It’s late Sunday night, and I’ve spent the weekend in a cabin with a group of 30ish folk on a ski trip. The skiing wasn’t that great this year because it didn’t snow as much so the paths were icy. Yet I still enjoyed being in the woods, and having a mini-retreat with people my age (none of whom are studying medicine). This trip reminded me of the contrast between the life of a med-student and the lives of most people my age.
A few years ago before I started medical school, one of my husband’s friends was dating a girl who was in her second year at medical school. At the time I was taking post-bac classes and involved in the application process, so I enjoyed hearing about her experiences. But there was one night when we were together with several friends in a hot tub. Clearly the other people in the hot tub were not as interested in her classes or the stresses of medical school life, but she couldn’t seem to steer away from that topic.
I am afraid that I am becoming that girl. Or at least I am a lot more like her than the other people on our ski trip. I observed that I was one of the first people to go to bed this year, and I was certainly the first person awake. Only one other person brought a stack of reading (she’s a PhD student in a lab that works with cholera), but admittedly she didn’t read most of it. I read my entire stack of papers about the lungs (my new organ of focus). Many of my conversations revolved around medical topics with people, including questions about individual health concerns. I also enjoyed fielding questions about school- of course. And I even dreamed about school and let my mind wonder about the patients I saw this week.
Most people in the house played video games, or board games. Some people read pleasure books, People magazine, and watched movies or sports on TV. Those who didn’t ski were happy to say they were busy “doing nothing” or “holding down the couches.” Surrounded by these voices, I felt different. I managed to have many conversations filled with depth and laughter- that I enjoy as much as anything in the world. I still played some games, and even tried “Beatles Rock Band” (a new Wii game). But, I recognized that I don’t get that much enjoyment from these activities which satisfy so many people I know. Rather than spending my time with a screen, I would rather study my lecture notes.
Does this make me officially lame and boring? Am I that girl?! I hope I am keeping a balance of both a studious and fun. I wish there was some type of external meter to let me know for sure. At the same time, I see that I must love the path I’m on to be so excited about learning and talking about the body- even more than playing Wii. And the truth is I do– I do love the knowledge, the conversations, the new ideas, and even the challenges. Maybe I am that girl, but I hope that at least sometimes I let people forget that I’m a medical student, including myself.
I don’t think you ever need to worry about being lame or boring!