#theinterviewtrail

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Update: Match Week, Chafing, T-Minus One Month and MORE:

Greetings from the.... well, to the end of the Interview Trail!

So, a lot has happened since my last substantive blog post, almost two months ago! I will try to be as brief as possible

1. MATCH WEEK: 

-It’s already upon us, the day where I will find out what residency program I will be matched to! This Friday at noon, every 4th year medical student will be given an envelope that, upon opening, will list the residency program that each student has been matched to. The match process is a complex bit of business that I don’t completely understand, but basically, a computer algorithm takes all of the preferences of every medical student and all the preference of every residency program, mashes it together, and finds the optimal match for everyone involved. So at the end of the day, each student is told the one and only one program that they are coupled with for the duration of their residency. It is a nerve-wracking experience, as the possibility for students to not match into their optimal program, or to not match into any program, is certainly possible. For me, I was fortunate enough to interview at enough programs that the non-matching part seems very unlikely. However, I could be matched in Maine, California, Ohio, or the number of other states that I wrote about in previous posts. Needless to say, I am excited, but still a little nervous! Keep posted, as I will definitely be posting about my matched program after this Friday!

2. Running is Hard:

- This past Saturday afternoon, I ran 19 miles in the unexpectedly frigid weather that greeted us this weekend. The wind chill brought the temperature down to the single digits, and I was decked head to toe in some form of lycra/spandex/breathable material. I had my iPhone strapped to my arm, a fanny pack with water and energy chews around my waste, and approximately 2% of my skin exposed to the cold. At the end of the run, my calves felt like they were encased in cement, I lost some sensation in my feet, and... well best not to talk about the chafing brought on by 19 miles of spandex. In other words,  I found myself hitting the infamous “wall” known to many long-distance runners at approximately the 18-20 mile mark of a marathon. It is important for me to feel this now, a month away from the marathon, so that I not only know what to expect, but can accordingly plan to get through it come April 17th. For me, it’s a lot of psychological head games (”I can do this!), and practical strategies (simply- I need to slow down more in the first half of the marathon so that I have enough energy to get through the 2nd; I need to stay hydrated, and I need to keep taking in some form of energy while running). I write all of this because I know that I’ve been doing a lot of fundraising lately: I keep asking friends, family members, and complete strangers for money, because I’m not quite at my half-way mark for my fundraising goals. But I don’t ask for money casually: First of all, I hate soliciting for money- I would have been a terrible salesperson. But more importantly, I believe that the organization I am running for, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, is so important, and does such good, life-altering work for sick, fragile kids and their families, that I am willing to spend my Saturday afternoons in the cold, bruising my legs and chafing my whatever, so that more children can experience the fun and freedom of camp. Ultimately, I am so thankful for the generosity of the people in my life- I am a lucky guy to be surrounded by so many kind-hearted folks who give so freely to a cause that they know is very close to my heart. Thank you thank you thank you!

3. One Month and Counting:

-The Marathon is April 17th! That means in a little over than a month, I will be literally on my way to the finish line. It’s a pretty scary thought, but one that also fills me with excitement. I will try to post a couple more times between now and then, but for now- if you would like to donate to my Marathon Fund, you can give through crowdrise.com. Alternatively, please consider coming to my New Haven based Fundraising event on March 24th at the Trinity Bar and Restaurant (see the post directly below this one for more info). And again- thank you for taking the time to read, to give, and help contribute to the happiness and wellbeing of some important children and their families!

Cheers,

galen.

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States 12 & 13: A Tale of Two Donuts

Greetings from the Internet Trail!

Okay, so let’s get it out of the way first: I’m getting tired. As of the writing of this post, I have one- count it- ONE- residency interview left. After traveling to 15 cities in 13 states over four different months, I will be able to resume some kind of normalcy... well, you know- relative normalcy, as I attempt to plan multiple fundraisers while training in between my remaining medical school rotations. But at least there will be so much less driving.

With that being said, I’m cutting a corner and consolidating two different states in one post- and not because I knocked them out with one run. No, it’s because I’m tired, and writing these blogs take more work than I’d like you all to know. Unfortunately, they’re both New England states, and as such I am unhappily contributing to the idea that New England states, due to their relative small size, should be lumped together and treated the same. Which is NOT true. I love my New England roots, even if I poke fun at Connecticut often for being boring and unfriendly and... well you get the idea.

