the perils of

(Picture unrelated to the post. This is a harmless cerebellum slide seen beneath a microscope.)           The day started with a mass held in honor of our cadavers. Afterwards, we all gathered outside the anatomy lab for the blessing ceremony. "I'm prepared to see the body," said Dia as we lined up outside, "Just not the face." I felt the same way. I don't know what it is, but seeing a dead person's face is just so different from seeing a dead person's arm or leg. Extremities belong to bodies, but faces belong to people.                    Before I knew it, it was my group's turn to enter. I breathed in and walked calmly, taking in the sight of twenty dead humans. They were invisible - beneath the blue sheets, all we could see of them were the outlines of their head, feet, breast, and knees. Each one was a different size and shape from the other. As my group gathered around Cadaver #3, I could see that he...

        I think one lesson I learned today, however oversimplified and cheesy it may be, is that for every miserable moment that med school throws your way, there are little bouts of happiness to be discovered. Today in particular started with a lab exam from hell. And right after that came the lec exam from hell. Both were equally draining and depressing.         BUT after that, Dr. Banzuela treated all of us in the batch to UNLIMITED FISHBALLS!!! This was our batch's reward for having answered a difficult question during class last week (it was Dustin in particular who answered it, and all of us got to reap the benefits of his effort hahaha). The fishballs did wonders to boost our morale. Look at all these smiling faces! (Credits to Kamille from whom I did not ask perimssion to post this [hehe sorry])          Dr. Banzuela is one of my favorite teachers in ASMPH. I'm not just saying this because of the fishballs!...