I can't say I have a lot of advice for you all now starting in Grenada (or in Newcastle) other than good luck, really enjoy the time you have because you'll look back on it fondly (maybe not the harassment but otherwise) and work hard, but the island is so far away from me that it feels like a dream. Nearly 10 years now since I shipped off, terrified, and a very different person than I am now.
I've alluded to and generally complained about the pathology job market being terrible. I can officially say I've accepted a job offer that seems like an excellent fit for me, and we're really happy about it.
There's an official "we" now. I'm engaged. The impossible has happened, and no, there's no big wedding. This year has been so stressful that doing anything other than a quick inebriated cakeless wedding just isn't worth the effort or money.
I can continue the "travelogue" portion of the blog to an extent. For the past few years, my PTO has been used for less fun things - interviewing for a fellowship; the next year moving for fellowship and the year after applying for jobs, but having secured one with a healthy amount of time left, the future husband and I took off for the Belize jungle and had an amazing time. It was the first I've felt truly relaxed in years. Amazing country and who knew you could hop on Southwest for less than a flight to San Francisco?
The cytopathology boards are sometime in August. Not too stressed. Maybe I'm finally entering a time in my life where the exam difficulty starts going downhill. Either that or the AP/CP exams just broke me entirely, which is likely.
Everything's winding down. I'm in my last away rotation, which would be nice except it's been complicated by a knee injury sustained during crossfit, so now I need to get a scope stuck in my knee. Then it's back to my main hospital to wind up my year and hopefully say goodbye to trainee status forever. Not that I have any intention of ceasing learning, just that I get a decent salary and am higher than *someone* on a ladder.
So things are working out, for all the pain and difficulty. It's been an insane ride, but a fulfilling one, and I've been extremely lucky all the way. I wish a great deal of luck to all of you.
