EPISODE 20: ALEX CHAVES

August 14, 2024

INTERVIEW BY PRIYANKA GERA

Photo by Ivan Dominguez

Edited by Amar Gopal

Where did you grow up?

I am from Westchester; very local. My parents are very happy about that. I just moved home for third year rotations—I save on rent, get home cooked meals, and I get to see my dog everyday, which is the best part. 

What is your favorite thing to do around here?

I really like walking along the Tarrytown riverside. If you go over the train tracks to the other side, there’s a lot of restaurants on the water. There is a little path you can walk along; and there’s parks and ice cream places. It’s also where I go for the fourth of July fireworks. It’s always crowded and the parking is tough, but the fireworks are great because all the other towns along the Hudson are also doing their own fireworks—so you get to see multiple shows at once. I feel like a lot of people don’t go to the waterfront in Tarrytown; they mostly stay in town. My favorite town is probably Mt. Kisco though; it’s probably 20 minutes north of here. Great restaurants and great for walking around. Pleasantville is another good one; there’s a french cafe called Jean Jacques. They have a lot of space to sit. One of my favorite memories is going to Jean Jacques after my dance class across the street and my mom would let me pick out a few cookies and I would drink orange juice with my mom and my grandma. They had fun cookie shapes: hearts, stars and moons. We buy a lot of our birthday cakes there. 

Before medical school, what were you up to?

I took a gap year after college. I worked as a medical assistant (MA) in a dermatology office in Stamford. It was a really interesting experience; I am actually really happy I did it because it prepared me for medical school. It taught me basic things like how to take an HPI, how to work in an office, how to talk to patients… I was working the front desk, making appointments, handling phone calls alongside taking patients to the rooms, explaining procedures to them, cleaning rooms between patients. We had to learn all of this in a very short span because they take a lot of gap year students. We would overlap for a month with the previous MA where they would teach us the job before they went off to medical school. Mistakes were made, but I learned how to take feedback, be in a high stress environment and grow as a person. It prepared me for rotations quite well, because I was working from 7:45 until 5:30pm with a short lunch time. I know how to do a full work day and it has made transitioning to rotations feel easier. 

Who else is in your family?

At home, it’s me, my mom, my dad, my brother and our little puppy dog Lily. She’s not a puppy, she’s actually about to turn 11, but she’s a puppy to me. And then most of the rest of my family lives in Portugal. We have some extended family here, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in Portugal. I am actually going to see them in a week!

That’s so exciting! How often do you go back to Portugal to visit family?

I have been going to Portugal every year of my life since I was 9 months old, except for 2 years during covid. I’ve gone every summer, especially when growing up, instead of camp, my parents would ship me to Portugal. School would end and I would be gone for the rest of the summer. It was the best times of my life: it would be me, my brother, my 2 first cousins and my grandparents. They would take us to the beach everyday. We would have a schedule: we’d be up by 8 and at the beach by 9, back home at noon for lunch, and back to the beach at 3 and movies before bed. It was like that for 7 weeks every year. Now, I don’t get to go for that long (only a week or two). 

Same schedule when you go though?

[both laugh] No. It would be great though; I love that schedule and am very particular about it. I prefer getting to the beach early. If you are doing a double morning-afternoon beach day (which is different from a whole beach day), you can’t be on the sand from 11:30-1:30 because it's so hot it would burn the soles off your feet. So you want to get to the beach by 9, so you have a perfect 3 hours until noon. You have enough time to build some sandcastles, enjoy the water and dry off. Then you go home, eat lunch, digest a little bit and cool off while it's blazing hot outside before going back to the beach at 3pm. I am VERY particular about it; I do not like getting to the beach at 11. If you spend the whole day at the beach, that’s different. You bring lunch and your umbrella because you cannot walk on the sand; your feet will burn. 

Were you born here or in Portugal?

I was born here, in White Plains. So was my brother, but my mom was born in Portugal. My dad was born here, but his parents moved from Portugal. 

Do you speak Portuguese?

Yes, I do. I actually grew up speaking a mix of English and Portuguese. As a kid, my grandma actually ended up taking care of me, instead of going to preschool. My grandfather passed away a few months before I was born; and my grandmother always says that I was her saving grace and helped her through it. My response is always, “I was literally an infant, I didn’t do anything.” She still tells me that to this day though. But she took care of me because she moved in with us after her whole life changed. I would keep her company all day. She doesn’t speak any English and she would talk to me all day.

