On The Road
The time is just past 22h00 on Monday, 15 December. I am writing this from my room in Durban, surrounded by boxes and the detritus of a six-year chapter that has finally closed. I have just completed the cross-country journey from Cape Town back to Durban, leaving medical school behind for the very last time.
The last time I posted, the dust was just settling on my final examinations. In the weeks since, life has oscillated between the quiet comfort of nature and the chaotic joy of graduation.
The Calm Before
Shortly after the completion of exams, I traveled north across the border and into Namibia with a group of friends from medical school. Meg had organised for us to paddle 63 kilometres down the Orange River over 4 days. We slept on ground sheets under the stars, and spent our days fishing, swimming, and engaging in the kind of long, meandering conversations that only happen when you are miles away from cell signal.
Upon returning, I spent a few days in Cape Town catching up with old friends, cycling and working on some case reports. The next week Bianca hosted a group of us at her 'Berghuis', a 40-minute drive up into the mountains surrounding her family farm. I recall, with some amusement, asking if there would be electricity at the Berghuis. I imagined (or had been led to believe) that it would be a pretty rudimentary structure, lacking many of the modern comforts, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, we found a rather luxurious and recently renovated house, whose architecture combined many rustic wooden elements with large windows allowing natural light to enter from all directions. We spent our days reading, savouring good wine, and chatting around the braai about everything and nothing. All the while anticipation was building for the following week.
The Festivities
After an enjoyable weekend that involved my last long ride in Cape Town (Green Point - Simon's Town and back) and the watching the Blitzbokke's successful Cape Town 7s campaign with various friends, Graduation week was upon us. I rose early on Monday 08 December and did a 40-minute run on the promenade with Lana - an homage to the many miles we've covered in the last two years.
The Graduation Dance was held at the Ashanti Estate in Paarl. In true modern fashion, I had to attend a Zoom interview for a potential opportunity while at the pre-drinks venue so I strictly prohibited myself from any alcohol until that was out of the way. Despite my initially divided attention, my date the gracious Willemien, was probably glad to mitigate her risk of physical harm, considering I inadvertently contributed to her ending up in a moon boot after a previous dance.
It was a beautiful evening, though my ego took a slight bruising during the awards ceremony where I was the recipient of two rather dubious honours: the "David and Goliath" award (for the student most likely to argue with a consultant) and the award for the student "Always Asking One More Question" (allegedly preventing others from taking their lunch break). I am not sure I deserved them, particularly the latter one, but I accepted them in good spirits.
The Pledge
Thursday brought the Pledge Ceremony at Tygerberg Campus. My parents had arrived the day before, and it was special to have the families of my friend groups meet.
The ceremony had its quirks - we were instructed not to clap after individual names, saving applause for the end. A rule that, whilst understandable, created an awkward silence or restrained cheers for some candidates as their distinctions were announced. After the first few names were called I decided to break this embargo and clap (at least conservatively) for everyone, and I am pleased that most people seemed to adopt this approach after a while.
By my count, we have completed 26 theoretical modules and 26 clinical rotations, most with multiple assessments. From the Krebs-cycle and the clotting cascade to aggressive cardiopulmonary resuscitation and house visits in rural townships - a multitude of trials and tribulations... At the risk of conspiring against the laity, I want to express that I think getting through this course is a good achievement worth recognition.
The guest speaker was Professor Wayne Derman, a sports medicine specialist whose lectures on the respiratory system under stress I remember fondly from our second-year.
My clinical partner, Mila Guerrini, stole the show, winning most of the subject prizes with an incredible final year average of 90% and 88% over six years! As in sports, it is difficult to compare eras, but it's not unlikely that this is the best academic performance on record at Stellenbosch.
At the end of the ceremony, to my genuine surprise (because I didn't know it was a thing), I was called up to receive the medal for the Outstanding Graduand - an accolade for academic performance, upholding faculty values, and community involvement. While I'm not certain of the exact criteria, I suspect my involvement in the MSF society and in campus sport played a role. A major highlight was winning the university residence squash league in 2023 and 2024 with a medical school team that included Jacques, Peter, and Matthew. Combined with a solid academic record, averaging 86.8% over six years, I felt it was a fair awarding of this prestigious honour, though it could certainly have gone to a few others*. Walking out of that hall, I felt a rare swell of emotion that brought me close to tears.
The Brotherhood
That evening, the Old Boys of H1 Babylon, the five of us who lived together during medical school, went for dinner at Bossa in Durbanville with our families. The gathering was both poignant and celebratory as we recalled some core memories and experiences. From five random boys from all over the country who met six years ago, to medical doctors, all graduating cum laude; I am pretty proud of us.
The Departure
The formal graduation procession in Stellenbosch took place the following morning. It was pretty cool to see some of the registrars we had worked with becoming consultants. After the ceremony, the Coetzenberg fields were awash with a sea of hoods and gowns in the December sun as we all mingled about trying to get some photographs to preserve the moment. I was quite sad leaving - no doubt many of us will never see each other again. I bought a fountain pen, a small indulgence to write thank-you letters to those who carried me through these years, and then began to pack up in order to move out of my room the next day.
My father and I undertook the long drive back to Durban. We travelled through Plettenberg Bay and Graaff-Reinet, battling pouring rain and a two-hour stretch of narrow, meandering gravel road that tested both patience and mettle. We stopped briefly in Pietermaritzburg to see my friend Christiaan, a junior doctor, and view a potential house for next year, before finally arriving in Durban.
Today, the reality of 2026 arrived in my inbox. I have received my rotation schedule: I start my internship on January 1st in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. I am told sleep will be a scarce commodity, so I intend to spend these next two weeks banking as much of it as possible.
*P.S. Perhaps I didn't express this so well, but I believe 'deserving' is a concept best or most usefully approached with an Orwellian doublethink mentality... this could be good topic for an essay.