Some words are worth more… by blogger of the month Chris Brown

Some words are worth more in life, like the phrase “I love you.”, or “I promise to…”. Last Thursday night we had the opportunity to make a promise to ourselves and our future patients with words that were worth a bit more. Thursday night we took the physician’s oath, a modern version of the Hippocratic Oath. It was a very meaningful experience and offered a moment to reflect on the seriousness of what it is we are beginning. The oath will help guide us to be physicians that patients both need and deserve. 

Students awaiting the start of the Physician's Oath ceremony

The ceremony

The ceremony was very nice; we had several guest speakers, each of which has played a central role in the development of the school and the program. We were even fortunate enough to have Dr. Lynne Quittell, head of the admissions for the program and pediatric pulmonologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, give a speech. The whole event was webcast for families back home. The speeches were very nice and centered on how we are at the beginning of a long journey, but a very important one. During the middle of our Physician’s Oath ceremony there was also a performance by a classical guitarist, which added a bit to the formality of the situation.

Part of the ceremony included a speech from Avi, the last blogger of the month. He introduced our class’ code of ethics, an additional pledge to compliment the Physician’s Oath taken earlier.  Part of Avi’s speech really brought perspective to the night and that how when undertaking the role of a physician it will be a matter of life and death. Ultimately we will become physicians and the information and skills that we are learning right now will eventually be used to improve the quality of life of others and in some cases save lives. To approach our education from this point of view can prove to be a rather stressful and daunting task, but in the end this is why we chose this path. And really who doesn’t need a little stress and a few grey hairs… it’ll make you look distinguished.  The ceremony continued with the reading of our code of ethics by several classmates and then with a nice buffet dinner outside in the courtyard of the Deichmann building.

Class skits

As part of the Physician’s Oath ceremony, each class puts on a skit or video after the dinner. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. We have many talented and creative people in this program. The quality of each skit was amazing and really touched on life here in medical school in Be’er Sheva. I’m not really sure whose skit was the funniest; they all had a different feel to them. I was given the opportunity to be an introvert in the first year class’ sketch, which really gave me the chance to let the inner introvert out. Well I guess “Letting the inner introvert out” is kind of a repetitive term used to describe an action that introverts wouldn’t normally partake in, but there are varying levels introverts, and I definitely up there(the fact that I’m having this conversation in my head right now probably says something about me or why I was cast the part. I wonder how this will impact my life here, I guess we’ll see. Well it was definitely good times.  Alright now I’m just getting off topic and why am I still writing this down? I need to stop.  Alright back to the blog…).

Dr. Clarfield and upperclassmen playing music after the
Physician's Oath ceremony.

Live music

After the skits were finished, we all had the opportunity to go outside and listen and dance to live music provided by fellow upperclassmen and one of the directors of our school Dr. Clarfield. It was great to see the head of our program here in Be’er Sheva celebrating with us and displaying a part of him many of us do not get the opportunity to see.

The after party

You would think that after a very long week that we would all be exhausted and call it a night, but no; exhausted, we pushed through and went out to an unusual discotheque The Draft. What’s special about The Draft, well by night it is a popular dance club, but by day it’s a fitness gym. Which makes sense, do things to improve your body and health during the day then balance it out with drinking and dancing in a smoke filled atmosphere at night, well maybe not too much sense, well maybe not at all, but it seems to be working as a business model so what can I say.

Looking back at the night

The Physician’s Oath ceremony was a moment for which I and, I hope, my classmates will take to heart and serve as something that we can use to reflect on as we develop into physicians. The oath can serve as a moment to mark the formal beginning of a journey in which we will always strive to do our best, remembering that only our best will make the most difference. I feel extremely fortunate to be in this program and with my fellow classmates.

Additional Highlights to the Week…

Transportation (Sort of)

On a less serious note I got a new bike, which is going to be great, though the brakes leave a little bit to be desired, so I haven’t been really able to ride it very often or very quickly for that matter. It will be a useful addition to getting to and from study sessions.

