Opportunity by Edward R. Sill
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream: -
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears – but this
Blunt thing!” – he snapped and flung it from his hand.
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
As many of you know, this will be my last post from the Caribbean. Why, you are wondering, did I open it with a poem? My dad has been reading this poem to me since I was a child. The funny thing is that this poem’s beautiful words are symbolic of my coming to the Caribbean.
The competition to get into medical school is as stiff as it gets. Most people look down on this school because of the stigma associated with Caribbean medical schools, just as the craven looked at his broken sword. They give up on their dream of going to medical school and walk off the battlefield. But much like the prince uses that old broken sword to save the day, I jumped at the chance to come down to St. George’s University. In doing so, I won the battle.
I will never forget leaving my house to go to Grenada for the first time (February 2005). Part of me was excited about moving to an island while the other part of me was screaming “TURN THE CAR AROUND!” Why in the world did I decide to leave the comforts of home to move 3500 miles away where I knew no one?! The answer is simple. As petrified as I was of the entire experience (will I like the people, will I be able to make it in med school…) I knew that I would get those two little letters behind my name. Those two little letters that I have wanted behind my name since the age of 4. Those two little letters being an M and a D.
I parted ways with my parents that morning. I cried the entire flight from New Orleans to Dallas doubting this crazy decision I had made. Thank goodness no one was sitting next to me. I arrived in a Hurricane Ivan battered Grenada that evening to my hotel (my residence for the next four months) that looked nothing like it did on the internet since the hurricane had blown much of it away. I didn’t eat for the first three days and ate very little the rest of the term. As much as I complained about all the small stuff that drove me insane, I made wonderful friends and I learned so much about medicine and more importantly about myself.
One of the few things that helped me get through that term and all the terms after was this blog. I don’t know exactly where I got the idea of starting this old thing. I knew I wanted to keep a journal of my experiences while abroad. Little did I know how great my stories would be (recall the veggie nachos, turtle watching, getting left in Venezuela) or the response I would receive!! You have been my support group. By reading this day in and day out you have made this adventure a little easier. You were there to encourage me when I was stressed about a big exam. You were there to laugh with me when a dead body floated ashore next to our villa in Bequia, and you were there to cry with me when Hurricane Katrina turned my world upside down. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for coming with me on this wild roller coaster ride filled with steep inclines, big drops, spirals and flips. It has been an unforgettable experience and I will cherish these memories forever! I haven’t decided if I will continue writing when I start my clinicals in New York. For now, Dr. Slidell is on hiatus until May. I will be busy studying for my boards until that time. This is me signing off. AND NOW IT’S TIME TO COME HOME!!!!!!!!
~M
