The month of October has flown by and it's been a beautiful transition from summer to fall. This is my first time living in a city where the leaves changes colors. Every morning's bicycle ride to class is surrounded by crisp green grass, grazing cows, orange fall leaves and the rush of the river Cam.
The month of October was dedicated to diving head first into Cambridge life. I've joined the rowing team for my college, Lady Margaret Boathouse, despite never having rowed before, and also joined the University of Cambridge Women's Football club (aka soccer). This has meant lots of new friends and cold mornings rowing on the river at sunrise. Also this month was the Cambridge Rotary welcome reception. See below for a photo of our group. We were warmly welcomed with wine, food and a program in which each scholar gave a 5-minute speech about their studies at Cambridge. It was inspiring to be surrounded by leaders in the fields of Education, International Relations, and History, to name a few. Most of the scholars are from the US, but no other scholar is studying science so it's a unique experience to have friends and Rotary colleagues outside my college and discipline. I look forward to getting to know the scholars better through a number of events District 1080 has planned for us. One of the other scholars, Sophia from New Jersey, ended up on the Cambridge women's soccer team with me! It was great to have already met her through Rotary. In my Public Health course we have buckled down and started to work on our first term paper. We are assigned to review current literature on a disease of our choosing and discuss the epidemiology, or incidence and prevalence, of the disease in a certain population. After completing an elective in Otolaryngology/Ear Nose and Throat Surgery at UCSF in August I became intrigued to learn that HIV positive individuals may be at an increased risk for hearing loss. While HIV-medications continue to improve, new studies focus on quality-of-life measures. Hearing is an imperative part of daily life and it interested me to find out more about how it's affected by HIV. Therefore, my first essay will be a review of all current research describing hearing impairment in HIV-infected individuals in Africa. Stay posted to find out more. Also in October, I was also lucky enough to travel outside Cambridge to Lake Conistan, of the famous Lake District in northern England, over a weekend. The area is a national park full of gorgeous hikes overlooking a series of lakes. October in the Lake District meant rolling hills of greens and oranges, scattered with grazing sheep. We had tea by the fire, scones with clotted cream and jam and sticky toffee pudding to round out a truly English weekend away. Highlight of the weekend was a sailing lesson on the lake. November started off with my first Rotary presentation to my host club of Cambridge Sawston. I was welcomed with a lovely dinner in a pub built in 1000 AD. My presentation was followed by numerous questions about my research and path to the UK, including thoughts on Obamacare and the upcoming election. It was great to share my experiences and plans for the year, in addition to my first experience as a Rotary Ambassador of San Marino. Ok, back to class! A few photos below.
7 Comments
Gaelen Burgess
11/4/2016 11:27:44 am
Jolly good show, Gaelen! Carry on.
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Randy Pote
11/4/2016 12:32:02 pm
So pleased to hear of your time in England and very happy you have found new friends through your reaching out through sailing and football. Continue to thrive and be a wonderful representative of Rotary District 5300.
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Pablo Moore
11/5/2016 02:23:51 pm
Gaelen, Love receiving the notes and photos. These are good times, growing times as all times should be. Keep it all coming.
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Irene Childerley
11/16/2016 05:08:45 am
It has been a real pleasure to be your Rotary host in Cambridge. Wishing you continued success in your year here. Love your blog too!
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Mignon Bradley
11/17/2016 08:45:59 am
Gaelen - I love reading your wonderful reports and seeing the terrific photos. So much fun you are having! Building relationships you can enjoy on into your senior years. Looking forward with excitement to your next installment.
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12/16/2016 11:26:03 am
Great Blog. We're looking forward to your visit to our club in the little market town of Watton on 12th January. Can't match a 1000 years old meeting place buts our's is Victorian and was converted to a pub/hotel about 30 years ago. Have a great Christmas & love to LA!
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1/13/2017 02:33:12 pm
Our 'looking forward' (above) was well rewarded. Thank you for braving the elements on Thursday January 12th to visit Watton Rotary Club (with your 'minder' for the evening Rtn Vic Starky). And thank you for the excellent, most professional and extremely well received presentation. The world will be a better place for your ministrations. Every success to you, Gaelen.
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AuthorI'm Gaelen Stanford-Moore, a fourth year medical student in San Fransisco, taking a gap year to study public health with an international perspective at Cambridge University, England. Archives
June 2017
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