Day 100

100 days.

Crazy, isn't it?

In some ways, it's flown by....in others, it hasn't. The first 50 days were full of firsts - meeting new people and getting settled in to a new environment, walking on eggshells as not to put anyone off and walking around like a tourist and figuring out where I could become a regular. Most days were fueled by the type of adrenalin one feels on the first day at a new school, where you try to counter the fear of the unknown with blind enthusiasm and guarded optimism. In my case, though, I had Regina here for the first 42 of those days, so nothing could really go wrong.

The next 50 have proven to be a little more challenging. Much like that new school year analogy, expectations and routines begin to set in. Especially for the first year fellow, the majority of my time is accounted for and set in stone, with minor variations week to week. Meeting people and learning their quirks now becomes a matter of navigating personalities and fitting in without compromising too much of who you are. And, most importantly for me, trying to practice the type of medicine and operate the way I see fit without pissing too many people off is a particular mine field I try to improve on daily. Apparently I wear my emotions on my face. Go figure.

As for the "routine" part of life, don't get me wrong....this is, by far, the least accounted-for I've been in a long time considering I'm home by 6pm most nights and I've done more voluntary, paid calls than required ones....but that's where the tougher part starts for me. For those of you who have known me for any portion of my 32 years on this planet, silence isn't my strong suit. Once you get to know me, I don't shut up....or sit still.......or refuse to let a weekend go by without some sort of plan that revolves around a) food b) drink c) music or d) all of the above. I think it's the Greek in me...or the fact that I'm an ESFP according to the Myers-Briggs personality test. Who knows....

The bottom line is that after 100 days, I think I'm just a bit homesick....but not your typical I-wanna-go-home-and-wait-for-the-blizzards-to-come type of homesick. I miss the people. I'd say I'm peoplesick, but that just sounds weird and implies I'm making bombs in a mountainside log cabin. I wish I could share all the amazing things I have discovered so far with everyone I know from back East because I know they would love it. That's what this blog, in a small part, has helped me do. (Hell, I'll even thank Facebook, as much as that may get me disowned by my hipster friends). Luckily, I have met a bunch of amazing people out here, and hopefully they'll come to find me tolerable as time goes on. I'll take tolerable. At least you can share meals and drinks with tolerable. I know in the end I will be fine, but for now I have only the first 100 days here to compare to the prior 11,690 days on the other coast.

Which brings me to Girlfriend. (For those of you not in the know, that's Regina. I know it drives some people nuts, but I really can't bring myself to repeatedly refer to her by her given name. It's almost too "clinical". I can't in real life, so why fight it online?) The biggest irreparable void has been having her so far away while trying to enjoy a new city. Sure, we're nearing the second year of her being in Grenada ("second year"....it seems even crazier when I put it in writing), but in the past I've been in a familiar setting surrounded by people and places we both knew and loved, allowing me to sense her presence at any given time. Out here, I'm like Columbus without a compass. The oceans on the wrong side of me. I'm confused when the sun comes up over mountains. Everyone has tattoos. People eat acai bowls.

It's times like these that I realize how she is both my gravity and my slingshot...ever-propelling me forward while keeping me within arms reach of myself. If I could somehow mimic even a fraction of her ability to be simultaneously steady and adventurous, I probably wouldn't have even missed a beat coming out here. So far, I think I've done an okay job....but in 73 days when she lands about 10:55pm, I have a feeling things will go from okay to spectacular.

So if you've made it to this point without browsing to another site or vomiting uncontrollably from my unabashed sappiness, here's one last chance to do so.......

The Long Way Home. When I think about it, that pretty much sums up our lives to this point.

On to the next 50 days, and beyond.

Regards,

Me.