This was a big, exciting year for my wife and I. I started medical school (Oregon Health and Science University) here in Portland and my wife received her green card, which means she will be able to work and continue to pursue her degree in biochemistry.
Naomi spent a good deal of the summer back with friends and family in Japan. I took my mom and little cousin over for 10 days, which despite the apprehension on my mom's part, turned out to be a truly wonderful vacation for everyone. We visited Kyoto with my wife's mom, Tokyo, and the cool mountainous countryside of Nasu prefecture. Emily, my cousin, came home with a meter-long hotdog, bags of cute Japanese candy, and a really great bright red shirt that says "sakkah damashi" in Japanese on the back (Soccer Spirit). Late summer is a tough time to travel in Japan, for the weather is relentlessly hot and muggy. But everyone managed pretty well.
In addition to studying chemistry, Naomi is working as a waitress in an old mom-n-pop Japanese restaurant where she has to call the septegenarian owners "oka-san" and "oto-san" (literally, mom, and dad). Its good work for a student's schedule, however, and she always comes home with amusing stories of her customers, such as the one white guy who thought it was appropriate to put soy sauce in his green tea. More exciting is her involvement with the Wild Salmon Center, an organization based in Portland that supports salmon conservation around the entire Pacific rim. She is helping them get an office in Japan started. We're hoping this will turn into a substantial job in the future.
Medical school is exilarating, challenging, relentless, and tedious. There is a good handful of classmates that are older, on second careers like myself. I have developed some great friendships already. In addition to the academics there are plently of clinical opportunities, even for a first year student, to explore. I was the main organizer for a modest but meaningful memorial service to honor the individuals who had donated their bodies to our medical education. Many family members attended and a few said some moving words about their loved ones.