No, I actually visited two young, unique, fun cities these past couple weeks: Portland, Maine and Providence, Rhode Island. And while these cities certainly differ in terms of culture, climate, and beer scene (sorry RI but Allagash and Bissell Brothers >>> Narragansett) they are both cities with vibrant music scenes, miles and miles of beautiful shoreline, and most importantly- fantastic donuts. So without adieu:

I. Portland, Maine: “The Way Life Should Be”

[The Back Cove... and a bunch of ice]

- So, whether or not I end up in the East Coast Portland, I’ve certainly started planning on eventually settling down in this small, quirky New England city, if just in my head. Portland retains the beauty and charm of New England, including easy access to beautiful beaches and abundant hiking, but is just a little bit slower and easier going than its more uppity New England neighbors (cough- Mass- cough). There is a high premium on good food (Duckfat!), great beer (Austin Street! Oxbow! Bissell Brothers!), and plenty of places to see nationally renowned musical acts, despite the city’s small size. It’s a relatively hidden gem, and you should go visit right now. Because, in the world of donuts they have:

1. The Holy Donut:

[I heart Holy Donuts]

-That’s right: Heavenly approved donuts that are actually made from potatoes, The Holy Donut have a slightly heartier, chewier feel while sacrificing none of its tastiness. I had a couple (yes, more than one) cinnamon sugar donuts, a simple but well-crafted example of excellence immediately after my run... and then I was able to sample a bunch more later that evening at my pre-interview dinner. God bless residents who love donuts. Needless to say, there isn’t a bad donut to be found in the bunch.

2. The Run: Ice, Ice Baby

- That’s right. I’m still training for a Marathon. Well, thankfully on my Maine day I had a shorter run slated, as I discovered that my favorite run in the City, a trail circling around the Back Cove, was almost entirely encased in ice. Because sometimes you might almost be a doctor but you forget that a run around a body of water... in Maine... in January just might be impeded with ice. Anyway, I made it around without falling on my face, but it was a pretty dumb idea and a lousy run. You live and you learn!

II. Providence, Rhode Island: Li’l Rhody

1. Names: 

-Did you know that the smallest state in the country has the longest name? In fact, RI’s actual name is: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  Hopefully some day we can say R.I.P to R.I.P.P. (yes- I thought that was clever). Otherwise, did you know that a state that measures 48 miles long by 37 miles wide has over 400 miles of shoreline? Yeah, I don’t really understand how that works either. Speaking of coastline...

2. The Run: Early Thaw

-So the days I spent in Rhode Island were unseasonably warm, as I ran in 50 degree weather in the middle of January. I was staying in Riverside, an enclave just south of East Providence, which is home to the Looff Carousel, which, having been built in 1895, is one of the few handmade carousels still in use. See, you learn new things every day! Anyway, as I ran by the Carousel, and down the shoreline through the melting snow, I was able to appreciate Rhode Island’s proper nickname of “The Ocean State”

3. Donut Round Two:

[That donut technically belonged to someone I’ll never meet]

- If you follow me on social media, you will know that I was recently stood up on a date with a young lady I met online. However, what made this event more notable was that I had bought this ultimately unseen woman a donut that she had recommended I try from PVDonuts, a fantastic shop located in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence. In friendly retaliation, I sent my date ditcher a couple pictures of yours truly devouring her donut with glee. Because let me tell you, the giant gourmet donuts of PVD are in a league of their own, a big, bready creation slathered in sugar and an array of topping choices (I tried both their Caramel and their Coffee Milk flavors- both highly recommended). So while human connection was not in the cards, I would argue that I still walked away a little bit in love... and a little bit rounder as well. 

[Life motto]

So there you go- two awesome New England cities that start with “P” for the price of one! Thanks for sticking with my rambling, sleepy post. I’m off to take a nap, but I’m excited to introduce the last state of my epic interview trail season with you next week!

Lastly, as always, please check out my fundraising page at https://www.crowdrise.com/galen-hitwboston2017/fundraiser/galendidomizio and thank you so much for your generosity in providing a beautiful unique experience to chronically ill children who deserve it the most! Until next time,

Onward & Upward,

galen.

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State #11: “Hi, I’m in Delaware”

Happy New Year from the Interview Trail!

Okay, full disclosure- I don’t have much to say about the state of Delaware. With all due apologies to my friend, Delaware native, and Marathon expert Pete McBride, the only thing that I think about when I think of Delaware is this following short Wayne’s World clip, which you should watch right now:

With that being said, I did have the opportunity to briefly visit Delaware last month, where I was impressed by the residency program contained within this small, overlooked state. So in honor of the first state to ratify the US Constitution:

1. The Run:

Before hightailing it back up 95 and through NYC rush-hour traffic, I was able to enjoy a short run through the Brandywine Creek State Park near Wilmington, an area of 933 acres that contains the first two nature preserves in Delaware. While the park contains plenty of nice, flat running trails, I somehow found myself navigating an increasingly complicated path of hiking trails that soon led me deep into the woods, a little muddy and a little lost. Thankfully, I eventually stumbled back onto one of the main running paths, and back to my car with no damage done. Thanks anyway, Delaware!

