T Minus 11 Days

On the desktop background of my Macbook Pro, I have a little countdown program running; counting down the days until our Objective Structured Clinical Exam or "OSCE". In 11 days, all the med students at McMaster will be tested on our clinical skills. It is the final exam before clerkship begins.

This semester has been incredibly stressful. My grandmother in India passed away in early October, which convinced my parents to fly to New Delhi immediately to handle the burial ceremonies. Indian funerals have complicated rites and rituals in which the eldest son of the deceased plays a prominent role (my father is my grandmother's eldest son). 

As a result, I've had to manage my parents' household (and our dog, Maya) while also managing my own apartment. Meanwhile, schoolwork has been piling on, ranging from the musculoskeletal system to neurology to psychiatry. Somehow I've managed to keep everything afloat, but it means that I haven't had the mental energy to update this blog in quite some time. I apologize for that; I love this blog and all the connections I've made through it, and I promise to update it every week from now on. I know there are going to be many, many fascinating stories to share in clerkship.  

I've been sustained through this difficult time by my two lovely roommates, Perry and Manreet. Perry is an enthusiastic and energetic first year who has been elected president of his class. He keeps inviting me to awesome social events, including the 2012 American election celebration event at the Phoenix (Gobama!), pub nights and "Screemers", a terrifying haunted theme park. Perry has also taught me how to cook; last week we prepared a delicious honey-mustard chicken dish together. Meanwhile, my other housemate Manreet is a second year opthalmology resident. His knowledge of retinal complications is eye-popping (sorry...). 

As clerkship draws closer, I look forward to starting my first rotation in Emergency Medicine. Then onto a short Christmas break before plunging into four weeks of child psychiatry. I hope that you (friends, relatives and random blog readers) are all doing well. 'Til next time!