. I can always express myself through movement. I feel the rhythm, no matter if my instructor is speaking English or Polish. Muscle memory takes over, even with unfamiliar instructors or styles. When I’m in a dance studio, I am home.

Dance is an integral part of who I am. I have learned so much from all my dance instructors, my fellow dancers, and from the art itself: teamwork, belonging, and friendship; discipline, focus, and goal-setting; joy, energy, and expression; confidence, poise, and self-reliance.

Today was my last day at my ballet class in Gdansk, at the wonderful studio La Pasion. I have also had my last day of school, passed my last exam, and submitted my documents at the Dean’s Office to apply for my diploma. I have even started packing my life into boxes, throwing my whole apartment into the familiar chaos of moving.

All of these have been important milestones, but up until today it felt surreal. I’ve been in a state of stunned disbelief since my last exam. It has been difficult to comprehend that I am done. I am, of course, SO GRATEFUL not to be studying right now! My capacity to study and pass exams was wrung out like a sponge, with every last drop of motivation squeezed out. And at the point where I felt like I couldn’t summon any more energy to study more, I still had three more exams to go. But I did it! The hard work is done. I want to feel ecstatic! But where is the exhilaration? Where is the nostalgia? Where is my emotional reaction to the fact that a six-year long chapter of my life is coming to a close?

Tonight, at my last ballet class in Gdansk, it finally hit me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion the moment we finished our reverence at the end of the class.

It has been an incredible privilege to be welcomed into this community of Polish dancers, to get to share their immense love of ballet. I felt like I belonged there, with those beautiful people who love dancing as much as I do. From the very first day, they welcomed me with open arms. They gave me a place to feel at home. I will never forget how they accepted me with such kindness. Something about saying goodbye to the dance studio, this satellite home of mine, woke me out of my reverie. It’s really happening—I am moving out of Gdansk and into new adventures!

So, if I was wondering where all the emotion was… well, here it is! This heartfelt goodbye was one of many bittersweet moments ahead of me for the rest of this month. All I can do is appreciate each moment as it comes, knowing that I have many more wonderful experiences and challenges ahead of me.

Only 18 days until the graduation ceremony!

 

How I Prepare for an Oral Exam in Medical School

Countdown: 72 days until graduation!

Life as a 6th year medical student looks like this for me right now: going to clinical exercises at the hospital every day; negotiating the class schedule to get more time to study at home; preparing for an exam; feeling like my brain is made of mashed potatoes after a long study day; taking an exam; feeling like my brain is made of mashed potatoes after an exam; sprawling on my bed for a day after my exam; making a study plan for my next exam; beginning to study for next exam. 

I’m grateful to have a few weeks between most of my finals. This helps with the monster task of reviewing a few years’ worth of material. On the other hand, it means I’m running an exam marathon that is several months long. As a result, I’ve gone into self-preservation mode! 

In this final year of study, many of our courses require us to pass not only a written theoretical exam, but also a practical exam (taking a patient history and doing a physical examination) and an oral exam (meeting a professor and answering questions verbally). Most of my exams throughout my academic career have been theoretical exams, especially with multiple choice questions. Preparing for an oral exam requires a bit of a different approach, from my experience. 

I thought I would share a few of my strategies for preparing for an oral exam. As always, I share these things with the disclaimer that everyone learns differently and my methods are by no means guaranteed to be foolproof. Perhaps someone may draw some inspiration from my methods, or at the very least one may get a glimpse of my life right now. 

Without further ado, here is how I prepare for an oral exam: 

1. I find out what I’m getting myself into.
   The unofficial GUMed (Medical University of Gdansk) student information network is tremendous. There are comment threads and Facebook groups where I can find students and alumni who have had the same examiner that I’ve been assigned. It is invaluable to hear about their experiences with that professor. You can never know for sure what an examiner will ask you during your test, but you can get an idea of what their expectations may be like. 
2. I make a plan of action! 
   I do love a plan. Before preparing for any big exam, I will actually spend my first day of “studying” simply formulating my plan! It’s an investment of time that helps me be more effective in the long run. First, I make a list of my available resources (textbooks, seminar slides, etc.). Then, I map out all the things I would ideally like to do if I had unlimited time to be perfectly prepared. I rank these tasks by priority, in order of most important (must be done to pass the course!) to least important (if I have done everything else, maybe I’ll squeeze it in). Then I look at my calendar and assign my tasks to specific weeks leading up to an exam. My last week before the exam is always a review week, because I know I have to see something AT LEAST twice for anything to stick! This is the part where I decide how much material I can realistically cover, and when I cut out the lowest priority items.  My philosophy is that it’s better to study a smaller amount of the most important material and know it really well, than to try to learn every single little detail, confuse myself, and get all mixed up during the test.

