First Day

Do you remember your first day of kindergarten, and how you felt leading up to that first walk into the elementary school, plastic lunch box in hand? A lot of children are at least a little scared. They aren't certain about being away from their parents for that amount of time, they may worry that the other children won't like them, and they have no idea what it'll be like to learn the curriculum.

That's kind of like how I feel tonight, on the eve of my first day of medical school. Except that I'm thousands of dollars in debt, thousands of miles away from my family and friends, and I have to pack my own lunch. Yes, I admit it. I'm scared. Terrified, in fact. I am about to start school with 120 of my new best friends, only one of whom I've had an actual conversation with. I know it'll get easier, and I am looking forward to meeting new people and (hopefully) making at least a few friends. My school doesn't seem like the kind of school that would admit a bunch of douchebags, but it's possible that I will get a surprise.

I remember on the night before my first day of kindergarten, I spent a while picking out what outfit I would wear. I wound up wearing a jean skirt (I went through an epic phase with these. My poor mother had to wash it every few days so that I could wear it every day), a pair of sandals, a white t-shirt with some kind of design on it, and my glasses. I had a pink back pack. Tomorrow, I don't know what I'll wear, but it'll probably be pretty snazzy for my standards. It might actually have sleeves! It might not involve a comic book reference! Maybe it'll involve khakis.

All I know is that I'm terrified, more terrified of this than just about anything else.