She's Leaving Home

Despite spending my last two years at Brandeis (plus the year after graduation) planning and preparing for nursing school, I had come to a point where I was unconscious of the new step I was about to take. In addition to starting the classes and clinical rotations that will prepare me for nursing, something I had never imagined choosing when I applied to college, I will be leaving my home state for the first time.



At the end of April and the beginning of this month, my mind was elsewhere. As I finished my job at the church, I was trying to balance the task of saying "so-long" to the many loving people at the church and training my successor. At Brigham and Women's, I also noticed this dual attention to saying what I needed to say to the nurses and administrative staff before leaving, and trying to get as much done as possible on my last day working in the preoperative clinic. On top of that, I was studying for my Pathophysiology final, reminding myself that, unlike other finals for which I have studied*, the material from that class would be critical in taking care of my future patients.

It took a (fortunately minor) car misadventure and the process of packing for Philadelphia to bring me back to thinking about the future. Things as simple as putting my school supplies together in a box and deciding which clothes to pack reminded me that I was leaving. Fortunately, the only affect of the car misadventure on packing was that I spread the tasks out more to rest my arm. In my down time, I would like to say that I started an amazing exercise routine like one of my good friends who runs several times a week. Instead I watched Buffy with my cats.

In honor of my last Saturday morning service at my home synagogue, the rabbi and cantor gave me their formal blessing between the 7th aliyah and the maftir aliyah. I have been going to this synagogue for about 7 years and been a member for 5 years, but continue to feel thankful for the whole congregation's warmth and welcoming attitude. Several of the Saturday morning regulars and I went to the post-service kiddush lunch and then went to a friend's house for cake and conversation. It was one of those Saturday afternoons made for outdoor Shabbat fellowship — bright and sunny, but not humid at all. And though my send-off on Saturday had a lot of the thoughtful reminiscing of a "goodbye" event, it was clear that we weren't saying goodbye forever, since I'll be able to come back during school breaks. It will be different, not seeing everyone on a regular basis, but these transitions are what Facebook, email, and blogs are made for.

* Obviously there was value in studying for my Judaic Studies finals (I found myself discussing Biblical laws about male genital discharges versus laws about menstruation with some synagogue friends yesterday), but it's a different skill set.