    

3. I give myself homework assignments. 
   One of the things I can miss about high school was how easy it was to finish an assignment and just be done! There is no homework in our university– just knowledge, and a brain, and it’s up to the student to find out how to put them together! I choose the most important topics based on what I’ve heard from other students, what was emphasized during the course, what seems to be a major topic in the textbook, and what I feel like is essential knowledge for passing the course and functioning as a doctor. My homework is to write myself notes on each topic, containing everything I need to know about that disease– no more, no less. 
4. ALWAYS KNOW HOW TO DIAGNOSE THE DISEASE! 
   If you don’t know how to make the diagnosis, you don’t know anything! The professor will ALWAYS ask you, “And how do you diagnose hypothyroidism/esophageal cancer/myocardial infarction/insert disease of choice?” I like to set myself up to be ready with an answer to that question. I also try to give myself a framework for how to talk about a disease, since we are often asked quite general questions which get narrowed down by follow-up questions as we go along. This framework consists of answering these points about each disease: 

   – Definition (a one-liner of what the disease actually is) 
   – Risk factors (including who is typically affected) 
   – Symptoms and signs 
   – Diagnosis (labs, imaging, clinical criteria, exclusion, biopsy, etc.) 
   – Treatment 
   – Maybe complications (if they are important)
   – Maybe prognosis (if it is relevant) 

5. I give myself a dress rehearsal. 
   I’ve spent a lot of time rehearsing for stage performances of all sorts. Before the real thing, we always have a dress rehearsal to get a feel for what the real thing will be like. To draw a parallel to exam prep, there have been psychological studies showing that students perform better when their study environment is similar to their exam environment. I know that during the real oral exam, I’m not going to be sitting at my desk with my notes on my bookstand in front of me, like training wheels to help me if I get stuck. I’m going to be sitting up straight with a polite and professional smile on my face, with no visual cues and only the contents of my head to guide me. So during those last days before my oral exam, I pull my desk chair into the center of the room, sit up straight, put on my polite and professional smile, and imagine the voice of the professor saying, “Tell me about hypercalcemia.” 

   Then I talk out loud to the wall all by myself in my little apartment, going through all the things I wrote in my homework, until I’ve said everything I can think of. I find this really helps me find my voice and be ready to articulate my knowledge in an intelligent and coherent way. 

   Warning! I like to do this later in the game when I feel like I’m starting to actually know something. It’s better for my confidence that way. I like to save this for the part where I’m almost ready for the exam and use it as proof to myself that hey, I have learned something after all!

    

6. I take care of my mind and body. 
   My goal is always to be functioning at optimal levels of self-esteem and clarity of mind for an exam. Oral exams, in particular, demand a student to not only stay awake but also appear competent. Sleep, rest, feeding myself good food, meditating, exercising and all other forms of self-care are absolutely essential for me throughout the entire process, and especially leading up to exam day. 
7. Exam Day: I put on my costume, do my hair and makeup, and it’s showtime! 
   As someone who rarely dresses up or wears any makeup in everyday life, I associate eye shadow and the smell of hairspray with dance competitions. I feel like I’m getting in character when I put on my formal dress and tights, tidy up my hair and put on makeup. I will be playing the part of “knowledgeable student who deserves to pass exam.” Not that I think makeup is going to make or break my final score, but it can’t hurt to use all the tools I have to make a good impression! 
8. I find a hiding spot and do my power pose. 
   If you ever see me standing like a superhero somewhere in a corner, this is why: 
   Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are 
9. I bring a pen. 
   I’m usually asked to write my  name and student ID on some sort of paper, and it feels nice to be prepared. I also like to have something to hold while I talk! 
10. I’m prepared not to know all the answers. 
    First of all, I don’t know everything. Out of all there is to know in all of medicine, there are absolutely undoubtedly loads and loads of things I don’t know. And there is a chance I may be asked about some of these things during the exam. I also find that professors will usually keep on asking follow-up questions until I get stumped, or until they end up in an area where they don’t expect me to know, they just want to share this really interesting new fact with me. Indeed, sometimes they are looking for a particular key word or fact which I’ve missed, which is crucial to showing my understanding. A lot of the time, though, I think they just want to see the extent of my knowledge. From my personal experience, I find that the professor often doesn’t expect me to be able to answer every question perfectly for a passing grade. 
11. I’m ready for anything. 
    Sometimes you will be asked about topics you didn’t study. Sometimes you will show up for your exam, all dressed up and ready to go, and your professor will see you and literally face-palm, because he forgot you were coming and now he is too busy to do your exam today. Sometimes you will be asked to go home and come back the next day. Sometimes your examiner will leave the room and return with a group of third year students, and the professor will just say, “Don’t worry! Don’t worry!” as he invites the students to sit down and watch you do your oral exam, because he is supposed to be teaching them and apparently this is their class today– being the audience. 

    All of these things have happened to me. Or, if you’re unlucky like my friends, sometimes you will be kept waiting for five hours while the professor performs an unexpectedly long surgery, only to be asked to come back again the next day. 

    Anything can happen! I go in expecting the unexpected. This way, when things don’t go the way I imagined, I can just take it in stride. I smile, sit up straight, and do my best with each moment. 

 

I could really keep going on and on about this topic; there’s so much more I could say. This is what my life looks like right now– lots of hard work and so much determination. It’s been so, so many years and I’m giving my education every last ounce of motivation that I can muster up! Let’s go! Let’s do this! And to all my fellow study bugs out there, I wish you good luck in your studying! 

