As I get ready to leave Mexicali, I am posting several old postcards of the city.  Today’s post is more reflective of the many changes going on now – but we’ll be back to our usual topics soon..

I’m sure that my regular readers can tell that parting is ‘such bittersweet sorrow’.. How could it not be  – when I have met such wonderful people, learned so much and made some great friends?

At the same time, I am excited about moving forward – school, studying in Bogotá, and working on my research.

Hard to leave the hospital in particular.  I went back there yesterday and got to see some of the people who were so welcoming, starting on my very first day.  (When I was still struggling – particularly with the regional accent here – which differs from the Spanish I was used to hearing.)

It was great to be back in the operating room with Dr. Ochoa.  With classes in Nashville, and my homework assignments, I hadn’t seen him for a couple of weeks.

I know I will miss him most of all even if I am embarrassed to admit it.  He will always rank up there as one of the world’s great “bosses”; he was great to be around; day after day after day- which is not something you can say about most people.   I know I’ve talked about what a good (and patient!) professor he has been, but this last month, when we’ve been collaborating on the book, has changed the dynamic a bit.  He’ll still always be ‘my professor’ and a surgical colleague – but now that we have worked together in a different capacity – he is more of a friend too.  (I’ve actually called him by his first name a couple of times, which is a hard thing for me to do..)

I think, too, that is was a little-bit eye-opening for him to be more involved on the writing (and researching) side of things.  I hope he enjoyed it as much as I have.  (He should – he did all the research on Mexicali’s nightlife.. )

and Joanna – who has become one of my best friends.. (Not just my best friend in Mexicali – but someone I consider a really close friend – anytime, anywhere..)  It just seems like we connect and communicate on that level that only really close friends ever do.. Despite different backgrounds, I feel like I’ve known her my whole life..  So it’s hard to say “see you later” to Joanna.. (“See you later” is so much better than goodbye, don’t you think?)

So of course, as you can imagine – I spent my last day at the hospital – in the place I love the most: the operating room.

I’m going to miss my ‘movie star’ surgeon too – Dr. Rivera has been great about being in all my pictures and film clips..  He’s a nice young resident – (still grounded)  and I think he’s be a great surgeon when he finishes his training..  He’s interested in surgical oncology – so we might be writing about him again in a few years..