4.5.07
Life hasn't always been easy, but I'd do it all over again.
My 1st week at rural;
Warrugul, only an hour's drive from Clayton. Surprisingly, it is the home to the best Indian Restaurant in Melbourne. And the ice chocolate at The Grange was fabulous too, really rich and chocolatey. I've yet to try the ice chocolate at Koko Black, but I have a speculation that it might be comparable.
Okay, enough about food.
My time at Warrugul was pretty decent. In fact, minus the freezing cold, I did enjoy myself there. 5 days without the Internet didn't seem quite as bad, especially when you have good company to hang out with. On thursday night we had a 'sing-along session', learning the song we composed for 6 lovely ladies at the Gracevale Lodge, a low care facility. These ladies shared their life stories with us, and in appreciation we wrote a song for them, apart from the gifts and presentation we were supposed to do for them:
This is a song from us to you
To thank you for those stories you shared
Every wrinkle on every face
Maps a journey from place to place
Little children you all once were
To wonderful people siting here
I'm sure life hasn't been easy
But hand in hand we'd make it through
Just take a good look around you
See all the beauty and people surrounding you
Life story, treasured memories, tender moments, your life story
Guess this really bonded us peeps of the Warrugul Gardens Holiday Park. After this, we even had an 'arts-n-craft session', designing handmade gifts for our persons. Jon Goh and Yuan Hwa really provided us with entertainment then, being typical guys whose bane was working with scissors, coloured paper and glue! Yuan Hwa went on and on about how he got 39 for his art grade, which pulled his average down really significantly, and when he told his mum about it, she was like 'so..I'M NOT GOING TO DO YOUR ART WORK ANYMORE!!' Really hillarious!! I think we went bonkers that night. Probably due to the fact that we were sleep-deprived too.
In fact, I'm amazed at how much effort everyone put in for their persons actually, even to the extent that it caused us sleep. But we were greatly rewarded, in the end. The ladies loved our presentations and gifts, and some of them even teared at the song. I'm sure some of us teared too (yes, even Becky admitted to it, so no doubt about that). I guess this is one of the few moments of my experiences in studying to be a doctor that I'd take home, to be etched in my memory for quite some time. And it does once again show how the gift of music can deeply touch one's soul. Maybe I still do have a talent for composition afterall. It's been quite awhile.
The ladies gave us one last word of wisdom as we departed, which serves as a word of encouragement and a reminder all at the same time. That was 'to never change' despite growing into professional doctors. 'To never change', from having so much heart.
Pre-PS. People! Never put your parents in a nursing home. I repeat, NEVER. The old lady I talked to seemed pretty okay with it, but later revealed that she really did not have a choice and have to live with it. Could really feel her sadness and homesickness.
PS. Those intending to choose Warrugul, bring warmer clothings and a good sleeping bag! I had to curl up in my sleeping bag with 2 extra blankets and still the cold would wake me up intermittently through the night. Not pleasant at all.
PPS. My GP visit found me a doctor I really really admired. He was eloquent and sensitive, and addressed all tricky issues with so much grace and heart. At times I could see that his patients did not have the same mindset as he, but he still managed to deliver his message across, in a way that did not come off as paternalising, and yet had the convincing factor. I could just imagine myself warming up to him, and trusting him, were I his patient.
PPS. We had a visit to a vet and farm, both of which were really interesting. The vet's clinic was so white and clean and aseptic, it felt so much like something even better than a 5 star hospital. Now we know why they say some animals get treated better than human beings. Not to mention there was a general ward, big dogs ward, cat ward, consulting rooms, x ray room, general procedures room and an operation theatre with positive air pressure! The vet also gave us a talk on zoonoses i.e. diseases that spread from animals. The farm visit was also interesting because we got to witness the mechanised milking process. Really fast, the rate cows produce milk.
PPPS. We had a day out providing the Indigenous community with BBQ lunch and games for the kids. The time spent sitting down with an Indigenous mum was insightful. I could sense the resentment within her, because of the injust her people have suffered. Too bad John Howard is still not apologizing for it. I guess this issue will take a long time to settle. Oh and did I forget to mention, I play shark and pirate with a few Indigenous kids, and had to be the shark? :)
i fluttered by;
8:29 PM