2. The Beer:

Like I mentioned, I didn’t really have the opportunity to spend much time in Delaware, but while I was there I did enjoy one of the finest beer in the country, Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA. Dogfish is hands-down one of my favorite breweries, with my personal favorites being their Indian Brown Dark IPA and their Raison D’Etre (which, yes- is in fact brewed with raisins. Give it a chance!). A couple years ago I had the pleasure of visiting their Brewpub on Rehoboth Beach- do yourself a favor and end a day at the beach with their tasty bites and strange experimental brews that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. 

3. The Funnest of Delaware Facts:

Okay. I realize that it’s enjoyable to poke fun at Delaware for being relatively small and unremarkable, but as a native from another small and unremarkable state (See State #10), I did want to find a couple unique facts about Delaware. Here are a few that I found at whatever motovo.com is, that I did not bother to verify, and that I have no idea whether are true or false. Regardless, enjoy!

- The world’s largest Lego Tower was built in Wilmington, standing 112 feet tall and made up of 500,000 bricks!

- Delaware is home of the “Punkin Chunkin” Championship, a sport where competitors build contraptions to hurl pumpkins as far as possible. The standing record is over a mile at 5,545 feet. USA! USA! USA!

- There is a disc golf course in every Delaware State Park (again, I have ZERO idea if this is actually true), BUT

- Until 2013, Delaware was the ONLY state not to have a National Park. 

- Although Delaware is 49th in state size and 45th in state population, it has the highest percentage of PhDs! 

[Joe knew all of those facts]

And that’s it! Thanks Delaware for a brief, enjoyable visit, and thanks VP Biden for just being so damn classy. Happy January everyone!

Onward and Upward,

galen.

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State #9: Salt Lake, the Crossroads to the West

Happy Holidays from the Interview Trail!

If there’s one lesson I’ve gained from these months of traveling, it’s that our country’s borders contains an incredible richness and diversity of cultures. Even as someone who has previously seen much of the US prior to this season, I have been continuously surprised by the cities and states that I have encountered, especially those that I have known little of prior to my visit (see: Cincinnati, Richmond)

That being said, I had almost no prior impression of Salt Lake City and the state of Utah prior to my visit last week. I knew about Mormons, and I knew there were mountains, and that was the extent of my knowledge of the area. As you may have suspected, I was more than pleasantly surprised by this secretly gorgeous city nestled between the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountain ranges. The City is a clean, friendly center filled with public transit that is both prompt and doesn’t demand a Purell bath afterwards (see: NYC, Boston). 

It should be noted that Salt Lake is a tough place for a New Englander to properly encapsulate, especially in a short 48 hour trip. There seems to be two distinct cultures at play in the city: The friendly, conservative, domineering presence of the Latter Day Saints, and a newer establishment of distinct counter-culture, marked by outdoor enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies, and the young and hip. Although the two intertwining cultures created a kind of mini-culture shock for me, SLC certainly seems like a place where its inhabitants live happily, work hard, and play even harder.

1. The Run:

- My schedule was packed while in Salt Lake; Consequently, the only time I had to run was in the early morning. Needless to say, I stumbled around in the darkness as I ran the perimeter of the University of Utah. I’m sure it was an otherwise pleasant run, but I couldn’t really tell you for the darkness!

[At least that giant U was lit up]

[The University’s Football stadium. The funky structure to the right was the Olympic Torch that was built and lit for the 2002 Winter Games hosted in SLC]

2. Mountains Beyond Mountains!

- Thankfully, I did have time to not only see a little bit of the city, but to also take in a short hike right before my flight home. I took the Living Room Trail located behind the Natural History Museum into the mountains, as I started to encircle the University and the Medical Campus. Of course, this being me, I decided to hike the newly snow-filled and muddy terrain close to sunset in clothes not particularly conducive to the elements (think sneakers with giant holes in them). Thankfully, despite my lack of preparation, I was not, in fact, lost to the elements, but happily stumbled back to my hotel, if with soggy socks.

[I made a new friend!]

[If you’re looking for an overabundance of natural beauty, SLC is the place for you]

[I highly recommend you not hike this in dilapidated sneakers]

3. Friends and Food:

- I was also able to get a snapshot of the culture that exists between the mountains. I can happily recommend Squatters Brew Pub (excellent eclectic menu and tasty beer), Trio (dynamite paninis), and Spitz (funky Mediterranean). I was able to frequent the last restaurant with my old friend Melissa, who works for another excellent non-profit, Ragnar. If you’re looking for another organization to support (after Hole in the Wall, of course!), you should certainly check out their website. 

