Wife Alone...

Hi!

So Ryan's on his way to North Carolina to visit his dad... Which is very exciting, and I wish I could be on the road with him (though I have tons of work, which I will hopefully get done tomorrow... as I did none today). I am home because I have an immunology retreat from Sunday to Tuesday (very odd times to do it, I know). So, I get to catch up on all my studying and start preparing NSF and other applications... And then Sunday morning I head to Woodshole, MA (close to Martha's Vineyard, I hear).

In any case, here I am, blogging after such a long absence.

Graduate school. The biggest challenge I've ever faced, I think. It's getting more manageable. So yeah. The best part of graduate school: feeling stupid among the smart people. Worst part of graduate school: balancing life, classes, rotating in a lab, etc.

Why is feeling stupid so great? Because I've always been the one on top of things in undergrad, but feeling like I really didn't know everything. Turns out I was more than right... I'm the slacker now, convincing people not to study. So, now I'm trying to revert to my previous status of actually knowing what's going on. But it's refreshing to be a new environment and trying to learn as much as possible, and keep up with the smart people of this world. It's an honor to be studying amongst such amazing people.... The bad thing about yale: the undergrads! Don't even get me started!!

Ok, so Rosh Hashanah went really well, as did my Iom Kippur fast. It's so different to be away from my family on this time of year. Finding out where to go, what times, fasting, etc. I really like services here, reminds me of the south american ones (they're from the new york school of thought/prayer). Oh, and I guess today is Sukkot... maybe I'll go to a sukkah next week (the Grad Jews @ Yale are organizing something to this extent), but I don't know if I'll have the time. Sukkot was more exciting as a kid, I think.

AWESOME NEWS: I found my favorite ice cream EVER: Sambayon/zabaglione, in this ice cream shop in New Haven called Ciao Bella. It was very exciting. Ryan tried it and really liked it!

Unfortunately right as I was halfway through eating my cup of zabaglione I got some sad news about a close friend of mine. So last weekend was harsh.

In any case... here I am, a first year immuno student at Yale. Enjoying spending time with my classmates. Enjoying learning so much, and becoming more familiar with everything, with much less headaches.

I have yet to balance everything perfectly. And the homesickness hits in every now and then. But the busier I am, the less I can think about this. I do miss my friends and family, and can't wait till Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hannukah, when I can see everyone... Especially because I don't know if I'll be able to see anyone until the following year.

But life is good. Challenging and incredible. And I really need to acknowledge the support of my husband. He's been so great... I've really leaned on him for moral support. He rocks. and I miss him (this is the first time we've been apart since we got married... a little over 2 months ago!)

Anyway... here I am, still alive, surviving year one of this 6 year journey towards my PhD...

-Class of 2012!!