Friday, March 17. 2006
Match Day
Match day!!! Across the country, at the same time on the same day, fourth year medical students find out where they will start their residencies in a grand ceremony. Ours is a little special, we dress up in costume. This year's theme was "channel surfing," and as such we're all dressed in TV-themed costumes. I, on the left, am a network news weather man, with a complete weather forecast map strapped to my back. 
For more thoughts on match day including where I matched, continue reading below the fold.
Well, match day has come and gone. I was unpleasantly surprised to find that all my pre-match-day anxiety has been replaced by the just as potent post-match-day anxiety. Plus, I don't think it's truly sunk in just yet that I've matched, and I still think about the other places I might've matched to.
More surprisingly, I've been overwhelmed by the knowledge of where all my friends are going, and honestly I was far less prepared for finding out what hospitals/cities/states would be stealing my friends from me in three months. I've grown incredibly close to these people, and I don't know if I'm ready to lose them. I know we'll keep in touch and visit now and then, but it won't be the same.
I want to have dinner at the gearys' and watch claire, lucy et al grow up, I want to be there when kiran gets his cards fellowship and amit gets his UN job and on kevin and mark's match day and everything else I'm going to miss. It's enough to make me cry, but I don't want to spoil the jovial spirit of my comrades.
Well, I suppose that's life.
So match day! It was crazy; we got all dressed up, just a little toasty and then we descended on a beautifully painted lewis hall audiotorium, and a few very short speeches and Dr. McCombs handed out the first envelope. Will was called to the stage, and he placed a dollar in the bucket, pulled out another random envelope. That student came up on stage, dropped off a dollar and grabbed an envelope. The dollar bills, of course, were a contest and the recipient of the very last envelope, Alison, got to take home all the money.
So here's the dollar bill I contributed:
I believe that Chinese folks like me use money as good luck. Crazy, huh? So that dollar bill has sat on my windowsill since 2002, my first year of medical school. It's crisp and faded from so much sunlight over the years. I didn't plan to use it for match day, but I couldn't think of anything more perfect. After all, what else was I hoping for with my wish for good luck, eh?
So I matched to USC/LA County Hospital.
Holy crap, I'm going home. Los Angeles. Holy crap.
