Sunday, August 17, 2003
Scrubs.
I took one look at N's sms and nearly had a heart attack. HOSPITAL???? I yanked up the phone and dialled his handphone no. Spent some time trying to figure what the poor guy was trying to croak. Emergency department???? Oh boy, this was sounding quite bad.
" I'll be right down," I told him. Putting myself in his position, getting admitted to a hospital in a foreign country, with your family half the globe away was going to be a hell of a traumatic experience.
When I reached the emergency department, I was gasping for air, both from the long walk and from the blasted wind that wouldn't give up. I ended up irritating the nurse who couldn't figure out what I was trying to say. The ward was really stuffy and hot and there was this omnimous feeling that just crept up on me and refused to go away. In my panic, I had forgotten the bed number. Great. I wandered back out, irritated the nurse somemore. She looked like she wanted to bite my head off. Geez. Is it a crime to lose your voice????
I finally located N. I just leaned on the wall cause an enormous I.V. drip was guarding the visitor's chair. N gave me a blow by blow account of what happened. Honestly, if I were him, I think I would have just died of fright before I could get to the hospital. As N put wryly... he was a true blue PBL case. Amusing thing was that he had the mechanisms running through his head when he got the symptoms. Bad thing about being a med student. You can't be sick in peace. He was really weak and tired so I suggested that he go back to sleep and that the rest of the gang would be there in the afternoon. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that he's the youngest of the gang because he handles everything so maturely. I guess going overseas does put you in positions or situations that need you to be strong and independent. Things that you would never learn if you stayed at home. And this crazy past week has also taught me how to cherish my social network here in Melbourne.
Meantime, while he gets a much needed extension for his essay, I'll pray hard for his recovery.
I took one look at N's sms and nearly had a heart attack. HOSPITAL???? I yanked up the phone and dialled his handphone no. Spent some time trying to figure what the poor guy was trying to croak. Emergency department???? Oh boy, this was sounding quite bad.
" I'll be right down," I told him. Putting myself in his position, getting admitted to a hospital in a foreign country, with your family half the globe away was going to be a hell of a traumatic experience.
When I reached the emergency department, I was gasping for air, both from the long walk and from the blasted wind that wouldn't give up. I ended up irritating the nurse who couldn't figure out what I was trying to say. The ward was really stuffy and hot and there was this omnimous feeling that just crept up on me and refused to go away. In my panic, I had forgotten the bed number. Great. I wandered back out, irritated the nurse somemore. She looked like she wanted to bite my head off. Geez. Is it a crime to lose your voice????
I finally located N. I just leaned on the wall cause an enormous I.V. drip was guarding the visitor's chair. N gave me a blow by blow account of what happened. Honestly, if I were him, I think I would have just died of fright before I could get to the hospital. As N put wryly... he was a true blue PBL case. Amusing thing was that he had the mechanisms running through his head when he got the symptoms. Bad thing about being a med student. You can't be sick in peace. He was really weak and tired so I suggested that he go back to sleep and that the rest of the gang would be there in the afternoon. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that he's the youngest of the gang because he handles everything so maturely. I guess going overseas does put you in positions or situations that need you to be strong and independent. Things that you would never learn if you stayed at home. And this crazy past week has also taught me how to cherish my social network here in Melbourne.
Meantime, while he gets a much needed extension for his essay, I'll pray hard for his recovery.
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