Skiing awkwardly (and loving it!) in the Swiss Alps

December 28, 2017

I feel so much delight and gratitude for being invited to spend the winter holidays with my boyfriend’s lovely family in Switzerland! The last time we were all together was in Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. Our trip to Mauritius was so intensely packed with new and beautiful experiences that it has taken me months to process all the exciting impressions. More on that another time!

Now, though, I am nestled in a cozy town called Andermatt: Altitude 1400 meters, population 1500, with at least 40 cm of snow and countless skiers and snowboarders everywhere you turn. It is impossible to take a bad picture here; the surroundings are perfectly picturesque and quintessentially Swiss.

Yesterday I tried cross-country skiing for the first time! And today I tried it for the second time! My main impression? SKIS ARE AWKWARD. I’ve never really skied before (shocker! It’s true! I’m a bad Canadian!), neither cross-country nor downhill. Last time I was in Andermatt, about three and a half years ago, I tried snow-shoeing for the first time. That was a nice entry point for acclimatization attaching equipment to my limbs and moving through snow.

As far as skiing goes, it made sense for me to begin with cross-country; I have a fear of sliding down steep slopes and never stopping until I reach the bottom of the mountain stuck in the center of a giant snowball, with only my arms and legs sticking out on the sides. Irrational, you say? Indeed, I have been told I’ve watched too many cartoons.

Yesterday felt super awkward. I had some trouble keeping my feet parallel (ballet problems) and I fell over a few times. Luckily, my private ski instructor was patient, supportive, and even handsome… and he worked for free! (Because he is my boyfriend). I was exhausted by the end of our short session because I was clenching every muscle in my body, trying not to wobble off my skis.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t so bad. I was certainly not good at it, and I cannot overemphasize the word ‘awkward.’ But I felt that hidden beneath my flailing limbs was a potential for an almost meditative movement. Plus, it’s a cool way to see the beautiful wintery side of nature.

Half an hour later, I was sweaty, weak, already sore, but ecstatic: I survived! My prize was a steaming hot chocolate and silky smooth chocolate mousse at the Chedi Clubhouse restaurant nearby.

Today I was ready for Round 2. I already felt less awkward! I had a few moments where I got in the zone, nailing the coordination of digging my poles into the ground, leaning forward on my front ski, kicking off with my back ski, gliding shakily for as long as possible. The snow on today’s trail was better packed, which made it easier to move forward. I was getting into the rhythm, building my confidence.

Then, somehow, without me realizing it, I found myself skiing off the trail, following my boyfriend’s family. They forged a new path between the trees and along the river, where the snow was deep and untouched. It took over 10 minutes before I realized that this was not a temporary shortcut to get back to the pre-made trail; rather, this was the intentional exciting new adventure!

It was a beautiful disaster. The snow was deep, and I was clumsy. I battled with the additional appendages on my arms and legs, moving forward on sheer determination. Somewhere along the line I stopped trying to glide and simply shambled forward with little steps. Soon after that I stopped using my poles and just dragged them behind me, because my arms were tired and the poles kept getting stuck in the deep snow alongside.

Then we got to a teensy little hill which proved to be my undoing. As I slid backwards, I somehow fell over, and the harder I tried to stand up, the deeper I got buried in the snow. It was like quicksand! The situation called for either hysterical laughter or tears– so I had a laugh attack for the several minutes it took to extricate myself. The following hills were equally unsuccessful. I ended up being dragged up the hill by my boyfriend and his dad, who proffered their ski poles as a lifeline for me to cling to.

Now that I’m dry and warm and rested, I can see how the off-trail stuff can be fun! In the few seconds where my intense concentration broke, I caught glimpses of glistening tree-tops and the flawless white blanket of snow. I think the key factor for me to truly enjoy off-trail cross-country skiing will be actually being able to ski. Two good things that came from that challenge: 1) Now I have a goal to aspire to and 2) When we got back to skiing on the trail, it felt so much easier by comparison!

 

December 29, 2017

Day 3 of my cross-country skiing endeavour! I think this may be the start of a new hobby– strange for me, since I’ve never been a big fan of spending time in the snow (I’m more of a snuggled-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-book-on-the-couch kind of winter person). Every day I feel motivated to get better at cross-country skiing, and I keep going back for more!

Today the conditions were ideal, and they set me up for success, or at least something like it. It stopped snowing so a pair of official tracks were plowed on the trail, which was a great help to keeping my skis parallel. The sun was shining, the snow was sparkling, and I felt ready to go!

I haven’t been severely sore yet, but I can definitely feel that I’m activating some latent muscles. Indoors I’ve taken to clinging to stair rails, because sooner or later my legs will give out on the stairs. Interestingly, it’s my entire body that feels heavy, rather than one particular muscle– cross-country skiing really is a full-body workout.

Getting started, it felt more familiar to put on my skis and loop my hands onto the ski poles. But when I got moving, I had a gut feeling that I was doing something wrong. I was working so hard to kick-glide and coordinate my arms, yet I was barely moving at a snail’s pace.

