New Beginnings, New York, and soon-to-be New Nadine

My last Sunday at PRC had me saying goodbye to familiar faces. Aida and her family were there (they usually attend the Spanish service). Rebecca's husband, Aldo, gave the sermon. Quite the passionate guy who uses a lot of hand gestures while he talks. If I were deaf, Aldo would look like a gangster rapping. I may have stifled a laugh during the sermon when the thought came to my mind. After the service, I went to say thank you to Pastor Jose for having me. We hugged, then he insisted on praying for me, and that I keep in touch. Sweet guy.

Monday was all about doing laundry, cleaning, and packing. I handed over the keys to the apartment, then took a cab to the airport. Everything was going as planned, but Miami had to be all Miami and have a lightning storm as soon as we boarded the plane. Fork lightning was striking close by so there was no taking off. By the time the system had passed, the runway was covered in inches of rain. We chilled out in the plane for a total two hour delay. Oh Miami, good riddance. At 11pm, I took a cab from JFK to Malini's apartment where we enjoyed a good hug and quick catch up session before I sent her to bed because she's in the middle of her rotation and had a 8am shift the next morning. When I went to my room to unpack my suitcase, I discovered that the luggage cart must have been left in the rain because all my stuff was wet. Friggin' Miami. I laid out items all around the room, left the ceiling fan on, and went to bed just after 1am.

Woke up at 7:30am seemingly refreshed. The clothes were still a bit damp, so I took more care than the night before to lay them out under the fan. I had the whole apartment to myself, so I enjoyed a nice bowl of cereal while searching the internet for my next temporary home in New York. I also took time to celebrate Canada Day the same way I had for the past three years. It's now been 4 years in a row celebrating this day in a country that isn't Canada. In 2010 it was Haiti, then Dominica twice, and now New York. Hopefully I'll end this trend in the next couple years.

Imagine me holding a flag in my left hand to keep with tradition

I went to check out an apartment quite close to the hospital. It was over a 2 hour commute using a bus and two different subways. Malini lives in Queens which is northeast of Brooklyn. However, there aren't great transit systems that allow you travel between the two boroughs, unless you want to take a rail which is super expensive. So I took a bus to the E line, took that into Manhattan, then transferred to the 3 line into Brooklyn. I either look really comfortable or like I live here, because at least two people came up to me to ask for directions. Thank God for maps and being able to read them because I was actually able to help them. I met Malini at the apartment as she had finished her shift. The place was $850/month and it was a dump. Now I know you can't be too picky in NYC and that apartments are going to be small, but this place was a dump and in a somewhat shady area. After politely declining, we drove up to Queens and went to dinner at Bareburger on Austin street. Bareburger is an eco-minded burger joint. So it's very Vancouver, which was wonderful. After dinner, we headed to the apartment where I met Malini's aunt who owns the apartment. She's a family physician. Malini's mom is a radiologist. Malini's sister is halfway through an emergency medicine residency. So it's a family full of doctors.

Wednesday, I made arrangements to check out another apartment that was found through Malini's friend, Victor. It was in Bushwick very close to the L line (which also runs to the hospital I'll be rotating at) so just about an hour commute from home. Still had to take a bus and two subways though. The J line starts off underground then works its way up to rooftop level. I love all the different buildings in New York with a tall tree peaking out here and there. The landlady, Judy, greeted me. She's a short Asian lady who looks like she could be 40 but she's probably closer to 60 (those sneaky Asians and their non-aging genes). She showed me the room which was much bigger and in better condition than the one from the day before. The other tenants are in the medical field too, including Victor. Rent was $750/month including utilities (except A/C - that's an extra $50 if I want it). I walked around the neighbourhood and it's got everything - my bank, a local grocer, little restaurants, bakery, laundromat. So given that the other options I had were a couple Airbnb places that were over $1200/month with similar commute times, and a sublet with a strict vegan couple who wouldn't allow meat or dairy in their house, I paid my deposit and secured accommodations for when I return for my rotation. Huzzah!

