savoy096

View from train to Beersheva Wow. When I landed and took the train in during the early morning down to this city (see above), after having traveled such a long route east, I was in such a daze. I arrived at my apartment and, despite being totally beyond tired, I somehow managed to stumble to the bank, spit out convoluted Hebrew, and open up a student account before going to sleep and messing with my sleep schedule that much further (which, as I am finding as I compose this post tonight at 9:30 P.M., is still the case). Since we began this Sunday, we have all learned a lot about living in Beer Sheva. From the safety situation to the location of the mall and grocery stores to the not-so-secret elevator on the medical campus and so much more, this is certain to be the beginning of a long learning process on how to live as a student and as a resident, a גר תושב , as it were, in a country not our own. But we are here to do more than that. In the next four (or however many) years it will ta...

Well, here's my last post. About a year ago, right about this time, I was standing in my apartment in Beersheva, alone, A/C not working, and just wondering what I've gotten myself into. I was excited and senselessly lonely at the same time. As time went by, Beersheva became a new home for me. Now I know what to do when I go back there, along with trying to meet some high standards set by the current third years. I hope I can be as good a second year as my second year friends when I was a first year, but I really have doubts. They were..and are an amazing bunch. When we finished our first year, a third year, soon to leave Beersheva to go stateside for his fourth year, said to be nice to the first years. I really want to, and will try to. If there's any first year reading this, please, please contact me for anything; I'll try to provide help. It's normal to be out of place at this time; it's normal to be frustrated. Don't think about USMLE until the beginning ...

During the first year of the MSIH program, I learned quite a lot about International Health. The learning was mostly by frontal lectures by some fascinating lecturers who have or are currently working in their relative health sectors, ranging from local hospitals to the Israeli government agency, even outward to Europe and the WHO. I really learned a lot, and the concept of it doesn't seem too vague anymore. Frontal lectures have the advantage of speeding up acquirement of near-neutral knowledge, much like as you'd learn Kung-fu by inserting a jack at the back of your head and downloading the software, like how Neo did in the movie Matrix. Then again, it's not THAT interesting. Or fun. My first direct exposure, or how I first sensed I am being exposed to the fact that this school is situated with a window to show a world other than the United States I was comfortable in, was through the clinical interview sessions, and especially when we started going to the Bedouin village...

In this blog post, I will recall and pass on my experience with the people beyond the circles of the students/faculty/administration of MSIH. Each morning usually started off with going to the classroom 616 in the Old Internal Building in the Soroka Hospital, by 8:10 AM. I usually overestimate the amount of time it'll take for my biking to get to class, so I usually arrive at around 8:00 AM. I meet the cleaning lady there – a lady that looks like she's a Russian descent. I used to just ignore her but as time passed, and as my Hebrew increased relatively, I started to be a bit bold. I started saying 'Bokhel Tov' (Good Morning) to her, and although that's all that communication limits allow (she sometimes fumbled Hebrew too, or so I think with my limited Hebrew), I became less of a stranger. Amidst the occasional VERY random encounters such as an Israeli almost forcing me to be friends just because I was born in Korea, my usual day-to-day exposure to the locals happen...

Here we are lounging about in the Sports Center in the main campus, after our last exam on June 28th.  It was beautiful and so free. To all the upcoming first years who might be reading this post: you chose well. Welcome to Beersheva. We're all very excited to meet you guys!!!!!! Ask Columbia for my email if you want to contact me about things you have questions about; I'll try to help you out with what I know. Or find me on Facebook - /seungjinkim. Well.... first year is, behind us!!! At least for now. Hopefully behind me. Arrrgh I won't think about Endocrinology now. What's ahead of me is my summer break. I'll be in a happier tone in my next blog post - I still got to pack, do a final check of my apartment, get on El-Al, go to New Jersey, get on the Greyhound, reach California. About the Greyhound.. well you know, I figured I gotta do it at least once :) Hence the tense/pensive/anxious/exhausted tone.  Also, I seem to praise my experience here too much, sugar-coat...