Then, I had a double epiphany! I can thank my boyfriend and his sister for helping me with these breakthroughs:

#1: I was doing the “kick” in the wrong direction! I was trying to kick up my back leg, using it as a sort of pushing point to move forward. Turns out it was supposed to be more of a leap/step/lunge onto the front leg, which was apparently the “kick.” As a dancer, I would argue that the word “kick” is a bit of a misnomer.  If I’m shifting my weight forward and stepping onto the front leg, wouldn’t that rather classify as a leap? A step? A lunge? A stomp? “Kick” was very misleading! Terminology aside, this small change in where I placed my weight made a great improvement.

#2: I was angling my ski poles the wrong way! Turns out the 90 degree angle of my poles was why I felt so ridiculous using them. I got much more leverage when I angled the poles to point more backwards. Zoom! I’ve increased my speed from snail to sloth!

I’m still crying out a shaky “aaaahhhh” as I slowly slide down the slightest slope, stiff as a board for fear of falling. And despite getting up the rhythm and managing to glide continuously today, I’m still lacking coordination and strength… and technique… I’ll work on that!

 

Walking home

Arriving in Andermatt by train from Milan

A view over Andermatt

Hot chocolate and chocolate mousse, post-skiing rewards

Zumdorf, Switzerland’s smallest village. This is it! Population: 8

Skis and poles: the awkward extensions of my arms and legs

Cozy winter nights

Autumn in Gdansk: Photos from everyday life in 6th year

Around Gdansk Wrzeszcz

Ulica Dluga in old town Gdansk

Delicious desserts at UMAM cafe are my greatest weakness!

Feeling like a tourist in old town

Kliniczna Hospital where dermatology, obstetrics/gynecology, and neonatology classes are held

Kliniczna Hospital

Inside Kliniczna hospital

Someone’s cat

From my walk home

From my walk home

 

First week of last year of medical school– done!

It’s that time of year again, for the last time! Returning to Gdansk always feels like waking up from a long dream, and finding myself back where I started. Back to the university hospital, back to ordering “kawa z mlekiem” during coffee breaks, back to smiling politely/blankly when strangers say words at me (because Polish is hard, and I still struggle to understand small talk that doesn’t involve medical symptoms).

Some things are different. I have a new studio apartment, which feels more like home with every day– though I still wish I could share it with my special someone. On the bright side, since I have no one to talk to at home, I am becoming an even more voracious consumer of audiobooks and podcasts! Tragically, I no longer have a dishwasher but I do have this quirky little kitchen cabinet which is actually hiding a dish drying rack.

The biggest difference of all, though, is that THIS IS MY SIXTH AND LAST YEAR OF MEDICAL SCHOOL! It seems unbelievable that these 6 years in Gdansk are starting to end. Yet, it also feels like it’s about time!

Five years ago, I thought six years seemed like forever. Knowing that this is my last year in Poland suddenly makes this adventure feel much more finite. I’m viewing things through a different lens, a bit more sentimental than before. One year from now, the everyday life here will already be a memory– waiting for the tram, asking the pani for the keys to the szatnia, finding a wall or a windowsill to lean against in the outpatient clinic, seeing churches everywhere.

The first day of class felt a lot like deja vu. I were at the Kliniczna hospital starting a dermatology elective. It felt like I had been there just a moment ago, yet it also took a couple hours to get used to being a foreign medical student again. Soon enough, my group and I found a familiar routine and etiquette. It is a role in which we have years of experience, after all!

I’m glad to be spending more time in dermatology, as skin changes will show up in every medical specialty and I still struggle to differentiate them. We get to practice taking punch biopsies of the skin, examining nevi (moles) through the dermatoscope, and observing the details which distinguish one red rash from another.

With final exams in all of obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, psychiatry, pediatrics, and internal medicine, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us this year. There are also a lot of things to enjoy and appreciate along the way.

As of today, there are 269 days until graduation; I’m feeling motivated, energized, and ready to dive in. Bring it on!

Sunrise on the way to class. Feeling grateful to still be seeing the sun in the morning before winter darkness takes over!

Cats, cats, cats. Can you spot five cats?

Waiting for the tram

At the dermatology department

Along the walk home

My Summer in Photos– too many things to write!

Sometimes life brings phases that are so jam-packed with impressions and experiences that it is almost overwhelming, albeit in a good way. For instance, one year ago I was in Detroit at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan for a really cool internship. I got to see how an American hospital works, learn about lots of interesting pediatrics cases, and work with some really inspiring residents and attending doctors. It was so intensely enriching that it took me a while to process everything I had taken in! I hardly knew how to talk about it, though it was a great experience and I really loved it.

Similarly, this summer has been like a movie montage of exciting new experiences– my memory shows me a series of images with different locations, people, and activities, each seeming to happen right after the other. After resting at my parents’ house in BC for a couple weeks, I’ve now had time to take a breath and reflect on all the awesome things I’ve gotten to take part of this summer. And it has indeed been a fantastic summer! I can’t even begin to describe it all, so I will share the stories in pictures.

 

II am so proud of my boyfriend who graduated as a medical doctor in June! In this photo, the graduating class of 2017 is taking the Hippocratic Oath. I was honoured to be invited to hold a speech at the ceremony, and it was really special to be a part of this important day with my boyfriend. Crazy to think that in just one more year, I will also be graduating with my MD!