Thursday, I headed to Lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center to pass time at Century 21. The store has over 5 levels of discounted designer brand clothing, accessories, make-up, kitchen ware, etc to get lost in. I was there 4 years ago when I took Alison to NYC for the May long weekend. It can be overwhelming, but when you have time to waste, it's not as daunting. I was in a fitting room when Malini texted me before 2:30 saying she was done work, heading home to change, and would meet me downtown. Knowing that you're going to live here for a while removes the pressure to buy a bunch of things like all the tourists hurriedly stuffing their baskets full of items. To give you some backstory, I only brought one pair of jeans down with me because Miami's not a place where you want them. New York is much windier and less humid than Miami, meaning it's a bit early in the season to comfortably rock short shorts. So every time I've gone out in NYC, I've been wearing the same pair of jeans and despite not being as hot as Miami, you still sweat in the sun. All this to say that I was really craving a different pair of pants to sweat in. Done and soon to be done.

I met Malini at 5pm in front of Hotel Chantelle which isn't a hotel, but a restaurant with a rooftop bar and patio. We met up with other Rossies from her hospital. I only knew Raphael from our class. The others, Katie, Nancy, Daniel, and Victor are upper semesters. There was also Shauna who is from Saba, another Caribbean med school. After dinner, we walked to Two-Bit's Retro Arcade & Bar where we played some pinball, Ms. Pac-Man, and an assortment of old school arcade games. After that we walked to Cake Shop where the doorman insisted I sing the last verse of O Canada with him before letting me in. To his credit, he had a beautiful voice. After chilling out there for a couple hours, we got to talking about Chinese food, specifically dim sum, specifically xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Daniel and Victor are Asian and know of some great places downtown which they term the Chinese triangle. One place is great for hand pulled noodles, another for xiaolongbao, and another for pastries. Since all of them would be closing soon if not already, we agreed that we'd all go on a triangle tour later in the year. For the present moment, we googled a nearby Chinese restaurant that was still open and headed there for a midnight dinner of bok choy, gai lan, congee, noodles, and mediocre xiaolongbao. It was the first time a lot of the non-Asians had tried the veggies and congee and they liked it. It was also the first time in over three months since I've had decent Chinese food. Miami doesn't really have options other than food court and very Americanized Chinese food. All in all, it was a fun evening together and great to meet people that I'll see at the hospital and, in Victor's case, who I'll be living with.

Friday was Independence Day and it was cloudy and rainy for most of the day. Later on it started to clear up and the sunset was gorgeous. Then when night fell, the fireworks coloured the sky from various parts in the city. I had a great view of the explosions in the sky from Malini's apartment and was able to show Yan while we Skyped. The day also marked Day 1 of Nadine's bachelorette party in Whistler. I hope she's having a good time. 

Saturday, I headed into the city in my new pants to be a tourist, though I very much walk like a New Yorker. People walk too slow. I browsed different shops, bought a 50% off ticket to Once from the TKTS booth, then walked to Central Park. Alison and I weren't able to explore much of the park when we were there. So it was nice to take the time and walk all around it and then sit, snack, and sweat. Pants - done and done. I leisurely walked back to Times Square close to showtime. I've been a fan of Once ever since it came out as a movie in 2007. Amazing soundtrack that got me hooked on The Swell Season, which is a band with the two leads from the movie, and ecstatic when I heard it made its way onto Broadway. So when I knew I was coming to New York, I knew I had to see Once. It was awesome. Got goosebumps with every song. The actors/musicians/singers are insanely talented and when you get to experience that kind of brilliance in person, you get chills...and tear up a bit. I could get used to this city.

Despite NYC being exponentially better than Miami, I'm most excited about coming home in a few days because a week today, my Deen will be Mrs. Kapteyn. The dress is bought, the playlists are complete, and the toast is fine tuned. I'm ready to get my MOH on.

As with my other breaks, I won't be blogging during my time at home. So I'll catch you guys August 2nd. Enjoy your July :)