Grandma's Eulogy

At my grandmother's funeral on Thursday, December 16, we were blessed to celebrate her life with many family and friends at St. Paul Armenian Church. What follows is the sketch of my Eulogy that I had the honor of delivering to our gathered family and friends about my amazing Grandmother. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year - may 2011 bring more joy and happiness to all.

Tribute to Grandma

There are so many lessons learned from my Medz. Most of you knew her as the sweet woman with a kind smile, a stylish hand knit hat, and a cane (honking story) who sang off key and was about 8 notes behind the choir in church. But here are some of the amazing lessons I learned from her and why I lit up with immense joy every time I was with her:

1. “MEDZ” didn’t talk much
1. my opinion: she lived in a house with me – nobody can talk much
2. her opinion: “my time to speak has passed”
3. LESSON: Talk less, listen more OR just rock in your chair and smile

2. Dentures aren’t necessarily a bad thing
1. In the time it took me to brush, floss, gargle and rinse, she had her top and bottom teeth out with the seltzer cleaner and was in bed.
2. LESSON: Removable teeth are cool.

3. Diversity is a God-given gift
1. 5 fingers on your hand are different so why should people be the same?
2. LESSON: Accept every one. Don’t waste your breath gossiping or fooling yourself to think you are better than others.

4. It’s ok to let someone chew their food 58 times…even ice cream
1. I watched and helped my grandma take care of my grandpa. And even when he would chew his ice cream, she stayed calm.
2. LESSON: patience is a God given virtue. Don’t let anything upset you.

5. Red Radishes are a dangerous food. Very dangerous
1. Let’s just say I understood what “diffusion” meant very early in life.
2. LESSON: Do not eat red radishes before you go on a date.

6. Grandmas are the best referees ever – they always side with the grandchild
1. Mother’s Day Card: “Thanks for saying yes all those times mom said no”
2. “Asor hed mee veejapaneer. Tbrotzuh sorvazeh veejapanootyoon. Kulookh ches gurnar yelal.” Translation: Don't argue with this one (in reference to me). He did debate in school. You can't win!
3. 2 LESSONS: 1. The “oghlum” (child) is always right. And 2. Choose your battles. You can’t win them all and there are some not worth fighting.

7. Be wary of anyone who says “No speak English”
1. Andrea was guaranteed to make Medz smile and she is CONVINCED that Medz understood every single word she heard in English. Confession: it's true - she did!
2. Gma spoke Spanish, too! Telenovela stories
3. Some phrases - explain each reference (all in two’s): “Go Astoria?” “Goot, goot.” “Open! Open!” “Cold! Cold!” 

7.  MY FAVORITE PHRASE: this one didn’t need to be said twice – once was enough:
1. Me: I love you!! Medz: I love you more!!
2. Summarize with the Bible verse above the altar: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Grandma's ("Medz") Obituary

Tarafanda Mahdissian was a wonderful wife, amazing mother, doting grandmother, loving great-grandmother and an overall awesome person. She was born in Turkey around February 10, 1918 to Toros and Ossanna Kassabian. She completed an elementary education and worked as a seamstress until marrying Ohannes Mahdissian at the age of 16 in Lebanon. Her family was blessed with three children, Margaret Thomassian, Haigouhie Artinian and Hovsep Mahdissian. Later, she was blessed with six grandchildren (one who affectionately referred to her as “Medz”=grand) and two great-grandchildren.

Tarafanda was a model to her family of how faith can guide someone through the trials and tribulations of life. Her faith in God, caring demeanor, omnipresent loving smile and infectious laugh made a deep impression on all who were blessed to know her, to hear her advice, to listen to her stories and to laugh with her. She passed away at home early in the morning on Thursday, December 16, 2010 surrounded by her family.

C'est La Vie

My grandmother found eternal rest on Thursday morning, December 16, around 330am. The world and life will not be the same with out her. We are so grateful for the amazing time we had together and the lessons she taught us. We are thankful that she is no longer suffering and has rejoined her husband and parents and grandparents and all her friends who passed before her.

Funeral services to celebrate her life will be held at St. Paul Armenian Church in Fresno, CA on Tuesday, December 21 at 10:30am.

Thank you so much for all your support during this difficult time.

