I left my last externship at approximately 3 pm on a Friday and was asleep in my bed in West Chester, PA, at 12:30 am. The 9+ hour drive from Lexington back home was something I was definitely not looking forward to at that time. However, after leaving a house full of 8 other externs, the privacy that my Honda Fit afforded me during that time was very much appreciated.
One of my friends from school and I refer to the ability of a person to enjoy a lengthy car ride as one’s “car stamina.” I like to think that I have relatively decent car stamina after traveling in a motor-home for the better part of my teenage years to various horse shows in the tri-state area. I usually choose to listen to an audiobook or call a few friends who I have not spoken to in some time to see what they are up to.
It just so happened that while I was working on this last externship, two good friends who I had not spoken to in quite a while called me to catch up. While I did not feel as though I could offer them an appropriate amount of my attention while actually on the externship, I knew that being in the car would be a great time to dedicate to hearing about their lives.
It was remarkable how quickly the hours flew by. I talked to one of my best friends from middle school on the phone for the entirety of West Virginia. My other friend propelled me all the way through Maryland! Suddenly, those 9 hours didn’t seem so bad. Even when the phone calls were over, I relished the solitude in my car.
Just my thoughts and I were alone in that car for 9 hours. I was able to contemplate internship applications, dinner preparations, and mentally prepare for my next rotation on Emergency and Critical Care.