My new bike, or new to me. You may note wire jetting
of the handles (that's supposed to be attached to the
brakes, which are absent at the moment.

Communicating with Friends and Family

Technology is amazing, this past week I was also able to speak with the family I lived with while serving in the Peace Corps and friends via Skype in Senegal. It was amazing to be able to reconnect with them even though it was brief. It was great getting to see their faces, though they said I got fat, which is nice I guess, one of the many cultural differences…

My host Mom and brother with a good friend in my old hut
talking to me via Skype.

Last blog entry: Thanks for letting me share

One thing I learned while living in Africa was hope and being here, surrounded by so many people working towards helping others, I cannot help but be filled with even more hope. We all move forward towards a common goal of making the lives of others better. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share a bit about my life here for the past month.  - blogger of the month Chris Brown

Here is a picture of a painting I've been working on over the past
couple of weeks in my spare time.

Making the most out of a day, by blogger of the month Chris Brown

Which one of these items does not belong?

A typical day…

The alarm on my phone goes off its 5:30 in the morning. I roll over to smack the phone, fumbling for the off button to avoid waking my roommates. I roll back over, pulling the cover over my head in disbelief that it is already time to get up. I finally manage to pull myself out of bed at 5:45 to go make some coffee and breakfast. Around 6 o’clock I study for about 50 minutes, and then get in some exercise and yoga for about half an hour. Then it’s time to make some more coffee, an essential step before actually going to class, take a shower and get ready for school. By 8:00 I’m out the door and on my way to the first class of the day. The subject of the first class of the day varies but lasts until 10:00 and then we get the opportunity for a short coffee break. At 10:15 we’re back to class until 12:00 when we get an hour and fifteen minutes for lunch, which usually entails cafeteria food or a sack lunch. At 1:15 it’s back to two more classes till 5:00 pm. On the way back home I pass by the store to pick up some food for dinner and lunch tomorrow, not forgetting to pass by one of the many fruit and vegetable stands to pick up some fresh fruit. After arriving home I place my things in my room and go to the kitchen to start dinner. While making dinner I check and respond to email. Shortly after dinner, at around 7 o’clock, I make some more coffee, I start studying again till about 9:30 or so, or until I need a break and either go running or read the newspaper to attempt to keep up on current affairs. At about 10:30 it’s back to some more studying and or reading health related articles. I finally crash around 12:00-12:30, dreaming about the next busy day. A cycle that I will repeat many times in the coming year, surely only to contribute to my coffee addiction.

Wine tasting in Be'er Sheva

Some highlights of the past week:

Wine Tasting in Beer Sheva (aka Wine Sheva)

                Walking into the event with fancy cars at the entrance, a jazz band playing in the background and wine glasses clinking, I was walking into an atmosphere of Be’er Sheva I had not yet experienced or expected to find here. The event was similar to something you would likely find in Napa Valley. Students from each of the first three years of medical school were there, which provided a good opportunity to get to know each other, exchanging information and advice about school and life in Be’er Sheva. There were close to 30 different wineries all offering samples, along with cheeses and hot dogs. Things here are always so close to life back in the US, then there is something a little different to remind you that you’re not home, in this case hot dogs at a wine festival.

Histology Lab

                We finally got to do an activity where I really felt like I was in medical school. The combination of the microscopes, the white coats and the histological jargon, it really hit me, I’m in medical school now.  It was a fun lab; we got to look at different cell types in different tissues of the body. It really made the information we had been going over in lecture more concrete and applicable. It was also great that we had two TAs and the professor there to answer questions about the slides and help identify cell types, it was a great learning environment.

