Friendsgiving
me with my grandparents
This year, I had my first Friendsgiving.
Mashed potatoes; sweet potatoes; casseroles; veggies; chicken (a poor medical student’s turkey); samosas; gravy; pies (oh, the pies. So, so many pies); whip cream; mulled cider; cookies; brownies; baklava. If they (whoever ‘they’ are) rated schools on sheer enthusiasm for food, Vanderbilt would win by a landslide. However, as glorious as the food was, the people who brought it and their relationships are more so.
In front of a crackling fire (to be honest, we did have a few-minor-inconsequential setbacks with the flu), three-quarters of the first year class trickled into my grandparents’ home. We ate, laughed, joked (and only half were school-related), shot some pool, twisted on Twister, guessed at Catchphrase, and boogied on the dance floor (okay, it was the living room floor). The point is, we had a wonderful time. Warmth radiated between and around us. That is the norm at Vanderbilt. Warmth, respect, support, and joy in one another is the setting in which we go about our daily medical training.
So, I couldn’t be happier that my first friendsgiving was with the compassionate, funny and good people that make up VUSM 2020. Neither I nor my grandparents can wait to repeat the event next year.