San Francisco: From beginning to Land's End

July 01, 2018

San Francisco: From beginning to Land's End

These past few weeks have been filled with trips, celebrations, goodbyes, and last times as I graduated residency at CPMC in San Francisco and prepare to move back to the east coast for the next stage of my career.

I struggled with this fact a lot in the previous months. As I wrote about in my New Year's blog post, I didn't plan to move back to the east coast and was hoping to continue my training in California. The fellowship match put a wrench in my plans, but ever since I found out that I had to move back to pursue my chosen career path, I've been mentally preparing myself to say goodbye. I fought tooth and nail at first, complaining to everyone I saw and feeling sorry for myself, but I eventually had no choice but to accept the reality and change my mindset to be excited for the future.

Above all, I am so grateful to have been able to spend three years in San Francisco, living with my roommates, working with my friends at CPMC, finishing internal medicine residency, and truly living my best life here. I think back on my memories and look back on my photos and feel my heart swell with happiness and gratitude for this experience.

Everyone asks me if I will come back to California after fellowship and I truly don't know. I will be closer to my parents in Maryland and it may be hard to leave the east coast after fellowship, but I know that SF will always have a piece of my heart (and now I know plenty of people to come visit and stay with!).

And so yes, I am sad (I'm tearing up writing this blog post at the airport during my layover) and I am sure I'll be even more sad and mourn my previous life once I get to Richmond and start work at a completely new hospital and not know anyone. But I am also content. I checked off almost everything on my bucket list. I took a few trips to explore California in LA, Big Sur, and Napa. I had plenty of time to say goodbye, to both mentors, coworkers, friends, and roommates (my roommates joked that I've been saying goodbye and forcing them to do farewell activities with me for the past 6 months). So here's to closing the chapter in San Francisco and preparing for the next one in Richmond, VA.

Here's a look back at my final few weeks in San Francisco.

CPMC Residency Graduation

Last R3 dinner

Last shift at CPMC! Last time I'll see this view of the Golden Gate Bridge (foggy in this pic) every morning and night.

Grove girls + DJP

Residency besties in Napa after graduation -- excited to continue watching bach together (virtually)

Last Fat Cats happy hour!

And here are some throwbacks to commemorate my time in San Francisco: a very small compilation of the thousands of pics buried on my external hard drive, but some of the highlight reel to an unforgettable time.

Can't get enough views of the Golden Gate bridge - 06/15

Summering in Tahoe 07/15

Marin headlands with interns 09/15

View from the res room during cross cover - 10/15

Hawk Hill - 02/16

North beach/view from Coit Tower 04/16

End of intern year Napa celebration 06/16

Tank Hill 08/16 (felt like dead of winter)

Bernal heights 01/17

Mt. Davidson 02/17

Half moon bay 02/17

Baker Beach 03/17

Baker beach 03/17

Roomies 03/17

Grand View park 03/17

Coit tower again with bestie J - 05/17

The girl and the fig, Sonoma 05/17

Justin's wedding in Presidio, SF 07/17

Ina coolbrith park 07/17

Tiburon 07/17

Back at Land's End 12/17

Conservatory of Flowers, GGP 3/18

North Beach, 05/18

Big Sur (post coming soon!) 06/18

Roomies 06/18

One of my residency besties (you should really start a website) took these photos on a random day we both had free. One of the things I learned in residency was that you can't wait until a day off or until the perfect opportunity to do things, or else you would never do things. We took advantage of a gorgeous spring day in SF to drive to Lands End at golden hour to test out her prime lens. They're some of my favorite photos to showcase my love for SF.