Take me to New York, I'd like to see TA
My elective isn't far off - only seven months away. Basically, during the summer between fourth and fifth year at med school, we get to go anywhere in the world to study medicine (or to drink cheap alcohol on an Asian beach whilst reassuring the medical school office by e-mail that we are, indeed, learning about the management of neurocysticercosis). Note that 'anywhere' excludes a few countries where wars have broken out or natural disasters (e.g. Justin Bieber) have struck. Therefore, the great big question staring me in the face is 'Where do I go?'
I had it all planned out. In fact, I had an idea about where I wanted to go for my elective even before I'd started medical school! The answer back then was 'Israel!' with a big grin on my face. I still very much want to go to sunny, hummusy 'Israel!'-with-a-big-grin-on-my-face. As with most things in my life, people question my odd choice. Why Israel? Depending on who's asking the question, I reply with standard one-liners like 'It's really warm there' or 'I'm fascinated by Israeli culture' or 'They have really good research opportunities there!'.
But my (slightly wet) dreams of going to Israel appear to be getting dismantled, slowly but surely, by a cruel mixture of medical school rules, Middle East politics and a magnetic force called family. This is how:
1. As mentioned above, since we are the medical school's responsibility on this extended holiday known as The Elective, it is their job to make sure we don't get killed by floods, stray bullets and the like. So the medical school office, depending on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, simply doesn't approve requests to go to countries that are currently being buggered by other countries e.g. Afghanistan. Surprisingly, Israel doesn't fall into this category - the FCO seems to be fine (at the moment) with Britons traveling to the Land of the Crazies. My worry (and prediction) is that this will probably change as Mr Liar-yahu and Hamas are having a round of friendly fire at the moment which might escalate to Total Apeshit War, prompting the FCO (and hence the medical school) to discourage travel to Israel. So should I even bother applying for an elective in Jerusalem? But I really really really weally want to go! Should I apply and have a firm Plan B i.e., an elective in a different country, in case Israel doesn't quite work out?
2. Family - cousins, to be precise - are planning to get happily married around the time of my elective. BUT WHAT ABOUT MY HAPPINESS?!! I want to attend their weddings but I'm quite certain I can't be in two places at once (I've tried.. it made my head spin) so it's going to be an extremely astronomically difficult choice between a dream-elective in El-'uds (assuming that no rockets are falling on it) and dancing at my cousins' week-long weddings.
If I did my elective in America, I could overcome both problems, innit. So I'm desperately trying to contact medical schools in the States that might accept a poor, downtrodden 4th year medical student for a clinical or research placement. No luck so far (oh thanks a ton, Universities of Florida, Texas, California and Harvard - I will have my revenge!). I'm still waiting to hear back from a few places - some do not have access to their own e-mail, as they are in the Third World (southern California).
The only downside to spending 10 weeks with Americans is that I might absorb some of their Neanderthal ways and come back with a deficit in my intelligence...
I had it all planned out. In fact, I had an idea about where I wanted to go for my elective even before I'd started medical school! The answer back then was 'Israel!' with a big grin on my face. I still very much want to go to sunny, hummusy 'Israel!'-with-a-big-grin-on-my-face. As with most things in my life, people question my odd choice. Why Israel? Depending on who's asking the question, I reply with standard one-liners like 'It's really warm there' or 'I'm fascinated by Israeli culture' or 'They have really good research opportunities there!'.
But my (slightly wet) dreams of going to Israel appear to be getting dismantled, slowly but surely, by a cruel mixture of medical school rules, Middle East politics and a magnetic force called family. This is how:
1. As mentioned above, since we are the medical school's responsibility on this extended holiday known as The Elective, it is their job to make sure we don't get killed by floods, stray bullets and the like. So the medical school office, depending on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, simply doesn't approve requests to go to countries that are currently being buggered by other countries e.g. Afghanistan. Surprisingly, Israel doesn't fall into this category - the FCO seems to be fine (at the moment) with Britons traveling to the Land of the Crazies. My worry (and prediction) is that this will probably change as Mr Liar-yahu and Hamas are having a round of friendly fire at the moment which might escalate to Total Apeshit War, prompting the FCO (and hence the medical school) to discourage travel to Israel. So should I even bother applying for an elective in Jerusalem? But I really really really weally want to go! Should I apply and have a firm Plan B i.e., an elective in a different country, in case Israel doesn't quite work out?
2. Family - cousins, to be precise - are planning to get happily married around the time of my elective. BUT WHAT ABOUT MY HAPPINESS?!! I want to attend their weddings but I'm quite certain I can't be in two places at once (I've tried.. it made my head spin) so it's going to be an extremely astronomically difficult choice between a dream-elective in El-'uds (assuming that no rockets are falling on it) and dancing at my cousins' week-long weddings.
If I did my elective in America, I could overcome both problems, innit. So I'm desperately trying to contact medical schools in the States that might accept a poor, downtrodden 4th year medical student for a clinical or research placement. No luck so far (oh thanks a ton, Universities of Florida, Texas, California and Harvard - I will have my revenge!). I'm still waiting to hear back from a few places - some do not have access to their own e-mail, as they are in the Third World (southern California).
The only downside to spending 10 weeks with Americans is that I might absorb some of their Neanderthal ways and come back with a deficit in my intelligence...