Amazing Trip – Halfway Point

We have been having such a good time that I have not had the opportunity to update the blog – sorry about that everyone! Here’s a quick summary of each day since we arrived, already over a week ago.

Tuesday, Jan 6th

We arrived way later than originally hoped, and got into the hotel at 3am. I woke up at 6:45 for my interview at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey and felt exhausted but almost high on the adrenaline of no sleep and the excitement of being in New York. I had asked the front desk to call for a taxi in the morning and since I was 5 minutes late, they called the room to make sure I still wanted it, which woke up Adelaide… Gen stayed with her and got her ready for the day. They had a great time playing together, and Genevieve discovered a Baby Einstein website which Addie adored.

Sleeping baby

Adelaide mesmerized by Baby Einstein online

The interview went really well and I really liked the staff. The hospital itself is beautiful and was recently renovated. The area, however, is poor and a bit rough. None of the staff live in Newark but the current interns said that housing was fairly affordable within a 15 mile radius – some live in Manhattan, while others live in suburbs of New Jersey. The training seems fantastic with over 20 rotations to choose from during the year. The interns spoke very highly of the program and many are applying for jobs there next year which I think is a good indicator of their experience.

Once I returned to the hotel, I was exhausted but still on the high of being in a new city. Gen and I decided that we would head into the city and grab dinner. People, be impressed by how resourceful Genevieve and I can be!! We took the free shuttle from the hotel to the airport, then the free airbus from the airport to the airtransit train station. From there, we took the train into Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. We found a nearby delicatessen, had dinner, then walked to the Empire State building. At that point, Addie was hungry so we did not go up to the top, but instead went to a local Borders and had coffee (while Addie had dinner). We then returned back to our hotel at 10pm and both crashed. It’s of course on days where I am so exhausted I’m borderline delusional that Adelaide also has bad nights. She cried on and off for 2 hours that night with bad gas pain… Luckily, she was much better the next day.

Adelaide bundled up for the cold of Manhattan

Herald Square, a few blocks from Times Square

Wednesday, Jan 7th

Klaas and Ada, cousins of Derek’s dad, picked us up at the hotel and we headed off to their house in Monroe, NY. They have a beautiful home with amazing views of Harriman State Park. We relaxed with them that day and had our first exquisite meal from Ada – she is an amazing chef! Every meal has been delicious, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. In fact, I need to get her recipe for her pumpkin soup because it was amazing! Adelaide had fun getting to know Klaas and Ada and they loved giving her cuddles and talking to her.

Adelaide with Ada

Thursday Jan 8th

We woke up thursday to a bright and beautiful rising sun. Klaas and Ada have huge windows in their living room which overlook Harriman State Park and the sunrise was breath taking. They also have deer that come in their yard everyday – mostly because they leave food out for them! It was really neat waking up to deer in the yard.

Sunrise

Deer gathering in their backyard

They also have a cat, Julius, who is really sweet. He was a bit overwhelmed by the three strangers in his house, especially the one who made lots of squeaky noises, but he has since warmed up to our presence. Here he is engaging in a daily activity, hunting for birds from his own porch!

Julius on the look out for birds

We went into the city that day and checked out Midtown. I will have to post more about that later since Adelaide is in need of her Mommy.

love to all!

julie