In June and July I got a taste of what my career could look like a year from now. I worked as a läkarassistent at a Swedish vårdcentral– basically like a junior doctor at a family medicine clinic. There were plenty of challenges to keep me busy here, from learning all the medical terms in Swedish, to learning how to apply my medical knowledge in practical situations. I interviewed and examined patients, ordered lab tests, wrote referrals, and discussed treatment plans (thankfully, all with the support of some really inspiring family doctors who acted as my mentors). I even made my first diagnosis!

 

At the end of June, I took a weekend to fly back to Gdansk from Sweden so I could move into my new apartment. Now my life is in boxes in my new place, ready to be unpacked when I arrive back in Gdansk in the autumn! This photo is taken in Gdansk old town, not actually near my apartment but picturesque nonetheless.

While in Sweden, we made sure to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere that is the Swedish summer. Swedes really come to life during the summer, with energy and joy and a determination to make the most of the sunshine! It balances out the darkness of wintertime. Here we were taking a dip before a delicious lunch at Skärgårdsvåfflan, which specializes in waffles of all kinds.

We drove down to Skåne one weekend to visit family. This photo was taken in Lund while we were walking around and enjoying this gorgeous summer day!

Hamnen i Nyköping, where there are lots of restaurants and delicious ice cream!

Nyköpings Hamn

I went camping for the second time in my life! It was an absolutely perfect evening. What a delight to roast hot dogs and marshmallows with this glorious view!

 

 

I tried waterskiing for the first time! I managed to get about 10 seconds of success, once I got over my bafflement at the whole situation. I haven’t really worn skis before, neither on snow nor in water. What a strange sport where one straps this awkward floating boards to one’s feet and gets pulled behind a boat. Strange… but really fun! I hope to try again soon!

This lovely summer cottage was the site of several cozy warm nights!

And I went camping for the third time in my life! So far our camping trips have only lasted one night, but I figure it’s a nice way to ease into the outdoor experience. Also, this way we could fit in some camping on the weekends when we were off work.

Another campfire, another beautiful view, this time with the big experiment of using an old-fashioned waffle iron over the campfire! It took a few trial runs but finally, the waffles were a raving success. With whipped cream and blackberry jam, the crackling fire and the stars peeking in between the trees, it was a magical night.

After working in Nyköping, Sweden, I jetted off to Ontario to help my dear friend as a co-maid of honour in her wedding! I was there for two weeks of preparations, including flower shopping at the farmers market in St. Catherines.

Wedding planning is a lot of work, so it was great to take a weekend off before the wedding for a classy bachelorette party.  The other co-maid of honour and I embraced the challenge of organizing and hosting an event in Toronto; we were planning from across the country and from across the Atlantic! Thankfully we had the help some bridesmaids who are Toronto locals. This is a picture of a mural at the hostel where we stayed overnight. We took a sushi-making class, played some (cheesy) fun games, chilled at a jazz bar and had brunch the next morning. It was tons of fun!

The wedding was in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, an area known for its vineyards and wineries. We took a much-deserved afternoon off from wedding planning to go wine tasting. The course we took was called Vino and Cocoa, and I was blown away by the delicious pairings of ice wine and chocolate.

At the vineyard after wine tasting

At the vineyard after wine tasting

This adorable church is where the wedding ceremony took place. It was beautiful and perfect and all our hard work was worth it when we got to celebrate on this incredibly special day!

The wedding reception was held at this charming venue, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Pumphouse Art Gallery. All the preparations paid off when we got to sit back and enjoy the great food, great music, and lots of dancing!

View across the Niagara River, to the historic fort across the border in the US

Adorable wedding centerpieces! Made with succulents grown by the bride and groom, and these Colombian coffee cans which they found while visiting family there (translates to “perfect love”).

Okanagan Lake. In August, back in BC, I helped my cousin move into UBC-Okanagan residence for her first year of study. I realized it had been 7 years since I moved in for my first day of university, at the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia. Time flies! My cousin’s moving day was a combination of excitement for her and nostalgia for the thrill of a first day. It feels like I’ve come full circle, now about to begin my last year of university as my cousin begins her first!

Heron at White Rock beach, seen while going for a walk not far from my parents’ neighbourhood.

My mom and I took a day trip to the Sunshine Coast, a beautiful area northwest of Vancouver. It is located on the mainland but can only be reached by ferry. Unfortunately the air was quite smokey from the BC and US wildfires, hence the strange lighting in this photo taken in Gibsons. The camera slightly exaggerated the copper tones of the smokey atmosphere.

Kayaking Sechelt Inlet by the Sunshine Coast. We saw a family of seals (with baby seals!!!) and hundreds of jellyfish, up close!

 

I feel like I’ve just skimmed the surface here of all the experiences I will take from this summer. I’m so grateful that I’ve been a part of it all! Now there are a couple more weeks before school starts and I get to dive back into one… LAST… year… of studying!

So many books, so little time: Some recommendations for my fellow bookworms

Nerd alert: You are entering a Book-Lover Zone!

