Lest we forget?
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
I realise it's Armistice Day just before 11 a.m. The words of Laurence Binyon, etched into my mind from my highschool's biennial memorial services in June and November for The Battle of Delville Wood and the end of the The Great War respectively. We had just completed my ophthalmology OSCE. We were all waiting in the breakaway room; about 30 or 40 medical students, in various cliques discussing the difficult stations, the upcoming afternoon single-best-answer opthalmology exam and weekend plans.
As the exam chatter continued, my mind was elsewhere. I mentioned to my friend Peter that it was Armistice Day. We exchanged some words and agreed that the majority in the room probably hadn't the remotest idea of the significance. Certainly, no one was wearing a poppy - they aren't readily available.
"Lest we forget," - a phrase oft repeated in services to commemorate the lives lost and the tragedy of World War, but we have forgotten. At least the average person has, and 6 years of tertiary education doesn't seem to make much of a difference.
The OSCE itself went all right. I certainly didn't cover myself with glory, and the exam this afternoon was rather difficult. Fortunately, because of prior good performance and a haevily weighted class mark, I think I only need about 60% to get a distinction which I am reasonably confident I managed to attain. So that is another one ticked off.
The final hurdles
It's been a couple of weeks since I managed to write on this blog. I've just been so absorbed in studying for these final exams. I finished orthopaedics last week, which went reasonably well. Now, I just have urology and general surgery to go next week Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. They are known to be the toughest exams.
The other news which I've neglected to mention thus far is that I was placed in Pietermaritzburg. From January 1st, I'll be working at the Grey's Hospital complex so, Grey's, Northdale, and Edendale. It's quite exciting, but I'm just trying to get these exams done first. After that, I suppose I have to find accommodation. It's going to be weird. Medical school has been long, but it's almost coming to a close. Just a week left.
In preparation for these exams, my social life has taken a bit of a backseat. The two highlights of the last two weeks have been a braai at my friend Nina's new place; she's recently come back to Cape Town from Zambia and started working at Durbanville Mediclinic as a physio, and Lana's 24th birthday party this weekend. She celebrated with a 24-kilometre run, as the average ultramarathon runner is wont to do these days.
Runs
What else? I watched South Africa bow out of the Women's Cricket World Cup in the final. Though the final margin of defeat was substantial, it was a good contest. I really have to commend the batting of captain, Laura Wolvaardt. She is a class act.
Speaking about cricket, Cade Carmichael, who I played with and against at a high school level in Durban made his test debut for Ireland. He managed to get 59 today against Bangladesh. Hopefully, it's the start of a long test career.
I missed the second half of the Springbok game this weekend, which I suppose was the sporting highlight. Somehow, we managed to come back from behind against the French, a man down at halftime. I've since watched the highlights; I guess we are just the best rugby team in the world.
Postscript
I’ve been too tired to study tonight, but at least I've managed to draft this blog post while in the gym thinking about the
...Flanders fields, where the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
A lot of endings, and a lot of new beginnings on the horizon.