[The State Capitol building]

Lastly, as always, please check out my fundraising page at https://www.crowdrise.com/galen-hitwboston2017/fundraiser/galendidomizio

I so appreciate your generosity as I work towards my fundraising goal to support The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in its noble mission to provide respite and fun for chronically ill children and their families!

Happiest of Holidays to you all!

Cheers,

galen.

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What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Hello Internet!

My name is Galen: I am a 29 year old who enjoys eating fruit pies, wearing flannel, watching old movies, and spending time with my younger siblings. I am also in my very last year of medical school; I graduate on May 14th, 2017, which happens to be the day before my 30th birthday. These are sorta-scary times for me, as these changes signify true adulthood and responsibility in a way that I could deny as a 20-something-old student eating strawberry rhubarb pies by the slice. 

It’s also an exciting time, because I’m currently in the process of figuring out where I will complete my residency in pediatric medicine. I’ll write about residency in a later post, but for those who haven’t seen an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, it’s basically the process where medical students take all the knowledge they crammed in their brains during four years of school, and learn how to apply it as an independently practicing doctor- with the help of a whole hospital program behind them. Needless to say, I have some big decisions to make over the next few months. 

However, while other 4th year medical students take the last year of school, which tends to be a little less stressful than the other three years, to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of their labor... I have decided to train for my first marathon. And not any marathon, but the Boston Marathon, one of the most prestigious and popular marathons in the country. “Why don’t you just take a break and eat some pie, Galen?” you might be asking me. Well, to make a long story slightly less long, when I was 10 years old, my 8-year-old sister Breezy was diagnosed with cancer of the blood, and we both ended up attending The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a summer camp program in Northeast Connecticut for children like my sister, who have a chronic medical disease, as well as for their family members. 

I’d like to write more about my family, and particularly my sister, at a later time, but for now, I’ll try to keep it brief. Breezy and I both attended camp in 1997; But by the summer of 1998, leukemia had claimed my sister’s life. In my confusion and grief I returned to camp that summer, and the summer after that, and after that again, where I was so fortunate to receive love and attention from some truly amazing human beings. By the time I aged out of the program as a teenager, I had begun to embrace the desire to spread the magic of camp to my younger peers. That desire ultimately transformed into a much larger passion for caring for sick children and their families. Now, 20 years after attending camp for the first time, I will soon be graduating medical school, and starting my career as a pediatrician. 

As you can probably already tell, I tend to do a lot of internal reflection. I’ve thought a lot about this journey I’ve been on, the many bumps I’ve endured (spoiler alert: med school is hard), and my goals as a future doctor, as a Christian, as a person with so much to be thankful for. And one of those goals is to give back to the people and institutions that have helped shaped the person I’ve become. I hold Hole in the Wall so dear to my heart: It is an escape for ill children, a retreat for entire families, a solace for grieving siblings. It travels into hospitals to remind acutely sick kids of the joy still available to them. It follows teenagers into the woods where they can learn to be independent, strong adults. It follows adults into the cities where they can continue to have a community that understands who they are without asking any obnoxious questions. It is largely the reason that I will soon have an M and a D after my name, which is pretty damn cool.

So, yes. I am going to run 26 miles and change this April, and I am going to raise enough money to bring 3 kids to camp this summer, so that while I am getting my butt kicked as an intern in July, they will be eating dino chicken nuggets, and catching bass, and riding horses, and singing at the top of their lungs. 

This is my mission. But I’m going to need your help. Because I’m a graduate student with five years of hefty student loans wrapped around my waist. If you live in Boston or New Haven, I plan on bringing you some super-fun fundraising events this winter. If you’re a Quinnipiac Graduate Student, I have some plans for you as well. But if you’re feeling extra generous, or you don’t live in New England, I would encourage you to give through this site: 

https://www.crowdrise.com/galen-hitwboston2017/fundraiser/galendidomizio . 

And while you can give in one lump sum, I would also challenge you to play a game with me. This fall and winter, I am traveling all over the country to find the pediatric residency program that will be the best fit for me and my goals as a pediatrician. As of right now, I am scheduled to travel to or through between 15-20 states. So, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can also pledge to donate money for every state that I complete a run over one mile in length. These runs will all be documented in this blog, and I will keep my progress updated over the season. Think about it- Every cent of your donation goes toward bringing fun and life to chronically ill kiddos and their deserving families. 

Well, that’s plenty of information for now. I’m excited to kick off this journey with you all! Thanks for taking the time to read along, and thank you in advance for supporting the campers at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp!

Cheers!

galen.