CONGRATS Bara!

Loyal blog readers probably already know who Bara is. However, if you are not sure, here is a link to a GUEST POST he wrote awhile ago that explained how we got to be friends.

Anyways, I won't go into a whole explanation again, but I will say that Bara has spent the last few years in Boston working at Harvard with pigs on some research project. He has explained what he does, but quite honestly, I still don't know. I just know it is about science and pigs.

In the meantime, he has been trying to get into a residency program in the U.S. so that he can stay here and continue to improve his medicine skills. He had not been very hopeful as it is extremely difficult for foreigners to obtain residency spots in the U.S.

Well we got word that Bara will at least get to stay another year as he does some preliminary residency work. I'm not exactly sure what this means -- fellow doctors reading this blog, can you explain since my husband is really busy and I haven't gotten to ask him and he can't access my blog from the hospital?

Anyways, we got this email from Bara yesterday:

Hey Guys,

I want to share with you great news that happened yesterday. as you both know, I was doing research for my main aim: getting into surgery residency!

Match has been tough but with the help and support of my current PI, I was offered a spot @ Harvard for the next year. The spot I got is a prelim year in surgery (not categorical, John: you do the explanation for Wendi if she doesn't know this).

Even though, it's only a prelim, but I am still so happy as it will give me a good push toward a full training later on in a good program.

Thanks JB and Wendi,

Bara

A huge congrats to Bara! We hope he will come visit us in Florida soon!!! Oh and the picture above was from when Bara came to visit us in Minnesota and JB cooked as close to a traditional Syrian meal as he could. Tara was there too. I'm sure she loves that picture. (Okay, I edited Tara by special request. She owes me one.)