It's great to be home again. Even though my time in Invercargill wasn't exactly a total hiatus from home seeing as how I managed to come home every weekend, there is no greater feeling than sleeping in your own (double!) bed.
After spending five weeks in Timaru back in May I wasn't looking forward to going on another rural-ish placement. But you know what? I had SUCH a great time in Invercargill, SURPRISINGLY SO. I think staying in the Doctors' Residence and there being so many other students around made the difference. The hospital experience in Timaru was great, but I felt so isolated, living in a house with just one other student, there being absolutely no one else around, and not coming home much at all during my time there. On the contrary, Invercargill was great fun! More like living in a dorm again.
And I know I totally lucked out in regards to who was down there with me. Nic, Jane and I had a blast, joking around all day but still studying/working pretty hard(!), and just totally "bonding." LoL. The six others from our class who were down there with us doing surgery or acute medicine were great too! And I had so much fun getting to know them better.
This past week in particular has been utter hilarity. Since we (Nic, Jane and I) had our psych written test last Friday, we didn't have much work to do and it felt like a mere formality going into the Mental Health Unit everyday (with not much to do!). Granted, we still had our Observed-Long Case on Wednesday but we even had fun with that -- on Tuesday night I embraced my natural acting chops and pretended to be a patient so that Nic could practice taking a history/MSE from me, aka "Mandie," the 24y/o Caucasian female who presented acutely with a two-week history of depressive symptoms, on top of a four year history of morphine dependence, who found out three weeks ago that she was pregnant and had to subsequently start on the methadone programme. LoL. Elaborate, I know, but a very detailed, well-crafted character loosely based on my experience that day at the methadone clinic in Gore! Man, but I had such a blast acting and I only cracked up laughing once during the hour -- when Nic asked me to "remember three objects and repeat them back to [him] -- queen, tennis, apple." (Oh, Kumar!) I may seriously consider quitting med school to audition for Shortland Street, because I am convince I can act better than 90% of the actors on that show, LoL. I told Becca this and she was like, "From OSCEs to Oscars." ...I like that! It'd make a good title for my autobiography, don't you think? Hehehe...
Last night the whole lot of us decided to drive down to Bluff (the southern-most tip of the South Island, 20min drive from Invercargill) for some seafood which I've been craving for a while now. When I suggested this little trip I envisaged us sitting in some waterfront restaurant eating lobster with a glass of Riesling. So with a list of three different restaurant possibilities we took two cars and drove down, and by the time we got there it must have been about half seven. Now, Bluff isn't a big town AT ALL, but we spent quite a while trying to find ANY restaurant at all, but failed miserably. We ended up at Sterling Point (the bottom most point in Bluff, two shakes from Stewart Island and ANTARCTICA!) and it was absolutely stunning. I've seen some clear star-studded nights in my life so far, but never have I seen the night sky as vast, as crisp, as clear, and as utterly breathtaking as it was last night at Sterling Point.
In the end, we found out that one of the restaurants had closed down completely a while back, and the other two were both closed for the night by the time we got there (what kind of restaurant closes before EIGHT?!? The ones in Bluff, obviously) and so we ended up going to this tiny fish'n'chip place for a totally Kiwiana feed! After ordering a feast of chips and (fresh! yummy!) fish, we pushed together a couple of the tables and that was that. Life is funny that way, with benign twists and turns every so often that keep you on your toes and make for great memories to laugh about later on.
It really is unbelievable how different my two experiences on placement this year have been. After Timaru I came back home tired, broken, and lost, emotionally and spiritually; after Invercargill, refreshed, clear-headed, full... joyful. That's all You, God; it's all You.
More reflections on my psychiatry run later, but for now just trying to spend as much time with Kirsty before she heads off Saturday morning. "Change is a-gonna come."
Currently Reading: Deuteronomy
Currently Listening To: Beth Rowley
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