Charlotte

I have definitely lost track of time. I have been back home for a little over a week and it has been very hectic getting back into the swing of things. There is so much going on in my life right now that it is hard to find a moment to write about it.
Charlotte was absolutely wonderful and as my grandpa put it, "well worth my time(and money.)" I truly believe that the experience reminded me of who I am as a person and really drove home why I am going to be an Emergency Medicine doctor.
Charlotte is a very young and healthy city which brought that out in me. I did a lot of socializing, saw the sights, and kept busy. In my high school years, I was a daily runner. My favorite runs were always trail runs. There are lots of runners in Charlotte and a ton of ultra runners(meaning lots of miles per day.) I even witnessed people crossing the finish line of a 50 miles race. No joke. Being in Charlotte reawakened my love for being active and doing trail runs. The weather definitely helped! I did my longest and prettiest run out at the Whitewater Center. I had a minor mishap and banged up my knee a bit. 3 weeks out, I am getting pretty close to having a normal looking knee again. It was well worth it though.
The Whitewater Center was an amazing experience! I did my running before they opened and then did whitewater rafting, paddle boarding, obstacle courses, and some ziplining. It was incredible and a ton of fun. And I literally couldn't move the next day. Luckily for me it was a sunday and I find no reason to leave the couch on football sunday anyway!
The hospital was incredible and my actual learning experience was invaluable. It really gave me some perspective on what I should be looking for as I start interviewing for programs in the future. The physicians were all very dedicated and I loved every minute of it. The amount of energy I had everyday was invigorating.
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever gotten was "find something you would do for free and do that for a living." I can say that I have truly found that. I look forward to my shifts in the ED and can't wait to go back. My next time walking into an ER won't be until March unfortunately, but in the not so distant future I will get to spend every working day there.

Arrival

Night Shift

Just a little scratch

Whitewater Rafting

Whitewater Center

Walk to the hospital

Trail runs

All Packed up

Last Day