Hey beautifuls. I wanted to do an update post on how things have been going since starting internship. My last post was quite depressing, but I'm happy to say that the initial shock of starting residency is now fading and I'm really loving it. It's challenging to work 72+ hours a week, but at the end of the day, seeing happy parents and smiling children reminds me why I got into this profession in the first place. Although every single day is grueling and I may not always get the recognition for working so hard, I still love this profession and there's nothing else in the world I would want to do than take care of children. Even though this program may not be all rainbows and sunshines and we have to do more "scut work" than other residency programs, I still really love this hospital and the supporting environment. I'm learning so much and have become SO much more confident in my clinical skills in just a few short weeks.

I'm also happy to say that I'm  finally 95% done unpacking and settling into my new place. I spent a lotttt of time, energy, and money setting up my apartment, but it's finally looking put together and how I want. I love that I have so much space in my new apartment and love the minimalistic decor. The only issue is that my oven is broken, so I'm not able to bake :( and the laundromat situation isn't ideal since there's only one washer that works in our laundry room. Besides that, I really do love Long Island. There's just so much to do around here -- suburban, urban, hipster stuff, artsy stuff, lots of shopping and unique finds, near the beach, near the riverside, etc. Now that I've got my apartment finished, I can focus on exploring the area more on my days off. And getting back on living a healthy lifestyle. My face is currently sitting in the Origins Active Charcoal Mask and it feels so goooooodd, my skin definitely needed it. And I have clinic tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to dressing up and not wearing the same old scrubs that I have been for the past 3 weeks. It feels so unbelievable to say that I've been an intern for 3 weeks now...time has flown by so fast!

Now that I'm settled down and the hurricane of moving in is over, I hope to have a post on my morning and night routines coming up this month, and maybe a haul, apartment decor, meal planning, or organization posts. A budget post will be up probably at the end of next month since my finances this month have been all over the place, but I hope to start watching my expenses tightly in August. I really want to get back to posting 5x a month since I really do love blogging and sharing my experiences with you guys. Anyways, this mask is hurting my face now, so time to wash it off, eat dinner, and go to bed. Till next time loves <3 

New Beginnings

Hey guys! So it's a few days past Match Day. If you can't tell by the picture, I'm so so so excited to announce that I'll be moving to NEW YORK CITY in the summer for residency!!!!! While it's not a program located directly in Manhattan, it's located on the eastern border of Queens, which is an even better location for me. It's a great children's hospital, located perfectly between the Big Apple and suburban Long Island, a well-balanced curriculum, a large global health program, and has excellent benefits like a large salary and subsidized housing. It really couldn't get better than that. It's been my dream to live in NYC since I was literally 16 years old. And now I finally get to live it out!!! I can't believe how lucky I got. The only unfortunate part is that I'm going to have to move 8 hours away from home, for the first time in my life. I've never lived away from my parents so it's going to be a really huge change for me. But I'm ready to live on my own for a few years and really learn what it means to be independent. To make things even better, a few of my really close friends from medical school matched in NYC programs so at least I won't be completely alone. And then about 8 other people from my class matched into NYC programs. Annnnd to make the deal even sweeter, some of my undergrad friends/acquaintances will be doing their residencies at NYU and Columbia. So I'm not alone and have help if I need help or support or just a friend. I'm so excited to have the world at my feet, and ALL the conveniences of a large city meshed with a huge suburban mecca at my disposal. Definitely pumped for the foodie scene and to relax in Battery Park, one of my favorite spots in Manhattan! All I can hope for is that my co-residents are as friendly as I imagine and I can make a few lasting friends out of the whole experience. 

Travel Diaries: Niagara Falls

I'm super excited to be writing my very first travel post on this blog! I don't get to travel too much anymore since school has become so crazy busy. So naturally, I was beyond excited when I got a spare weekend to travel to Niagara Falls with my family. I've been to Niagara so many times since that was my family go-to destination during my middle school and high school years. However, I was surprised that I actually had a great time and really enjoyed my visit to Niagara despite having been there loads of times before. The falls are just breathtaking each and every time I visit. The picture above was taken on the Maid of the Mist that takes you directly to the falls. So beautiful.

We left Pittsburgh on Saturday morning and reached Niagara after a 5-hour car ride. We got to our hotel, the Comfort Inn Suites, around 3pm. I had driven the entire journey, so naturally I needed a little refreshing before exploring. After washing my face and putting on some makeup, we headed out to Clifton Hill. We went on the Sky Wheel, which was a really nice experience. Even my mom and dad, who are both scared of heights, joined my brother and I on the Sky Wheel! It was a bit scary at first, but the view of the falls was really nice. It was just a really good experience, and one that we hadn't done before on our previous trips to Niagara. 

Here are some pictures from the Sky Wheel:

We walked around Clifton Hill a bit more, and made our way down to the falls which were a bit of a walk from the bottom of the Hill. Really gorgeous, but super duper cold since it was the evening by the time we got down there. For dinner, we went to Rainforest Cafe, which has a really nice tropical forest feel and has really delicious food. Really fun experience.

After dinner, we retreated back to our hotel for the night. My brother and I went down to the drugstore a few blocks from our hotel, the Shopper's Drug Mart (the Canadian version of CVS). I was hoping to find some makeup to try, but they didn't really have anything I couldn't find in Ulta here. 

The next day was reserved for the Falls. We went on the Maid of the Mist (now called the Hornblower, actually) which is one of the most fun experiences in Niagara Falls. Got super wet, but it was so refreshing! We also walked around the Falls as well and snapped many photos. We then drove to Niagara On The Lake, the lakeside "suburb" of Niagara. On the way, we stopped at Southbrook Winery and I picked up a bottle of Framboise Wine, a raspberry-flavored wine. We got to taste a few types of wine, and that one was by far my favorite. I think it will be a nice treat on weekends after a rough week, plus a nice little memoir from the Falls. My mom picked up a bottle of dessert wine as a little treat for herself. Niagara On The Lake was a gorgeous view, but there were so many dragonflies around, oh my goodness! Kind of dulled the experience, but it was still breathtaking nonetheless. 

We actually didn't spend that much time at Niagara On The Lake. We stopped for a few minutes for the view, but then we decided to continue our drive up north to Mississuaga for some Indian food. It was a much longer journey than we anticipated! It took about an hour to drive there, but it was a really nice drive. The roads were open, wide, and empty. The views were spectacular as well. We ate Indian food for dinner and then went to an Indian supermarket to pick up some snacks and delicacies for back home. We also stopped at Shopper's Drug Mart since I wanted to bring back some Cadbury chocolates for myself. By the time we got back to our hotel that night, it was 10pm and we were all beat. 

We woke up the next morning, our last day of the trip. It was a lazy morning. We ate breakfast, relaxed by the pool, and walked a little bit down Clifton Hill. We stopped at Tim Horton's after breakfast for some coffee and croissants. 

We then decided to leave for back home early since we all had work the next morning and my brother had school. We stopped at a Duty Free shop before crossing the border back to America, and I picked up a little birthday treat for myself (post coming up soon!). We then drove back home with a stop at Chipotle in Erie for dinner.

Overall, it was a really really really fun trip! Even though I've been to Niagara Falls a billion times, I still have fun every single time I go. The views are just so breathtaking and there's so much to do there. It's a really beautiful spot and the views never cease to amaze me. I'm actually quite sad to be back home, but I'm already looking forward to our next family vacation. I absolutely loved the time I got to spend with my family after such a long time. This year has just been so crazy busy, it was so nice to have a week to relax and spend with loved ones, and to get away from Pittsburgh!