Finding the student store at the university

    Don’t judge me, but you wouldn’t believe the size of white board I bought. It’s going to be great for going over biochemical pathways… Although I had seen the store from afar I had never actually set foot into it till last week, only to find pens, pencils and highlighters galore! It’s a one stop shop for all your studying needs and then some, for instance home decorations, underwear, socks and scented candles. Why would they need to sell underwear at the student store? Not really sure, but I know when I’m buying pens and pencils, and I’m trying to remember what else I need to buy, oh yeah underwear, and it’s right there, how convenient…

Favorite conversation of the week

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I’m looking at the anus”

“Ooh, can I see it next?”

An ordinary day in medical school in the histology lab.

-blogger of the month, Chris Brown

Random highlights from the past week, by blogger of the month Chris Brown

Sunset in Be-er Sheva

Bartering in the Old City

                Earlier in the week I got the opportunity to go to the old city to do both a little bit of exploring and to look for a bike to make getting around a little easier. The beginning of the day started out slowly with coffee and a nice conversation with one of my roommates, after which we decided to go look for bikes in the old city. Upon navigating the public transit system we ended up a little ways from our destination and fortunately stumbled upon the shook, the large open air market. Seeing all the booths filled with fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, meat, fish, and almost anything else you could think of was amazing. The sweet smell of mangos and apples combined with the earthy smell of nuts provided a pleasant background to the busy hubbub of people carrying out their daily errands and customers haggling with vendors trying to get a better price.

                After going through the shook, we ventured out into the old city in search of the bike shop, only to be sidetracked into having a rather large and delicious lunch of kebabs and vegetables with an assortment of enjoyable sauces and of course, the always wonderful hummus. After all the moving of the previous week, a large meal was definitely appreciated.

                Pushing through the inescapable food coma, we set out in search of the bike shop, only to find it had closed early. We ended up going through a market street where I got to practice my bartering skills in order to buy some sheets for my bed.  It turned out to be not so bad, from my prior experience of bartering in Senegal, though I started out too high with my counter offer and we all too quickly agreed on a price. I walked away a bit dissatisfied but I learned that you should never counter with something you’re not willing to pay and if it’s worth that much to you, you’ve made a good purchase. Soon after passing through the street market we started our way back home. Unfortunately we hadn’t achieved our goal to which we had set out but it was a meaningful and memorable trip nonetheless.

Chicken rings and Biochemistry.

Chicken Rings and Biochemistry

                Biochemistry can be fun but with chicken rings, it’s euphoric… The amount of information that we are going over is impressive. Study groups have proved to be an important tool in deepening our understanding of material and have given us an opportunity to apply the material used in class with sample questions. Usually during study groups, a break is taken and this involves some sort of food, and sometimes that food is chicken rings. You might ask “What exactly is a chicken ring?”, “How do they get the chicken in the shape of a ring?”, “Why would you want chicken in the shape of a ring?”, “Who started this?”, or “Can that really be healthy?” Rather than asking such questions, I choose to focus on the fact that they are oddly delicious. So, while we are learning about affinity and kinetics of enzymes in relation to competitive and noncompetitive inhibition, we can stuff our faces with pureed chicken formed into the shapes of rings. What could be better?

Ol' Trusty

Whole class coming to help a friend

                Earlier in the week, a person in our class unfortunately became part of an elite club; few people have the opportunity to join, “People who have been hit by a car”. The important thing is that she is okay and surrounded by a caring group of people that are there to help her through this process and make sure that she is not going through this alone. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about going through medical school and being away from friends and family, she now has to deal with health issues and possibly legal issues as well. She has a long road ahead of her but it will be accompanied by friends there to support her.  Looking at the bright side of this situation, it allowed her to gain a very useful insight that few people, especially doctors, have the opportunity to experience; being able to be a patient and undergo the stress and fear of being sick or hurt. Her ability to relate and empathize to future patients in such circumstances will far outweigh that of most health care workers. Additionally on the lighter side of being hurt, we were able to wheel her around in what must have been the oldest wheelchair in all of Be’er Sheva, something that looked straight out of a WWI hospital ward on Thursday when she came back to classes (see picture). She kept a good outlook and sense humor about the situation. Having so many people in the class come to her aid makes me proud to be part of this class and really demonstrates the quality of the people in this program.

