White Shirt; White Coat ;)

The week of October 24th was a surprising week. Surprisingly good. It began like most weeks. I went to classes all day and I was generally unsuccessful in learning much from lecture. But the day ended on a high note with basketball practice. I can't wait to bring my basketball shoes back with me after Christmas. The main cues I can understand in Hebrew are ball, partners, run, and sadly that’s about it. I had hoped I would be able to understand a bit more Hebrew by now, but I continue to manage. But I left smiling and feeling like I was a part of a team again.

The view from the top floor of the hospital, featuring Lauren Knibbee (:

I don’t know if I have mentioned this, but there are a few perks of having an 8-hour time difference from home. In those moments of laying and staring at the ceiling wondering if sleep will ever come, there are most certainly multiple someones awake to text/talk to (although this can be a double-edged sword if you stay up all night talking, oops haha). But even better is the morning situation. I love mornings. My most favorite days are when I can be functionally awake up by 5am or earlier. As it turns out, this is almost the perfect time for phone calls home. My love for early morning finally has benefits others can appreciate too (: Monday was this type of morning. I woke up early, talked to some dear humans, and still had time to fit in an early run.

BDAY GIRL!!!!! A chef !! <3

On Tuesday evening we celebrated Risper’s Birthday! We ate at a lovely Ethiopian Restaurant in the Old City. When we arrived, every indication supported the conclusion that they were closed. Risper went up to the door and managed to convince them to serve us. We were the only ones in the whole restaurant. It was my first time eating Ethiopian food and while I didn’t love it, it was different and very interesting. We finished with cake and singing at our apartment. We normally don’t have people over, but it was fun with everyone sitting around, hanging out, and chatting. I’m officially making it a goal to host more next semester. I’m counting on you all to hold me accountable on that (:

After a full day of class on Wednesday, I made the trek to Lee Office with a mission. Lee Office is basically the Office Depot of Be’er Sheva. My mission was to get plain white paper and larger paper for drawing out processes. My goal is to hopefully convince my brain to remember some of the information I have been attempting to shove into my skull. It was sooo busy, but I was delightfully victorious in my search for various types of paper. I cannot yet conclude if I have been successful in my persuading my brain to store biochemical pathways, immunological systems, or numerous bacterium, but I will keep you updated.

Wednesday night is the “Thirsty Thursday” of college towns in the U.S. It feels so wrong to think of Wednesday like that, don't you agree? This particular Wednesday there was a huge party at a club, I think it’s called Barakah? Don’t quote me though because I honestly haven’t bothered to learn its name. Tickets had to be purchased ahead of time, and the rumor was the real party wouldn’t even begin until around 1am. I never had any interest or intention of attending, but there was a pregame at one of my classmate’s apartments that I convinced myself to attend (okay fine, Lauren helped with convincing, I'm not that convincing on my own haha). It is nice to have interactions with my classmates outside of school. I ate way too many chips, talked to some of my favorite people, and somehow missed out on the lemonade. I even made it home before midnight so I could get up for school the next day. I’m basically a grandma don’t you think? ;) Don’t worry, I’m quite satisfied with my status.

I wasn’t the least bit surprised when our Thursday zoom lectures had an all-time low attendance. But Thursday itself had all the makings of an exciting day. It was our Physician’s Oath/White Coat Ceremony. Everyone had to wear white shirts, and I can’t explain how simultaneously shocked and thrilled I was to discover I brought a white shirt from home. Shocked because white is not a good color for me. I have a hard enough time keeping non-white clothing stain free. Thrilled because I hate shopping. If possible, my dislike for shopping has deepened since I arrived in Israel. Learning my numbers in Hebrew has only improved my feelings slightly haha. The point is I had a white shirt, so I was all set.

Pre-Ceremony Elevator Mirror Pic (:

It’s a little weird to have a ceremony like this when there is no possibility of your family coming. The ceremony was live streamed which was honestly the best-case scenario. This way no one would have to sit through all the administration speeches if they didn’t want to and honestly I wouldn’t know the difference of whether they chose to watch at all haha. I know many of my people watched, which means the world to me. But also if I gave you the link and you chose not to watch, good for you ;)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a white coat ceremony. Obviously, we are far from becoming doctors. But I think the hope is we will start to have the mindset of physicians. We should be thinking about what our responsibility to our future patients is and how it should affect our decisions now. Our responsibility should shape how we study and remind us of our why when we want to give up. Interestingly, Ben Gurion University is the first place where a medical school performed the Physician’s Oath/White Coat Ceremony during the first year of medical school. Then this idea was taken back to the U.S and implemented there. The man who did this at Ben Gurion still lives in Be’er Sheva, is in his upper 90s, and still gives seminars to first year students.

