"Home and Away" Omnibus

Week 1 of my five-week rural placement is now behind me, and overall it has been pretty incredible. "It" being my experience at the hospital so far. I could go on and on about how amazing the teaching has been, and how I have a consultant and a house surgeon all to myself, and how my consultant is beyond brilliant and is constantly teaching me... and how I did a Cardiac Triage all by myself on Friday, which was such a high, and I can't believe how much I've been learning. And how I've spent the past week considering, for the first time EVER, the possibility of signing up for the Rural Immersion program where you spend ALL of 5th year in a rural hospital...

That is, until the weekend rolled around.

Oh my goodness, I would have gone absolutely mad had it not been for Kirsty visiting. Bridgette, the other med student who is here with me, left straight after our day ended on Friday to go to Wanaka for the weekend, so I came home to an empty house. Dropped my new laptop on the ground and broke a part of it after which I actually very nearly had a breakdown... then had to cook dinner... then just blacked out in front of the TV. Thank goodness Bridgette bought a TV.

More TV Saturday morning, reaching an ultimate low when I realised I spent the past two hours watching infomercials for ProActive and Youthful Essence. *Shudder* Enough is enough. Did my laundry then headed out to "town." "Town" being the one main street of shops. Went to one of the only nice cafes I found as I was wandering around, and did some writing which was nice. Kirsty arrived from Dunedin around lunchtime and met me at the cafe.

I'm so glad she came to visit.

I miss my house. I miss my bed. I miss getting a full night's sleep, uninterrupted by the earth shaking from trucks and/or boyracers speeding past my window. I miss having my car. I miss Dunedin. I miss there being people outside.

I can't do rural medicine. I absolutely can't do a town smaller than Dunedin. I am painfully aware of this fact now more than ever.

I can't believe I spent a morning watching a whole week's worth of "Home and Away."

I need Monday to come -- all the above is much less noticeable when I'm at the hospital. Oh so much less.