So growing up, I heard both languages, so when I was speaking, I wouldn’t realize I was speaking 2 different languages. There is a certain age when you start to learn to separate the 2 languages—I want to look up the neurology behind this because it seems so fascinating. My mom continued to teach us though; instead of bedtime stories we got grammar books. I hated it; I used to get get so mad, but thank her for doing that now. When I would go to Portugal, I would speak to everyone in Portuguese and my grandma’s favorite thing to do at restaurants was to say “You could never tell this kid is American. Her accent is so good.” I was her pride and joy. It was embarrassing, but she was so happy that she could share that with us. I can’t imagine not knowing how to speak Portuguese and not communicating with my grandparents or cousins. 

What language do you think in?

English, for sure. It’s my primary language. What’s weird though is that when I used to go to Portugal for such long periods of time, I would find myself thinking in Portuguese. No one else would be speaking English there, so my brain would just switch. 

Have you ever used Portuguese at the hospital here during rotations?

No I haven’t. I speak Spanish too though, so that’s been very useful. I learned it in school and took 8 years of Spanish. They are similar languages so it was easy to pick it up. I still understand it perfectly, but I haven’t used it much since high school. During rotations I’ve been able to use Spanish more often though and I can practice it. I love being able to communicate with patients. 

What other languages do you speak? 

That’s it. [both laugh] Just those two (oh and English). 

Is there another language you’d want to try to learn?

Another romance language would be easy to learn, except French. French confuses me. I look at it and I think “what is this?” Italian makes more sense, but French has random letter combinations. Where are the vowels?!?! It is written one way, but it is spoken another way. I learned a bit on Duolingo. The only thing I retained from it is how to say “I eat an orange” and
“The dresses are red.” I would never need to know how to say this. I am sure I learned more useful phrases at that time, but those are the only sentences I retained. 

Are you going to be the first doctor in the family?

Yes! I will be the first medical doctor. My dad has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry so he is an academic doctor. He is in the rubber department; his company also makes sealants and cosmetics and other things you would never think of. He wanted to be an organic chemist—couldn’t be me.

What do you think is the key to a long-lasting friendship?

The people who will stay with you for a  long time are those who understand you to your core—your background, your values, your goals. Even if you don’t stay in touch with that person, it doesn’t matter because they truly know you. It doesn’t matter if they move away or you aren't talking everyday. They ideally know YOU and not just know about you. 

The last book you read?

[both laugh] Some of the girls will go crazy for this one. I am currently reading the “A Court of Rose and Thorns (ACOTAR)” series. I am on the fifth book. I used to read so much as a kid, but it really dropped off, but I am starting to get back into it. I have always loved fantasy books. Why read about something you could experience in your everyday life when I could read about something I couldn’t experience? I started reading again during second year, but with dedicated, I took a big break and resumed after STEP1. I have been binge-reading, essentially. I will definitely be reading on the beach in Portugal though. 

Are you the type of person who obsessively buys books or do you prefer to finish what you have on hand before starting a new one?

I was never a big book buyer. If you haven’t used the public library system here, it is fantastic. So growing up as a kid, I would just go to the library and pick out the book I wanted. The books I really loved, I would sometimes buy so I could re-read them whenever I wanted. Even now, the ACOTAR series is borrowed from my roommate, so I didn’t even have to buy this series. I am a huge library fan. 

What about audiobooks?

I don’t mind them. You have to have a good narrator though. I would prefer to listen to them when I was running track in high school, because running is boring. 

I didn’t know you ran track! 

I have a love-hate relationship with running. Even when watching the Olympics, I was triggered when I heard the gun go off. I can’t run anymore—not even for exercise. I ran track all 4 years in high school—I was pretty good 😏. My senior year I decided to take up hurdles, so I ran 400 meter hurdles. I got the school record and went to state quals, which isn't that crazy. I was done with track by then; it was a quick love and a quickly rapid hate. I didn’t want to try anymore by spring of senior year, but it was cool to have a new event to look forward to. Since I’ve stopped running, I have hated it. Probably because it is really hard to get back into running once you’ve stopped, and I have tried running again and I’ve remembered that I don’t enjoy it. I’ll go for a 2 mile run, and I'll think “Wow, this is why I hate running.” Mad respect to runners and those who get into running in their 20s. It’s really good for mental hardening because the only thing keeping you going is your brain—you could stop running if you want, but you convince yourself to keep going. 

