Seniors

Dinner with IIUM seniors at the Filipino Market

Big reason for my choice of Kota Kinabalu for my housemanship is because I know there are good seniors from my uni there, though I never really knew how good us they would be.

Transportation and commuting was a big problem during our first few weeks. Big is perhaps an understatement. We traveled mostly with expensive taxis. During work time, tagging times when we finished late at about 11pm - 12am, even taxis were not available, especially at our Likas Hospital. We could only rely on 'pirates', hired cars, to bring us back home and come again the next morning at 6.30am.

Rozaimi was a big help especially. He showed us around, brought us to some place to eat and shop, and sometimes lent us a ride or his car when his A&E shift was at night when he couldn't come home.

For that we owe him a lot.

I realized that our bonds with students from the same Alumni runs deep. Perhaps its the university binding that kind of loyalty or just an individual's personality. But I know that a seniors' worth is a lot. Their wealth of experience to 'survive' during the first few weeks, months of 'life' is invaluable and most often unrepayable.

What I'm writing here is only a fraction of their contributions. Later there'll meet other seniors in the posting, regardless of the year they started. A first poster can be your senior even if he or she came in only a week earlier. Your medical officer is definitely your senior never mind consultants. They will be your teachers, in medicine and in life.

Respect your seniors, and you'll do well.


Tips:
- Respect, rapport with seniors from medical schools onwards. Don't be an asshole.
- Shop til you drop before you start your first time tagging. You might not see daylight for the next 2 weeks and starve. (Haha gila 30 days of night!)