Faux Pas #1 of ???
I am surprised by how quickly the idea of cutting into a human being has become commonplace. The first day of anatomy lab, I could barely keep my breakfast down - today I chewed gum and made casual conversation while dissecting the spinal cord. The University of Oklahoma, where I almost went to medical school, has a program in which students meet the family of the body donors before and after anatomy. This is not possible here since our cadavers are shipped in from the states - but it would be nice. I have to constantly remind myself that I am working on a person who graciously gave me this opportunity. Even at this early stage, I find myself conscious of the humanity which a doctor must work to keep hold of.
On a more amusing note, I recently made the first of what will surely a long string of Arabic faux-pas. One of our anatomy teachers is named Dr. Saadeh (no relation) - he is probably in his seventies and I'm pretty sure could take apart and put back together the human body with his eyes closed. A few days ago, I asked him a question and begin with 'ya ma'alim - andi soo-al' (literally "my teacher, I have a question"). He answered without any hint of the error in what I had just said...it turns out that while 'ma'alim' is technically the word for 'teacher', it is used when speaking to a craftsmen (like 'atelier' in French). I realized this when at lunch, my aunt referred to the waiter using this term.
Today I apologized and he smiled, put his hand on my shoulder and explained "habibi - am t'ahkee mneeh" (my darling, you are doing well [with arabic]). It's amazing how much comfort a little kindness can bring.
We have our first anatomy test on Monday, so my break ends now - but before I leave you, here are a few pictures of the campus (I finally managed to get the pictures off of my camera):
This is College Hall with the famous clock tower of the University:
On a more amusing note, I recently made the first of what will surely a long string of Arabic faux-pas. One of our anatomy teachers is named Dr. Saadeh (no relation) - he is probably in his seventies and I'm pretty sure could take apart and put back together the human body with his eyes closed. A few days ago, I asked him a question and begin with 'ya ma'alim - andi soo-al' (literally "my teacher, I have a question"). He answered without any hint of the error in what I had just said...it turns out that while 'ma'alim' is technically the word for 'teacher', it is used when speaking to a craftsmen (like 'atelier' in French). I realized this when at lunch, my aunt referred to the waiter using this term.
Today I apologized and he smiled, put his hand on my shoulder and explained "habibi - am t'ahkee mneeh" (my darling, you are doing well [with arabic]). It's amazing how much comfort a little kindness can bring.
We have our first anatomy test on Monday, so my break ends now - but before I leave you, here are a few pictures of the campus (I finally managed to get the pictures off of my camera):
This is College Hall with the famous clock tower of the University:
This is the view from upper campus - you are seeing the Hostler Student Center and the Mediterranean Sea:
This is the view during my morning walk to class:
Here are a few of my classmates and me following a day in the anatomy lab:
Finally, here is the Centre Ville (Downtown) of Beirut:
posted by Nicholas at 1:03 PM
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