Are you a coffee or a tea person?

Coffee.

How do you take your coffee?

Black.

😲 No creamer, no sugar?!? Are you okay?

Nope. It’s funny because I used to hate coffee. Growing up, you could ask my parents because they are big coffee drinkers, but I swore I would never drink coffee. My friends started drinking coffee, even in high school, and I still thought “You’ll never see me drinking that. It’s disgusting.” Then college happened.  I started off with mochas, but they are expensive so I downgraded to ice coffee with milk and simple syrup. Eventually, I stopped using the sugar and just drank coffee with milk. I was on that wave for a while: coffee with milk. When I got into medical school, I got a Nespresso, so I started just making espresso shots with no milk. I would wake up in the morning and turn on my machine. Actually, I think the problem started with anatomy because I was waking up early and I would chug my espresso shot and eventually I stopped needing milk. So when I drink coffee now, it is already less concentrated than an espresso shot, so adding milk to my coffee feels like it's watering it down. I still like milk in my coffee though sometimes. Wait, do I?

[laughs] I wouldn’t know. 

Because it would definitely water it down. When I get the Panera iced coffee with the SipClub and I add milk to it, it isn’t strong enough. Without milk, it is still not strong enough compared to an espresso, but it is still better. SipClub is probably the worst thing that’s happened to me; or the best. It's the worst because I’ve been drinking more coffee because it's free, but great because I’m not spending so much money consuming all this coffee. I do like tea as well, but I only really drink it when I’m sick, like when I have the sniffles or a sore throat. 

Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

This is a great question because I hate thinking about the future, so I should do some thinking about this. I will be 40 in 15 years. Right? Well, hopefully I’m a doctor and I have a family. If I don’t have a dog by 40, then what am I doing? I see myself on the East coast; I am an east coast girlie since I’ve always been here. Simple things. A house, a husband, kids, a dog for sure and a job and a backyard. The house doesn’t need to have a fence, but it must come with a yard. 

Do you have a breed or name in mind for this future dog?

No, not yet. The only dog in my heart right now is my family dog.  I like big dogs though because sometimes you just need a hug. I can’t do the little pincer grasp petting on little dogs. 

How big is your family dog, Lily?

She’s a golden doodle; 50 pounds. Everyone says, “Oh but you can’t pick up your large dog.” The other day someone came to deliver a package. Lily is very protective; she doesn’t like it when people come on her property. She was barking at the door, so I scooped her up (all 50 barking pounds of her) and ran up the stairs so I could put her in my room and answer the door. I didn’t even know I could do that. Who says you can’t pick up your big dog?

Deep question: How do you define success?

I define it as being happy. For some, it can be about meeting certain goals or achieving things or making money, but for me it's if I am doing things and working towards a future that makes me happy. For me, it's about becoming a physician and working toward that goal. Do you feel happy with the life you’ve created and where you are? You are successful every second you are happy. I am successful now because I am in medical school working toward my goal and that makes me happy.

If you could travel back in time, when would you return to?

Honestly, every time period has its flaws. I would prefer to live in the present because hopefully we are always progressing forward to better humanity. This might sound childish, but probably the 1300s in Europe so I could run around in a castle in a fancy dress. Giant ball gown so I can sprint down a hall. It’s the only reason I would run again. I want to sprint down some stone archway or steps. Is that so silly?

It’s really not. It’s my favorite answer I’ve received thus far. 

[both laugh] Everytime I see an old church with a cool staircase with an arched doorway, I think “I wish I could run in a ballgown right now.” When I picture the dress, I think of it being pink or maybe blue with lots of poof and a train with long sleeves. 

Words of advice to the current M1s. 

I have advice, and lots of it. I would say, treat your days like 8-5s and leave your evenings free. If you are consistent and work during the day from when lectures start to when you have dinner, you can keep your evenings free. M1 is when you are adjusting to medical school but it is the most free time you will have. It’s when you should be making new friends and enjoying the on campus clubs and Westchester. It's important to still do well in the first year, but I am happy I chose to make free time for myself and not just study all the time. You don’t want to burn out very quickly. Cut yourself off at a certain point everyday and you will feel good knowing you got your work done for the day. You won’t feel guilty for taking time off. Work hard, but don’t work too hard.

Contact Alex at achaves@student.nymc.edu.

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