Thanksgiving Trip - Part 1: Buffalo

I only worked one full week - 5 business days - in the month of November. The first five days of November were all work days. But, the second week of November saw Thursday and Friday off for Veteran's Day and Furlough Day, respectively. Then, the third week I left for NY on Thursday, November 18, where I stayed until Thanksgiving Day...kids now get the whole week off for Thanksgiving, so I wasn't ditching. "Not like in my day..." when only the day of Thanksgiving and Friday were given as vacation. Yes, November was great. The following series of posts over the next several days will document the awesome Thanksgiving week I had.

BUFFALO - 11/18-11/20:
I flew to Buffalo on Thursday and on Friday I met some incredible Doctors and Support Staff at the Women's and Children's Hospital of Buffalo - the only free-standing Children's Hospital in the region. It was an amazing place doing incredible work for the region's little people. I was most impressed by how kind every person was. It wasn't the fake "I'm tired but I will smile for you" kind - it was a genuine, welcoming kindness that made me feel wonderful to be there. After the interview, I was spending the night in Buffalo and had all afternoon to do something. So, with a potential future Residency colleague, we took the awesome advice of a Holiday Inn Buffalo Downtown employee to take the city bus to Niagara Falls. Forty-five minutes and $4 (the cost of an unlimited bus/rail day pass) later, we were dropped off in front of a huge Casino on the American side of the Falls. It was a pretty cold evening, so we got our obligatory Starbucks (thank God!) and walked the 10 minutes to Falls park. It would have been another 10 minute walk to the actual Falls, but we serendipitously came across a free trolley bus that made rounds around the park. It wasn't the walk we minded, it was the cold, so we got in the trolley. Three minutes later we were gazing at the top of the main falls - we couldn't really see the bottom of the falls because from our angle it was hard to see the inlet and there was a TON of mist...which at one point began blowing toward us and forced a quick retreat. But as always, the Falls are a majestic and amazing place to see - God's beautiful Hand in creation can't be denied here. We took the bus back to the hotel and about 60 minutes later, were seated at the Anchor Bar, anticipating our Buffalo Wings at the original restaurant that created the popular comfort food. It was yummy and a great way to cap an amazing time in Buffalo.

HOTEL: Holiday Inn, Downtown Buffalo. Residency Interview Rate $93.

• PROs: Excellent location, awesome staff, free airport and local area shuttle.
• CONs: Room decor and furniture is pretty outdated and shows wear. Housekeeping did an OK job, but there was definitely areas that hadn't been cleaned in a long time, both in the room and in public spaces.
• OVERALL GRADE: B
• Would I recommend this hotel to family and friends? Absolutely!

TRANSPORT: United Airlines (FAT thru SFO thru IAD to BUF)
I have to give United some MAJOR positive reviews here. I flew them to NY last week and back to FAT yesterday. I don’t know why all the United bashing goes on. I was supremely impressed! Every single employee I encountered was pleasant. Granted, every one of my flights left on time and arrived on time, if not a few to several minutes early. So I didn’t get to see them during irregular ops, but since the majority of the time they operate normal ops, they are doing a great job. The ticketing agents came up to help even at the kiosks. The gate agents did a great job of announcing up to the flights and every flight was boarded in a very orderly fashion so we didn’t have to all crowd around. And during the flight, I had some very kind, smiling, and overall pleasant and helpful flight attendants. I was blown away – United deserves some recognition for running a great operation. In fact, I am now seeking out United flights rather than trying to avoid them like the plague; they really made a great impression on me during this last trip.
Seating Tip: I got the sense that United is boarding its flights where those with window seats are in the higher boarding levels and those with aisles board toward the end, regardless of where in the plane your seat is located. So, if you want to make sure you are one of the first to board so you will have space in the bins for your luggage, choose a window seat. Otherwise, especially during the Holidays when it sounds like flights are going full, you may end up separated from any luggage that can't fit under the seat in front of you.

Stay Tuned! Coming Up in Future Installments:

• Thanksgiving Trip 2010 - Part 2: Rochester
• Thanksgiving Trip 2010 - Part 3: NYC

Comings and Goings

I seem to find time to write on the blog when I'm sitting at airports, enjoying the people watching and ceaselessly repeating loops of the same news on CNN. Life has been pretty busy lately.

