savoy096

After our first day of dissections…exhausted but happy. Today my classmates and I had our first dissection lab, and below is a slightly freeform reflection on the day. Apologies that it is coming from a slightly exhausted new second year med student, who hopes it is at least somewhat coherent. It was a completely new and unique experience, thus I have many, many thoughts and reflections on it, some of which are listed here: 1.       Donning our scrubs, gloves, and sneakers and entering the dissection room was definitely a rite of passage which I have been anticipating for a long long time. I use the term anticipate rather than “look forward to” because dissection of a human cadaver brings about a strange array of emotions. There is of course, a certain amount of nervousness, as well as (for me at least) excitement. But my overwhelming feeling today in the lab was one of awe. I am in awe of those who gave us their bodies so that we can learn how to be the best do...

Arriving at Ben Gurion Airport last year As I write this, I’m 30,000 feet in the air, heading back to Israel to begin my second year of medical school. A little over a year ago, I was making this same trip, on the way to kick off my first year. What a difference a year makes! I remember last year how anxious I was saying goodbye to my parents, and leaving the comfort and familiarity of home. There were so many unknowns! Where would I live? What would my classmates be like? Would I be able to handle the notoriously difficult transition into med school from college? As you can imagine, these are not small concerns. Luckily I had been to Israel in the past, and had even spent a year living there, so that, at least, was not a real worry. Landing in Israel was a strange combination of a homecoming and an all-out panic. “WHAT HAVE I DONE?” I kept thinking to myself. My aunt picked me up (again, lucky to have this degree of familiarity of having amazingly supportive family in Israel), and w...