It’s a slippery slope for me, and I am rapidly losing resistance to my chronic addiction: books! I suppose as far as vices go, mine appears pretty harmless– at least for now. So far I’m only at risk for burning food, over-brushing my teeth, and missing my tram stop due to being engrossed in my reading. You may be wondering how a medical student has time to read books for fun. All I can say is after syncing my novels to the Kindle app on my phone, there are plenty of moments during the day when I can squeeze in a few minutes of reading! And I’m a big fan of multi-tasking-reading.

Lately, I’ve been on a winning streak of finding AMAZING books to read. This is due, in part, to the fact that there are 226 books (and counting!) on my To Read list on Goodreads.com. Having lots of contenders means I increase the odds of finding the right book. What I read next depends on mood, what else I’m doing at the time, and what kind of book I’ve just finished. I believe that choosing a book is a science and an art; deciding what to read next is as fun as actually reading it!

I recently discovered a fabulous podcast called All the Books, hosted by Liberty Hardy and Rebecca Schinsky of Book Riot. Every week they talk about new releases of all genres, and after reading several of their recommendations I find that I trust their judgment!

When I read good books I can’t help but rant and rave about them to the nearest unsuspecting person– usually this ends up being my wonderful, patient boyfriend who is a great listener. But even he has a limit to how many times he can sit and nod as I recount the excitement and thoughts provoked by the same book. And I do tend to talk about the same book more than once… to be exact, every day until I finish it!

I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of my latest favourite books. And if you happen to pick one up, I’d love to hear what you think! (Unless you hated it, in which case my feelings will just be hurt and I’d rather you keep those thoughts to yourself. But tell me if you loved it, which I hope you will!)

• 1. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

This book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction last year, so I thought I’d check it out. I was caught by surprised– it was so much better than I thought it would be! The description on the cover does not do the book justice whatsoever.

Truly Madly Guilty is about an ordinary summer day when six adults, two kids, and a dog are enjoying a backyard barbecue. But something horrible happens at the barbecue; this event is so unspeakable that we, as readers, are not told what it is until near the end. The timeline alternates between the day of the barbecue with the events leading up to the incident, and the aftermath of how the characters react post-barbecue.

I was absolutely RIVETED. The author does an incredible job of sparking the curiosity of the reader. In my case, I was literally yelling with anticipation, “Ahh! What happened? What happened?!” as the details developed and I still could not figure out what went wrong. Besides this hook, the character development is perfect. Every character was believable, from their desires to their reactions and how their past explains who they are today. To top it all off, the writing style was effortless and concise, which made it a real pleasure to read. If you want to read an amazing book which is absolutely engrossing and extremely satisfying, I strongly recommend Truly Madly Guilty!

P.S. A friend of mine also loved it. So consider the recommendation doubled!

 

• 2. Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson

This book was recommended on the All the Books podcast, and I definitely second that motion! It’s about a man named Preston Grind whose parents are both psychologists, and they raised him using their own experimental parenting technique. Their “Constant Friction Method” is based on the premise that if parents should continuously and unexpectedly throw terrible experiences at their child, then teach him techniques to deal with the pain and negative emotions he feels. This way, they hypothesize, he will be prepared for anything and everything he may encounter in life. Obviously, this method has its flaws. Now Dr. Grind is a psychologist himself, with a new parenting method in mind. He wants to create an environment which is so utterly full of support, trust, and love that the child has every opportunity to thrive.

When Dr. Grind gets funding from a very rich elderly woman, they start up a program called the Infinite Family Project where ten pregnant couples will raise their children with this alternative family model. One of the participants is Izzy, who is fresh out of high school and pregnant with her art teacher’s baby. The book follows Dr. Grind’s perspective as well as Izzy’s, switching between the two.

I was fascinated by this concept! It was well-thought out and had enough allusions to an Intro to Psychology course I took years ago that I felt it was believably “realistic.” Granted, a trained psychologist may find it less realistic, but this is a fictional story after all. I was intrigued by the idea of shared parenting within their community, where all the babies slept in one room and parents took shifts caring for each of the ten babies as if they were their own. I thought the characters’ reactions to this bizarre experience was interesting to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was different from anything I’ve ever read before, which for me is always a huge selling point. There were elements of psychology, relationships, and the writing style evoked a nice balance of sympathy and humour. It was a very easy book to read and I really loved disappearing into this world!

 

• 3. A Planet for Rent by Yoss (and translated by David Frye)

If you are interested in aliens, politics, great books, or all of the above, then this is one for you! This book was also recommended on the All the Books podcast, and it caught my interest because I have never read anything remotely like it before.

A Planet for Rent takes place in a time when humans have completely destroyed the planet, forcing the aliens of superior intelligence to intervene. These aliens, referred to as xenoids, have been observing Earth for some time. However, humans finally take things too far, and the xenoids arrive to reverse the destruction. They do so successfully, but as a result they have also taken control of the planet. Earth is converted into a holiday tourist destination for xenoids.

Unfortunately, humans have now been demoted to second class citizens, at the very bottom of the universe’s hierarchy. Humans are limited to work in black market dealings and prostitution. One of the worst jobs is being a Body Spare: Xenoids whose organisms are not compatible with Earth’s atmosphere can possess a human’s body as an avatar and explore Earth remotely. Humans dream of leaving Earth, but they lack the intelligence, money, not to mention rights to access the required technology to flee.