It was quite funny walking to the auditorium and seeing all of our classmates coming from different directions dressed smartly in their white. We could see them coming from kilometers away ;) Before the ceremony, we took pictures and had some random appetizers. Apparently, the only snacks I deemed photo worthy were these tiny, cute pitas.

Then the sweetest thing happened. But first a little context. The university was allowing each student two guests at the Ceremony. Of course, I had no one to invite haha. Weirdly, the university had also decided we couldn’t share tickets. One of my classmates asked if they could use one of mine since they had three guests and I had no problem saying yes. Some rules are just made to be broken. Or maybe the saying is, it’s only wrong if you get caught? While I don’t promote lawlessness, I felt like this situation allowed some discretion (: It turned out there wasn’t any type of enforcement of the two guest rule at the ceremony anyway. My classmate’s guests were the TENDEREST. They brought me a rose as a thank you and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I still have the rose, even though it’s wayyy past its prime now.

The actual ceremony was nice also. It was a weird combination of formal with more than just a hint of casual. Some of the administration got up and spoke, some of whom I had never seen before. The most noteworthy part of these introductory speeches was the mullet one of them proudly sported. I guess mullets aren’t just coming back in Kansas haha. Then we had the main speaker. He was an MSIH graduate who is now working in Tel Aviv as a trauma surgeon. He gave a very personal and somewhat sobering speech. His lack of typical work-life balance has led to two divorces and therapy. He doesn’t believe he can completely separate his identity as a surgeon from the rest of his life, and he is at peace with that. He loves being a surgeon, it’s more than just what he does, it’s a huge part of who he is. And maybe sometimes that’s the point. Being a physician is more than a job. It isn’t always neat and tidy, it’s not something easily turned off and on, and every action is consequential. It is up to each physician to find the balance that works best for them. Whatever level of balance each person wants is possible. But it will never be like any other job, and that’s okay. His speech was very atypical, but I think it was the speech I needed. It was real, it was authentic, and most of all it was a reminder of the great responsibility it is to work in the healthcare field. (Side-note: I think growing up on a farm introduced me to a weird work-life balance a long time ago and I wouldn't have it any other way)

However, the next speech was my favorite. My dear friend, roommate, and classmate Lauren gave the class speech. It was beautiful. I got to hear it three times and each time it made me tear up. I promise I’m not normally much of a cry-er but it was that touching and perfect. If you want to listen to the recording, let me know and I’ll send it right over to you ;) The oaths were read, we all walked across the stage, took a picture, and hooray we had been coated! The ceremony overall affirmed for me that if I am in fact going to become a physician, this school is the best place for me. These are the people I want to go through medical school with, even when they ask obnoxious questions in class, skip too many lectures, or are simply imperfectly human. They are going to help me become the best physician I can be. I couldn’t be more thankful to be here.

After the ceremony we lingered, chatted, took too many photos, and just enjoyed being together. The majority went to get dinner together, but I had somewhere else to be. My basketball groupies had their first home game that evening. I got there just as they were about to start. Their reaction was so sweet. Many gave me hugs and were just happy I was there. My friend Arina, a 3rd year medical student in the Israeli program, told me she would have loved to come to my White Coat Ceremony if she had known. I had not expected this at all. I was filled with an overwhelming gratitude just to know Arina, she is incredible. Just being with the basketball girls and feeling seen and wanted reminded me of God’s goodness and love to allow me to have this group of people. Sadly, they lost, but I was really happy I went. One of the girls, Neta, walked me all the way back to my apartment even though it was way out of her way (don’t tell anyone but she is one of my favorites, along with Arina obviously). I ended my night with a phone call to my mom. It was a gloriously wonderfully day.

The week I recounted was a beautiful reminder of just how blessed I am. Sometimes (too many times to count) it is easier to remember the hard moments of frustration, sadness, or numbness. But I am here for a purpose. Part of that is to become a physician, but an even greater part is to grow into the person I have been created to be. It was easy to feel joyful during the moments I described above. But my joy should be just as deep and authentic when it isn’t all peachy. I have an incredible opportunity to learn to trust God deeper and grow in understanding his character. He reminded me his beauty is just as present during hard weeks. I just don’t always look for it because I am too busy bemoaning my troubles. I am thankful my God doesn’t change, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. No matter what else happens, His love for me will be just as rich in the bad as it is in the good.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

1 Chronicles 16:32-34

"Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”