I have been here in Portland on my visiting rotation for one week now, and after telling people about my experiences thus far I’ve made a discovery. It’s not earthshaking news or anything, just an observation about regions of our great country.<\/p>\n
During this relatively short week I have met med students and residents and attendings (as a side note: I often can’t tell the three apart except for the ubiquitous med student short white coat… everyone treats each other as colleagues.. very cool) Anyway, I’ve met these people and had many opportunities to chat with them about all sorts of things medical and otherwise. Whenever we get to talking about our lives outside of medicine the conversation is dominated by discussion of hiking trails, camping areas, beaches, golf courses, ski slopes… you name it, one of us has been there, done that. I’ve been getting advice on where to see the coolest waterfalls and what time to explore the coastal beaches – because these are the kinds of things that people in the Northwest do during their free time. We like to be outside. A lot. We like nature. And it’s great since there’s so much of it around.<\/p>\n
Now compare that to the three years I’ve had in St. Louis and the countless conversations I’ve had with med students, residents, and attendings. Activity suggestions tend to center around where to find the best bars (and restaurants). Every once in a while they might stray into catching a Cardinals game. But no one ever talks about hiking. Or camping out. Or even walking trails. Certainly no suggestions for beaches or ski slopes, since they don’t even exist there. No one really does anything outside in St. Louis, and maybe that’s why I feel so cooped up when I’m there. Even walking around the block is a chore most of the year.<\/p>\n
So, this just chalks up another mark in the "Come back to the Northwest ASAP" column, bringing the tally to about 572 and leaving the "Stay in the Midwest" column with a pitiful score of 3 (I do love Sen Thai, the Moolah and Chase theatres, and Cardinal Glennon).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have been here in Portland on my visiting rotation for one week now, and after telling people about my experiences thus far I’ve made a discovery. It’s not earthshaking news or anything, just an observation about regions of our … Continue reading