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Today's Featured Biography

 
Shandra Yoshimi

After graduating from college, I spent three years in Japan as a participant in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, which is run by the Ministry of Education. I had an idyllic life, residing in a lovely old house across from the beach. On the most oppressively hot days, it was a welcome relief to be greeted by the clean sea air when stepping off the train. Weekends were spent hiking or exploring beautiful temples or exciting districts in Tokyo. One of the many things that I sorely miss is the food. Seasonal, fresh ingredients, prepared with the utmost care and attention to detail—the cuisine of Japan is a delight for the senses!
I eventually settled down in San Francisco, and current work as an internal medicine physician for Kaiser. Although my days are long (I recently cut back to a “part-time” schedule so that I would no longer have to work 12 hour days), I have come to enjoy many aspects of my job. I know it probably sounds hokey to say this, but I have found great inspiration in my octogenarian patients who can still engage in witty dialogue and have an enviable amount of joie de vivre and optimism.
As for San Francisco, I can’t say enough great things about living here. I love the diversity and open-mindedness of the city. And it doesn’t hurt that there’s a panoply of great restaurants! We still haven’t bought a house yet (the market is still quite competitive here, with houses on the MLS one week and in escrow the next). My husband Ed is a surgeon who works at UCSF and the VA, but in his free time, he is an avid cyclist and swimmer. I am still baking (anywhere between one to four times per week), and enjoy going to the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market on a regular basis. Our cat of 15 years (a hefty grey tabbed named Roast Beef) passed away recently, so we recently adopted a chunky masked fellow named Little Benny (a ragdoll). We don’t have kids … yet. My main network of friends includes a handful of close friends from college and a few friends from work. And one of the best things about living here is that Geoff Faustman and his partner Felix Lee Lerma have settled here too! Geoff is just as mischievous as ever (despite Lee’s sobering influence), and when we’re together, I feel like I’m in high school all over again!

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