Med School Interview #5: The Homeland (part 1)

Once upon a time, two students immigrated separately from Taiwan to a little town in the middle of the United States for graduate school. They met and got married and had a little boy after obtaining their degrees. They enjoyed viewing drive-through movies and having ice cream at the Dairy Queen.


Those grad students were my parents, and that little town was Waterloo, Iowa.

And here I am, interviewing! This is my first time setting foot on my parents' first real US hometown. Last night, I stayed at a hotel the first night near the school that served freshly baked cookies and coffee 24/7 in the lobby.


For the rest of the weekend, I am staying with my mom's host family: Grandpa Clifford (who my older brother is named after), Grandma Marcie, and Auntie Vickie (where my middle name is from). Auntie Vickie actually stood in the delivery room with my mom when she gave birth to my brother, since my dad was already in San Francisco by then--they're the family that always mailed us birthday, Christmas, and graduation cards without fail. Even though I've only met them once when I was probably 9 years old, I am a now guest at their spacious home!

This is the downstairs floor, which I have to myself.

They are just about the nicest people in the world. Meet the family!

L to R: Auntie Vickie, me (surprise!), Grandma Marcie,
Grandpa Clifford, Cousin Brooke and husband Drew,
and Julie (Drew's mom)

Can't forget this cutie, Trinket. She snuggled and licked my hand the entire 2 hour car ride from Iowa City to Cedar Falls. My host family declared that Trinket loves me as much as they do. 



We had a "soup supper" at Julie's house. It was delicious. Afterwards, we went to a "dessert theater" which is hosted by a local church group. The title of the play was "Toys in the Attic," and featured dessert. I chose the caramel macchiato cheesecake. Mmm.

L to R: Byron (Auntie Vickie's husband), Auntie Vickie, Cousin Brooke,
me, Grandma Marcie, and Grandpa Clifford). 

And man, it was SO HARD packing for this trip. Let's face it, people in California dress a certain way (San Francisco, I'm looking at you). Other than my interview suit, pounds of See's Candies, scarves, and other gifts for my host family, I had to actually pack clothes that are presentable to Midwesterners AND warm enough. I even bought a pair of riding boots right before I flew out to trot around comfortably on the Trent Farm.

Stay tuned for farm explorations tomorrow!