March 22

Hello!! I can't believe you checked back!
So here is my update to my first day out here at the big sky clinic. The mountain opens for skiing at 9am, and we are expected to be changed and ready to work at 10am, giving us enough time for about 1 run each morning. Then we only have to work either 4 hours in the morning, or 4 hours in the afternoon. So tomorrow I will be working in the afternoon, meaning that I can ski from 9am until 1pm. Awesome. I skied today and it was pretty wild. It started snowing like crazy and I got caught in a whiteout at the top of the mountain. I couldn't see six feet in front of me. I had big skis, and there were lots of moguls...not optimal, but I enjoyed it. The mountain is nice, hardpacked...but everyone out here thinks the skiing is horrible because there is no powder. I am questioning whether or not I will be able to walk tomorrow, as I am fairly certain I will be insanely sore.
I think I am finally acclimating to the elevation. We are currently at 6000 ft, and the base of the mountain is 7500....quite a change from the 150ft in Syracuse. Yesterday I felt like I had a horrible hangover all day, but I think I am doing better today.
I don't think I blogged about my living quarters yet. They are rather odd. Basically I am staying in a guest house owned by one of the docs who works at the clinic. . There are two small rooms and two bathrooms and a tiny kitchenette. It is obviously been used an abused by the many students who were here before us. Currently there are only two of us staying here. Me and another student from NYMC. She is pretty cool, insanely smart I am sure, as she matched at CHOP in pediatrics. Anyhow, next week (or wednesday) 3 other students will be showing up, which would make this place very cramped. In fact, I guess in the past there have been 8 students staying here, but often one of the students knows someone in the area and they end up finding another place to stay. Luckily one of the other student's parents has a condo on the mountain, and he offered to let us stay there next week when the rest of the students arrive. So...that might end up being a wayyyyy better option than cramming 5 of us in these two tiny rooms.
I learned today that the mountain will be closing for the season at the beginning of my 4th week here...which sucks...but there is lots of other fun stuff to do around here. I have considered trying out some of the fly fishing, (as it is supposed to be the best in the world) but it might get to be a pretty expensive adventure, so I may keep it to hiking and the like.
Anyhow, I am going to do a little work and a little reading, and try to squeeze the most I can out of my time out here. There will be lots of suturing and orthopedic injuries...I need to brush up on my musculoskeletal anatomy.