Meeting up with other RPCVs

                During the past week I got the opportunity to meet up with a few Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) for a dinner to share stories and experiences from our service and our current lives in Be’er Sheva. It was really nice getting the opportunity to see how similar a lot of our experiences were, even though we all had served in many different areas of the world, plus we got to eat delicious enchiladas. It is nice to be part of a community so quickly after moving here, though we didn’t get to talk about gastrointestinal issues, a common topic amongst Peace Corps Volunteers, but hopefully next time.

                After another successful week here, with the many surreal aspects that have transpired, I look forward to the coming week and  many more surreal moments that make up life here in Be’er Sheva. Alright, well, off to some more studying and hopefully taking a break to finish fixing the washer. - blogger of the month Chris Brown

Finally settling in, by September blogger of the month Chris Brown

One of the many trips of carrying belongings from one apartment
to another in 97 degree heat, I am so very,
very tired of moving. I really hope this apartment works out.

So after a successful first week of real classes it’s on to moving day. A day where hopefully I’ll be able to settle in a bit and really feel at home, an event that has been a long time coming after having spent  a little over two years living in a hut in rural West Africa.

My name is Chris Brown, no not the singer Chris Brown, and I get the opportunity to share a little bit about life here in Be’er Sheva and experiences in the MSIH program. A little about myself; I grew up near Seattle Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington, then after a brief break, about three years, working as a phlebotomist, doing construction, and  teaching French on a volunteer basis, I went back to school to get my Masters in Teaching at Seattle Pacific University. I worked as a high school science teacher (mostly chemistry, with a little physics and biology thrown in to keep things interesting) for about 3 ½ years before deciding, though albeit an extremely honorable and important profession,  I found it to not be an ideal fit for me. It was a great opportunity and experience, one that I will always treasure for the rest of my life. Hopefully helping people learn about health and prevention will allow me to exercise the skills that I learned while teaching on a daily basis and I hope to also one day integrate teaching into my medical career at some point in a more formal fashion. After leaving teaching I left to serve in the Peace Corps as a health volunteer in Senegal, West Africa. I finished Peace Corps about 3 months ago and now I am on to my next adventure, medical school in Israel. As a side note I am also the oldest student in our class at 33 years old despite Avi’s generous 21^st birthday wish in the August blog entry or the bar mitzvah card from the whole class for my birthday last month, stating that I’ve finally became a man, at least now I have it in writing.   

          

One of many beautiful flowering trees
around Be’er Sheva.

Despite the rather “rockety” start to being here in Be’er Sheva, things are going rather smoothly. The school did their best to give us the most up to date information and even changed our classes to a more secure location, including having class in a bomb shelter for a short time, always up for new experiences... Granted some things have not gone as well as they might have gone in the US, the staff is doing well, despite what must be for them and their families a very nervous and stressful time, they still were able to deal with concerns that many of us were feeling.

The raging river in Be’er Sheva,
has a bit of silt in it at this time of year.
It’s the gray thing in the middle…

As conversations within the first year class transition from talking about what we’ve done before medical school, to getting cell phones, to furnishing apartments, to now talking more about classes and the impending deluge of information that is beginning to swarm around us. It feels good to be here, working towards something great. Professors and upperclassmen have been extremely welcoming and one week into the education, granted I was a teacher and am critical how the subject matter is taught, has been going well and I am looking forward to the next week. Well that’s it for now.  I need to go study for Immunology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular and Cell Biology, Histology, Hebrew, Global Health, and Biostatistics, that’s a lot of classes…

Interesting fact about life in Be’er Sheva: If you don’t like/want or need a piece of furniture you can simply take it outside and place it on a corner or the side of the street (preferably near a garbage or recycling bin) and it’s gone within 30 minutes to a couple of hours, off to be part of another person’s life. - blogger of the month, Chris Brown