We arrived exhausted after our brief stop in Denver, but quickly acclimated to life out here. Andrew immediately began his Oncology clerkship at UCSF and we've managed to patch together a functional routine. Our apartment (and SF) is colder than we anticipated, and we are roughing it a bit when it comes to amenities (don't even get me started on the shower); however, we Korsons are a resourceful and resilient bunch. Here's evidence:
With our baby bathtub in the mail and no means of stopping up the sink, Anika tried out the old baby-in-a-bucket method of bathing (apparently used world-wide) during our first week here.
She had her doubts at first, and couldn't quite figure out why Dad looked so exhausted, but ultimately decided that bathing this way worked just as well. Of course, cuddling with Dad (aka the Sandman) enables her to endure most anything.
Life in SF has also provided us with other challenges and new experiences. Here's Andrew taking a leisurely stroll with Anika on the street outside our apartment.
I incidentally tipped over last week trying to pick up a quarter while wearing Anika (who is now approximately twelve pounds!) and a couple bags of groceries. We came away unscathed, though a bit embarassed because our neighbor rushed over to help us up.
By far, the best part about this rotation is that it has afforded us a few free weekends together (including a three day one), which we haven't really had in months. During our first weekend we had a couple meals out with friends and visited both the de Young Art Museum and the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. Here Anika and I are taking a break to nurse and enjoy the flora in Golden Gate.
Then, this past weekend we took our first ever Korson family vacation (at least in the traditional sense). Here's Anika dressed and ready for her first trip to the beach.
We rented a car on Saturday morning and drove down Highway 1. We got as far as Carmel before doubling back to Santa Cruz, where we (along with friend Des) visited our friend Micha and attended her housewarming party. Then, after spending the night huddled together in perhaps the seediest hotel ever, we continued on down to Big Sur.Anika had the distinct pleasure of ignoring several herons and hawks, a whale (we think), many farm animals, a large waterfall, artichokes, pumpkins, and some of the best scenery California has to offer. We did a terrible job of documenting it, but here's Andrew and Anika at Anika's first beach in Carmel.
I had visions of dipping Anika's toes in the water, but it was far too cold for that.This kid truly is intrepid. She has readily endured all of our travels to date, and always remains her sweet-natured self as long as I steer clear of dairy and soy. Wherever we go, people invariably assume that we're making our first attempts at getting out in the world. Little do they know, Emdrew has traversed the continent, visited six states, attended three parties, and dined in countless restaurants during her first two months of life.
All this has, however, taken a toll on her parents. Although Anika is now often only rousing us once during the night, we're still pretty wiped every evening. I'm currently recovering from a chest cold (which, amazingly, I alone contracted), and, well, somehow it just seems like we can't sleep enough. Will it ever end?
Despite this, Andrew continues to meet with success on the school front. Just today he learned that he performed exceptionally well on his most recent Medical Licensing Board Exams and he has been receiving residency interview requests from some very good programs. Regardless of where we end up next year, it looks as though (fingers crossed!) Andrew will be training at a highly ranked school. Although the invitation period is by no means over, the heavy hitters so far include Dartmouth, Tufts, Cornell, Mt. Sinai, the University of Colorado, the University of Chicago, and UC San Diego; he has lots of traveling to do during the coming months. Anika and I are deeply proud.
