Rachana:
In Costa Rica, I was in Turrialba, which is 2 hours from San Jose by bus (US$1.50 direct). It's a small town up in the mountains where it's mostly Costa Ricans. Very few foreigners. Very immersive. Bars and restaurants, plenty of young people. Access to many creature comforts like gym, pool, as well as adventure outings (rafting, rainforest hike, volcano hike, horseback riding). There are other places you can go too, like the beach towns (dominical) but they are VERY non Costa-Rican. They speak English out there and the Costa Ricans live farther out of the beach towns (it's a wealth thing, don't get me started)... but HEY! You get to be on the famous beaches of Costa Rica. Don't know about living arrangements. In Turrialba, you live with family. In some beach towns, you live in cabinas (no air, no hot water, lucky if you have mosquito netting) or bed and breakfast type places. Lots of options. Don't worry. I got 8 weeks also when I was M1. I did 1 month in Alaska (preceptorship) and travelled British Isles the 2nd (for play). To me, it would've been cool to travel for credit on that 2nd month, because it buys you one month of vacation in 4th year to either take Step 2, interview, go play with your buddies without ANY WORRIES. At least that's how it works at my school.
Su4n2:
I was in Alaska for 4 weeks. And yeah, I had lots of free time. I was in a remote location called Unalaska/Dutch Harbor which is one of the Aleutian Islands. Small population, there is 1 paved road on the island. I worked whatever hours I wanted to which was 8-5. I lived in the clinic (2nd floor) where they have an apartment designated for visiting docs. So basically if I wanted to look for action at night, I'd go downstairs in my sweats to see who's having an MI. They work on Saturdays, closed Sundays, but I never worked Saturdays. Part of the philosophy behind a preceptorship like this is to go out and be part of the community... this is very much a marketing/recruitment gimmick as it is a teaching thing (trust me, as an M1, you don't contribute to the health care of the patients...). You'll meet everyone in town between clinic, the gym, or the grocery store that by the end of the 1st week, people will be asking you to go have a drinky drink with them at the 2-4 local bars or go fishing with them. Airfare from was $1500, with the most expensive leg being Anchorage-Dutch Harbor. My grant was through National Health Service Corp's SEARCH program, so all airfare was covered. Because of the weather conditions and the short runway (that's right), they use specialized pilots. It's 2 hours flight from mainland, but if crosswinds are extremely strong, they go BACK to Anchorage. I didn't know until I was leaving, but many people pray to Jesus on the flight in, and many people came to clinic to get benzodiazepines to fly out. Other places include being on the mainland where there are plenty of trees and mountains, being up north where it's all ice with polar bears. National Health Service Corp also has the same program in other states as well if you're interested. Anyhow, you can look it up if you're not a big Alaska fan.
Don't worry. No matter what you do during your summer, you'll have a great time. Plenty of beer pounding and travelling time in 8 weeks. The biggest plus is getting that 1-2 months credit so you can graduate early/take vacation during 4th year (ESPECIALLY after Match)... My fools and I were talking about going to Hawaii or some Pacific Island after Match and before graduation... any ideas?