I started my new job in Fresno, teaching high school Earth Science. Well, I started it in August, but haven't really been moved to chronicle any story. Don't get me wrong, the kids are absolutely amazing. They dazzle me with their unique and fun personalities every day. I'm still trying to figure out some of my kids and what makes them tick, but the majority of them are so sweet and lovable and you can't help but want to work hard for them. Most of them. And my colleagues are a lovely bunch, too. Not as outgoing as my Baltimore colleagues and certainly not as much "hey let's go out" in the bunch, but they all are hard-working and have a great team spirit.

My school administrators know that I am technically only staying for a year. I wanted to be totally up front about that so there wouldn't be any uncomfortable questions about why I have to miss a couple days of school every so often to go on residency interviews. They hired me nonetheless and I like to think they are incredibly smart - they know a damn good thing when they see it. And, just as I suspected when I wanted to join the school where I'm at, they have provided me lots of support and encouragement, but more importantly, once they realized I knew what I was doing, they haven't smothered me with needless stuff. At many "failing" schools (I hate that label because the school/teachers ARE NOT the ones failing the kids) they require so much ridiculous paperwork and documentation. It doesn't improve teaching - the opposite, actually because it takes time away from the teacher to plan and meet with students so they can finish the paperwork that SAYS that they will meet with students and create a plan to help students succeed. Silliness really.

In news from the Doctor front, it has been OK. I  have a few interviews for residency...and lots of rejection emails. They all read the same way: "You are a great candidate, blah blah blah...We had so many candidates apply, blah blah blah...We can't invite you for an interview, blah blah blah...We wish you success in your career." I feel like screaming at the computer screen sometimes as it delivers its almost daily dose of negative news. I've basically stopped hoping that I will get any more interview invitations. When I get the "noreply" emails in the subject heading, I have almost resigned myself to another rejection. It's maddening, really, the dichotomy between the education field, where I'm loved and sought by countless school leaders, and the medical field where I'm apparently a black mark that nobody wants to touch. HEY GUYS - I FAILED A TEST. ONE TEST. ONE...FRIGGIN'...TEST. Many of the folks in charge of residency programs today would have failed the exams we have to take today, too. (The exam was much easier back in the day). Not trying to make excuses, but sheesh - look past the tests every now and again and look at the person, would ya? You will find some hidden diamonds.

And in family news, my grandma fell and hit her head a few weeks ago. That means a trip to the ER and a CT head. There was nothing wrong, but her blood pressure wasn't behaving so she got admitted. That turned into a 4 day stay. Since then she has been at a rehab hospital trying to regain her strength...but in much pain and discomfort. I keep praying for God to either fix her completely or take her Home with a capital H. So far, He hasn't really listened or else He is very busy right now or else I'm not on the priority list.

At the moment I sit at gate 86, watching them board a Boeing 777 for the flight that also goes to Dulles an hour before my flight to Dulles (I connect there to get to Buffalo). The CNN buzz is acting strangely like a gentle white noise that is relaxing my senses but also putting my thoughts in overdrive. My sleepy meditation is only jarred every so often by the comparatively very loud "Now boarding Executive Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, various other medals that make you important, 100,000 mile flyers, First-Class, Business Class, Priority Lane. Anyone who paid extra to board early. HEY!! YOU!!!! PEASANT WITH AN ECONOMY TICKET!!! STAND TO THE SIDE! The Red Carpet is for IMPORTANT PEOPLE ONLY!"

Some day I'll be important. Until then, I'll keep waiting in line for a seat.

ATL and Med School in my Six. MD Full Steam Ahead

"This is your Captain speaking. Hope you enjoyed your time in Atlanta - our flight to Los Angeles should take approximately..." It is August 3rd and time to go back home.

During the Week...