THIS BOOK WAS SO CREATIVE! So, so cool! The descriptions at the beginning took a little while to get through because the images in my mind of all the different types of xenoids were being drawn up from scratch. After the first few pages, though, I was lost in the stories of the different human perspectives. The book jumps between different characters without really a single continuous plot, although there is a thread of a recurring character we meet near the end. The details are exquisite. I was blown away!

But I haven’t gotten to the most fascinating part yet! Yoss is a Cuban author who wrote A Planet for Rent as a critique of Cuban politics in the 1990s. I myself am not a political expert, but the parallels are so distinctive that anyone can find some meaning if you give it a bit of thought. Whether you read it as an entertaining sci-fi fiction, or as an allegory of Cuba in the nineties, this was a really awesome book and I really recommend it!

 

• 4. The Circle by Dave Eggers

This YA (young adult) novel has been adapted as a movie which is due to be released on April 28, 2017. I decided to read it because the movie starrs Emma Watson so I knew I would have to see it, and because as a general principle if I know a movie is based on a book I like to read the book first.

The story is set in the not-so-distant future when all our internet profiles have been synchronized into one account with a mega-company called the Circle. Things have become much simpler now that we only need one account, one login and password to access social media, banking, media, shopping– everything. We follow Mae as she starts her new job at the Circle, slowly becoming pulled deeper and deeper into a world where technology is pushing ethical limits. The Circle functions on the premise that everyone has the right to access all information about everything, anytime.

The path of technological developments in the book raised serious issues about privacy for me. Why should everyone know my location 24/7? Why should I be forced to share my health data which is being continuously monitored? Why can’t I keep some of my emotions to myself, rather than share everything with the community? The characters, meanwhile, are earnestly oblivious the alarming encroachments of privacy, and believe they are part of a better and brighter future.

The ideas for technology are comprehensive and I was fascinated by the compelling arguments made by the Circle. For being a Young Adult genre novel, the content was extremely thought-provoking and had me hooked from the start.

I give this book 5.0 stars out of five for content, plot, and creativity. However, the writing style left something to be desired. This is a book to be read for the storyline, not as beautiful literary prose. There was a bit of forced symbolism and some brief scenes of bizarre eroticism (also possibly an unnecessary attempt at symbolism?). Overall, though I found this book to be totally addicting. I couldn’t put it down, and when it ended, I was nearly spontaneously combusting with the need to talk with someone about it! Please, please read this book so I can rant and rave with you about the ending! Ahhh!

 

• 5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

This book was also recommended on the All the Books podcast, and rightly so! IT IS AWESOME! It is a fairy tale mixed with fantasy, which is a genre a used to read a lot of when I was young. For some reason, as I got older, I had a hard time finding my style of fantasy in adult fiction. So when I heard the rave reviews, I decided it was worth checking out!

The story is about a girl named Agnieszka who lives in a small village on the outskirts of an evil forest alive with dark magic. Every fairy tale needs a dragon, and Uprooted is no exception. In this case, the Dragon is actually a wizard who protects the village from the forest. However, in exchange for his protection, every ten years the wizard selects a seventeen-year-old girl who must live with him in his distant tower for the next decade. Besides being super creepy, this ritual is a big mystery to the villagers. Upon their release, the young women insist the Dragon never lays a finger on them, yet they do not speak of what goes on in the tower.

When Agnieszka turns seventeen, the Dragon is due to select a new girl. However, everyone already knows that the Dragon will choose Kasia, Agnieszka’s best friend. Kasia is the smartest, the kindest, and the most beautiful. Thus, it comes as a great surprise when the Dragon chooses Agnieszka to take to his tower! As Agnieszka learns what her role is with the Dragon, we also learn more about the world they live in and the evil that is growing stronger everyday.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. There’s magic, there’s friendship, there’s love in many relationships, there’s action, and there’s a lot of suspense! Not to mention that the magic is absolutely beautifully described. Throughout the novel, I had no idea what was going to happen next; this is a great accomplishment by the writer and a delight for me. I really liked the Dragon’s character, particularly his melodramatic and exasperated speaking style.

Also, if you’re thinking to yourself, Hey, those names sound Polish, you’re right! I felt like I was in on a secret as soon as I realized this fairy tale takes place in a fictional fantasy version of Poland (so-called “Polnya”). According to a Polish friend of mine, it turns out Uprooted is actually based on a Polish fairy tale! I was also pleased to recognize some references to Polish legends, like the rumours of a beast that used to live under Wawel Castle in Krakow. It was cool to know that I’ve visited the sites of inspiration for this fairy tale.

This book took me on a whirlwind adventure which had my heart racing with excitement at all the right moments. It covered all the bases of what I look for in a fun, high-quality read! I really enjoyed this book and I want to read more like it! I can’t recommend it enough!

 

Those are just a handful of the best books I’ve read so far this year. If you decide to check them out, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. I am always looking for more good books to add to my list, so send your recommendations my way!

A Whistle-stop Tour of London in Two and a Half Days

One of the reasons why I love studying in Poland is that travel within Europe can be so affordable and easy, if you know how and when to book! We had some time off from school so we flew to the UK and spent a couple of days in London. I visited London a long time ago as a child so I was ready to see London with new eyes.

