USMLE Step 1: It's OVER

Hey guys! Guess what?! I survived Step 1! Okay, I guess I should say I took Step 1. And hopefully I passed? We'll see.

First Aid had warned me, "Expect to experience some 'reentry' phenomena as you try to regain a real life." (Yeah, that's right, I just quoted First Aid. What?!). When I first read that, I remember thinking, "Silly med students. My life hasn't been that different. It won't be that difficult to get back to normal life."

Okay, First Aid. Lesson learned. I'm almost two weeks out and I'm still pretty socially awkward (also, I know... I'm pretty socially awkward in general. I mean increased awkwardness above baseline). I guess that's what hanging out alone in my apartment studying all day every day for a few weeks will do to me.

After my exam, I turned on my TV (and changed the channel from the solid HGTV channel, which provided the perfect length shows for mealtime breaks throughout my study period) and realized that while I was sitting alone at my desk, big things were happening in the world around me.

Here are the top 5 things (that I know of) that happened while I was studying for Step 1 - and that I only had a vague idea were taking place even though I guess some of them were a "big deal."

1. The Royal Wedding. I guess this was kind of a big deal and the media was obsessed with it. My Royal Wedding experience consisted of me checking my favorite time-wasting blog, Go Fug Yourself, and noticing some pictures of the happy couple. "Oh, I guess that wedding was today," I thought to myself. And then I got back to studying.

2. President Obama was super productive. First, he produced his birth certificate (to which my response was, "Oh thank God." Oh wait, I didn't really care). THEN, he single handedly hunted down and killed Osama bin Laden. At least, I'm pretty sure this is what happened, based on the drunken cheers of some of my classy Seal Beach neighbors (btw, the big news broke on like a Sunday or Monday night, so obviously my neighbors were drunk).

3. My friends all decided to get pregnant. Okay, possible exaggeration. But still; the week before my exam), two of my close friends told me that they are preggers. WTF?! This is only the beginning of the "all of my friends are married and/or mothers" epidemic. Shit. (But seriously, I'm super excited for them... and also happy that at least they personally broke the news to me and I didn't find out months later on fb).

4. The Lakers decided to quit playing basketball. Seriously though. I was SUPER excited to watch the Lakers in the playoffs this year (you know, in the glorious days after my exam). And then, within days of taking my exam, they were swept in Round 2. Super lame. Lakeshow, I am very disappointed in you. I hope you think long and hard about what you have done and come back next year ready to actually play basketball.

5. I can't actually think of more things that happened. One of my classmates suggested "Libya" and "Fast 5," but honestly, I don't even know what those things are.

Did I miss anything? (ha)