I have had an incredible time in Atlanta. Between my own travel itinerary and Captain K and family taking me to some amazing and less-touristy places, I have seen many awesome things. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express by the airport (which I highly recommend because it is cheap and has breakfast and really nice employees). I saw the Coca-Cola Museum, The ATL Botanical Gardens, an AMAZING Aquarium (by far the coolest one I have ever seen), the MARTA (ATL Subway system, similar in experience/design to Washington DC), Confederate Park AMAZING Laser Light Show (sponsored by Marriott), the Westin Hotel Peachtree Plaza (still undergoing renovation from the Hurricane many years ago and still smells like dampness/mildew inside - not pleasant), the CNN Center (where I met Dr. Gupta - the person who currently holds my future job!), and I even went to the Varsity (where the food leaves a lot to be desired, but it IS an experience you must have once...no really, just once). Talking about food, I experienced some delicious places in ATL. For starters, Capt K and NK took me to The Porter in an eclectic part of town. It is an old train depot and the decor still has luggage and is super cool. I had some awesome fish 'n chips there. I also went to Rays in the Town during Restaurant Week (sponsored by BofA) and had a salad the likes of which I have never experienced before. It was a Shrimp with Feta cheese and watermelon in a lemon sauce. This was the most amazing combo of flavors I have ever experienced in a salad. I loved it. And I got SUPER excited about the main dish, thinking it would be similarly awesome. Unfortunately, my Parmesan-encrusted flounder was both uninspired and unmemorable. It was actually just cafeteria quality food. Too bad, because if it was like the salad I would have come back forever. Another cool place I ate was called Tap. Billed as a "gastropub", it captured my attention with a grilled/roasted grapefruit - definitely something worth trying. Your mind can't decide whether you are eating fruit or BBQ; and that is a pretty cool combo for your mind to be confused about!

Other than the humidity, ATL was super cool and I'm so glad I got to experience it! Thank you to ASA for giving me an opportunity to interview and meet some awesome folks at their company, also. (And for those of you wondering, yes I was offered a position, but no I was unable to take the offer because of family commitments back home).

One Week Prior (July 28)...
I didn't sleep much last night. I had been anticipating this day for months - actually, a whole year, from the first time I took the exam and missed passing by a few points. A year ago, it was like my whole life was thrown upside down - again - as I sat in the Yaldizzle's home staring at a screen that showed what I had been dreading - I hadn't passed. I thought I couldn't be seeing it right - I HAD to pass! In the hospital, I knew what to do almost every time - what the hell happened? But no, the screen wasn't lying and my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. This time, however, I had a different game plan. I reviewed the material like my life depended on it and I went into the exam ready to do battle. Usually, results came out in 3 weeks - so I had my heebie-jeebies last week waiting for results. But they never came. And today, I was flying to Atlanta for a week! I was interviewing with a regional airline for a flight attendant job and was super excited about that; but also excited that I could explore Atlanta, a city I had not yet seen. But my scores just HAD to come out today and I was anticipating, finally, becoming a Doctor, officially.

The only solution was to hand over control - something I continue to work on and improve on. So, thank God for AA who graciously offered to take my password and look up my scores. Afterwards, she would describe the same pulse-racing, heart pumping out-of-your-chest, palm-sweating, head-hurting feelings I felt the week before. Surprisingly, I didn't feel that as much this time - probably because I was on an airplane at 35,000 feet when Andrea looked up the results. But until I got on the airplane, I think AA was ready to kill me because my texts to her started at 5am. AA is generally pleasant...unless you wake her up. Let's just say I'm alive today because she gave me a TON of leeway today. When we landed in SLC and I hurriedly turned on my phone, the very first text I received was from DA: "congrats Doctor" was all I saw on my preview screen and I lost it. There, in a metal tube, as we taxied to the gate in SLC, I broke down and released the tears of joy that had been suppressed for over a year. The stress of a year finally was instantly released and I felt so light. And God placed the best flight attendant on that flight that day, who gave me a reassuring look and a tissue. But interestingly, she didn't ask what is wrong - she instead asked "what happened?" A minor detail but it seemed like people knew that this was good news (perhaps the tears juxtaposed with the huge friggin' smile on my face gave it away?)

And SA was right about chocolate - eating it during the exam raised my score significantly.


Four Weeks Prior (June 30)...

Today was the big day - I was staring down 350 questions and 9 hours at a computer. I was ready. This exam was NOT going to defeat me. I would prevail. And through each block of questions, I kept thinking about what SA had told me - she raised her score about 13% by eating chocolate and she claims there is a study about this. Ya ya, we'll see. (My chocolate is ready in my locker to eat inbetween each block.)

August 4:
It has been a long week and I slept quite well last night after I got home from ATL. Today, I will celebrate with family and friends. I feel very blessed to finally be, Doctor.