Monday, July 11, 2011

Last place you looked

And thus it ends, what must be one of the singularly most frustrating and strangely fulfilling postings of my internship. Assisting the BMC pull off what must be a rather childishly futile PR exercise, against our will, shunted from real clinical postings, to act as default blood collectors in the freshly created Fever OPD in daily twelve hour shifts for 15 straight days without Sundays off, or any other day off for that matter, really puts some things in perspective.

That spending twelve hours with someone at a stretch, chattering about Delhi Belly and Kishore Kumar over mechanically sticking needles into people's veins does create a rather unexpectedly strong bond of friendship with your fellow intern. That spending five years attending lectures in the same class as this person will teach you nothing about them while spending fifteen harrowing days with them will fill you in on everything from their boyfriend's favourite flavour of ice-cream to their favourite boy-band from the nineties.

Also, long nights spent chit-chatting with the first really sweet and warmly human registrar (she even bought us three scoops of ice-cream on our last day of work) I've met in KEM so far are well worth the endless hours of thankless hopelessly boring work. There's nothing like strife and loneliness to teach you to appreciate the goodness inside of other people, the kindness of strangers that goes unnoticed on ordinary days.

Isnt it just incredible that friends really can be found in the most trying of times and in the strangest of places?

4 comments:

S. Susan Deborah said...

Isn't it wonderful how we connect and form bonds. The whole thought of it is wonderful. Some remain while some fade over time but nevertheless every bond has a place in the heart.

Hope you've been well, dear Karishma. Wishing you the best for everything to come.

Joy always,
Susan

Sakshi said...

Isn't it wonderful? The feeling of finding a friend in the most trying places?
Amen, to God and his ways! :)

Ramya said...

YES! sometimes bonds are formed just oh-so-magically in the seemingly most unlikely of places and circumstances :)

Sculptor said...

And a lot of times you discover bonds where you thought there were none.
I finished my med rotation with a houseman was exceptionally adept at what he did & taught me to work the same way.. I always kinda felt bad that I left in haste on the last day.. Fast forward a couple of months, I'm working in another rotation, on-call & I happen to go to the ICCU, where he's posted. We have a long chat, like old buddies. He starts to don his gloves & suddenly hands them over to me, says, "I felt bad I couldn't give you a central line while we were working together. Here's your chance". Easy to say, smoothest central line insertion I've ever seen (/done)!!
Gave him the tightest hug!