From the distant.. the sweet sound of .. *boing* ..
Spring is coming! :D
Okay that was lame. What, you didn't get it? Spring = *boing*? Fine. Stop looking at me like that.
Must be because of living with Mus for a whole year. I didn't know Lameness is contagious.. :P
Back home in Malaysia, we NEVER talk about weather. Start a topic saying how rainy today is and i doubt there'll be anyone to talk to by the time you finish your sentence. Here? I get this topic so much I doubt there's any other conversation topic that's so 'universal'. We comment on the weather to passing strangers. We talk about it when we got nothing else to talk about. Heck, we even use it as a pickup line. Okay, maybe not.
Well, that is, if it's regarding the weather here, there's always something to talk about.
And one thing I get asked by my patients besides the jaded "So.. how many more years do you have to study?" is definitely "So.. how do you find the weather here?". I replied so many times, I'm almost giving a scripted response by now..
So. The patients I was saying was these lovely people I see in my clinic. Yup, my very own GP clinic. I sat on the GP chair, going through the GP computer, seeing patients as a GP, doing GP work, and printing prescriptions.. for the real GP tutor to sign.
T'was the best 2 weeks of my 4th year. Ever.
From month-old babies to elderly in their 80s, each person whom I brought through the door into my room never fail to make me feel a little better. Even with all their complaints and sickness, they can always manage a smile when I greet them. A little chatter, a little banter, and I could easily forget they're actually burdened with their illness and their problems behind those smiles.
And most of the time, even when I haven't really done anything much for them, they'll always thank me.
As one of my mates put it, "Here, the patients expect us to talk to them. Unlike in the wards, where we (and even the patients!) always feel like what we're doing is not helping the patient at all." Perhaps that's why each of us love our GP block. For once, we're not being these pesky students disturbing the patients' rest and being in the doctors/nurses' way.
I concur.
Back to the topic on weather, some of you must have read/heard about the weather we've been getting over here in UK. Last week or so, there had been a snowstorm all over UK (as you can see from all the Facebook pictures everyone's putting up). Didn't thought it'll hit Dundee as well, but just last week, we had the thickest snowfall for first time in years (so they say).
It was so bad, they couldn't clear the roads fast enough before it was resurfaced with snow again. Which caused me to be stuck in town for a couple of hours, because the bus service had to be stopped.
So bad, that I heard stories from the other clinic staff bout how one car stopped at a traffic lights, and began sliding down the slope. Sideways. Bout how they're planning to leave their cars at the parking lot and walk home.
That was just last week.
This week, the sun came back with all its shining might. Temperature rose past 10Celcius for the first time since November (and just last week it was subzero). I can even wear just one layer of tshirt out and not freeze to death.
Funny how quick the weather can change. Still, finally winter's over and spring's coming.
Hell, it's bout time we get some sun.
ps - I'll be posting some interesting cases I saw while 'playing' GP for the past 2 weeks on the batch blog, so be sure to check it out :)
pps - there you go so-p, something for you to read! haha