I’ve heard from friends about how much they love London, but I never really understood the appeal of such a big city until now. London is awesome! It certainly is enormous– there must be hundreds or thousands of restaurants and cafes and bars, not to mention all the museums and theatre events.

Ah, the theatre! I could spend months in London just watching all the musicals and plays on offer! I am an avid fan of live theatre performances, so it was a real treat to see the Lion King performed at the beautiful Lyceum theatre. The costumes were creative and breathtaking, and the cast undeniably talented. The Lion King musical follows the Disney movie quite closely, which in my opinion was positive. The music was familiar and relatable, which meant that even my boyfriend (not generally a fan of musicals, but agreed to tag along for the cultural experience) thoroughly enjoyed the performance! The Lion King was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip.

Another highlight was being reunited with an old friend from university in Vancouver. He offered some great local insight. He recommended brunch at The Breakfast Club in Camden Passage (delicious), the viewpoint from the top of Tate Modern Museum (free and picturesque), and window shopping at the Liberty store near Oxford and Regent Streets (fun to look at the ludicrously expensive merchandise), among others. Besides his recommendations, it was a pleasure as always to catch up and share stories from our latest adventures.

Our whistle-stop tour through London was not nearly long enough to see everything! We did manage to enjoy the energy of the bustling city, experience a few local highlights as well as check off a few items on the tourist’s to do list. I know London has a lot more to offer and I hope to pay another visit in the future!

Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movie set is a replica of this passage.

Street performers at Trafalgar Square

The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square

These lion statues in Trafalgar Square were modelled after the sculptor’s dog. The hind legs are much longer than the front legs, which would make it impossible for these disproportionate lions to walk if they came to life!

This red road, known as the Mall, leads towards Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

View of the London Eye through St. James’ Park

Tourists feeding the birds at St. James’ Park. The pelicans in this park are known for their unusual behaviour of eating pigeons

This little Londoner was keeping a watchful eye on the wild fowl at St. James’ Park

Locals walking near Big Ben

Big Ben

The Lion King musical performed at the Lyceum Theatre

Inside the Lyceum Theatre before the Lion King musical

Camden Passage

Camden Passage

China Town, celebrating the recent Lunar New Year (year of the rooster in Chinese zodiac)

Theatres and tickets for sale on Regent Street

Piccadilly Circus

Street art

Christmas in Prague

Time flies! It’s hard to believe that it’s already  been over a month since my family and I arrived in the Czech Republic on Christmas Eve. We didn’t stay with family in Sweden this year– a step away from what has now become a tradition for me these past four years. Luckily I got the best of both worlds by spending time with relatives (including some surprises!) as well as traveling to a country I haven’t seen before.

Prague was a great city to visit for the holidays. The place was teeming with spirit! There were Christmas markets everywhere throughout town, including an enormous one in the old town square. There was a gargantuan Christmas tree which performed a light show every evening with gusto, synchronized to Rossini’s William Tell Overture. Despite being cold and at times very rainy, Prague offered an abundance of cozy restaurants where we could settle in to the warmth and enjoy good company.

The city itself is picturesque. Something unique about Prague is that the whole city feels like “old town.” In most Polish cities, there is a distinct region of the city which is rebuilt and identified as the historical Old Town. Prague, however, was spared destruction during WWII. As a result, the modern details have been incorporated into the historical, rather than built up from scratch in a separate new part of town.

Approaching the Christmas market in Wenceslas Square.

Wenceslas Square on Christmas Eve.

Old Town Square with the Christmas market and musical Christmas tree

Old town square

Old town square

Around Prague, a lovely peak of sunshine!

The John Lennon Wall. Post-WWII, this was the one place in Prague where citizens could express their protest through graffiti. The wall itself belonged to Malta, as it surrounded an official building of theirs. Thus, the communist government could not punish citizens for graffiti on a wall which was not their property. Malta allowed the graffiti to continue. 

Tourists crossing the Charles Bridge

View from the Charles Bridge

Seats and balcony in the marionette opera theatre, where we enjoyed a rendition of The Magic Flute performed by puppets on strings. It was a totally novel experience for me, and I loved it! You could see human hands manipulating the strings above the stage, and the puppets even had jaws that could move in synchrony with the German opera singing. 

Prague is a city for dogs and dog-lovers! Czech dogs are extremely well trained. Most dogs stroll through town alongside their owners off-leash. I was pleasantly surprised to discover there was often at least one small dog quietly hanging out under a table while their humans ate at restaurants. 

This statue at the Prague Castle became famous for the golden genitalia. The communist government censored this statue when it was erected (pun intended), by removing the genitalia altogether. However, this caused such an outrage that the government decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. They quelled the protesters by replacing the missing parts, which thereafter represented a victory for the citizens. It is considered good luck to touch that particular part of the statue. Over time, the metal was worn down, until only this gold-coloured layer beneath remained. 

The sweet smell of Trdelnik baking over hot coals wafted deliciously throughout Prague. If you like sugary, soft, crispy dough, I recommend this delectable hollow cylinder of goodness!

View from outside the Prague Castle

St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle.