Pursuing Medicine: Social Influence and Implications

Disclaimer: This post has been re-blogged from the IFMSA-JO JUST LC blog where it was first published on July 15th, 2012.

International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, Jordan - Jordan University of Science and Technology Local Committee.

As a start to this post, I would like to give you, my dear readers and fellow IFMSAns, a very brief insight into my academic history.

I was never the brightest of students, nor was I ever that perfectly disciplined pupil or straight A student, except for a few primary years some might say. It so happened, that through tenth grade, something in me decided it would be worth making that leap of faith. Then and there, in hopes of raising my prospects for university admission, the decision was made; and I made it my intention to exert a greater effort into academics. I did well, unexpectedly well actually, and here I am - five years later - your average medical student about to begin his fourth year of study in the clinics.

Mind you oh wise readers, do not be fooled. Time - the unalterable, unfaltering nuisance that it is - changes but the tiniest fragments of this vast universe we call home. Through childhood, not once had I contemplated the thought of becoming a doctor. I was convinced wholeheartedly, that the future would have me become a world renowned architect, designing modern skyscrapers for the most magnificent cities around the globe. Childhood dreams a few might call it, eh?

Some of you, my good fellows, have had the medical dream for as far back as they can remember. I find that respectably fascinating. However, I fool you not my friends; not even upon graduation from school did the thought of a medical career sound intriguing. After registering myself into a Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Jordan, and convincing my inner being that I was to become the innovative mechanic of the future, fate has it that a twisted change of events occurred.

None other than our Jordan University of Science and Technology called home, offering me a spot as a medical student. There I was, seated under grandmother's lemon tree, with mom yelling from our apartment downstairs that I had been accepted into medicine.

Unbelievable as this may sound to an audience of medical students, the decision was never an easy one. There are the days where I tell myself that the decision was as haphazard as flipping a coin; some might call it luck or faith, and still some might attribute the happenings to a higher being. But even with that said, I am well assured, that had it not been for the cultural and societal outlooks on medical education and physicians, I would have not end up where I am today.

Life so has it that people around this world are segregated from one another by numerous cultures, multiple societal values, and those plenty customs and habits; be they good or bad. Our Middle Eastern values today, have almost nothing in common with those of their Western or Eastern counterparts, albeit globalization is playing its large part in bringing about a universal culture worldwide.

Do excuse me, good people, for there are times when my head finds itself running about in circles, subjects are so thoroughly intertwined with one another it becomes quite the deed focusing on a particular topic. My current days studying psychiatry have seen me diagnose myself with a rather large portion of mental illnesses. A few will be tempted to call it 'medical student syndrome' and others may refuse to do so. But that is another subject to be discussed on its own.

Subject at hand, my dears. Society does have its ultimate role in every decision that flows through your head, be it rational or not. It is widely believed, in our beloved Jordan and Middle East at large, that those students who are high achievers at school deserve to enter nothing but medicine or engineering. Prestige, social class, financial income, job availability, and societal approval are words and concepts that come to mind when dealing with such a matter.

Kind readers, I believe that there are quite the share of questions that must be posed on the topic of admission into medical school. I have no doubt that you are aware of the four year premed system that is valid in the United States, or the fact that the majority of renowned institutions of higher education across the globe require their applicants to interview for medical spots. I will refrain myself from pointing out the other rigorous requirements medical school applicants undergo abroad.

I think I am safe to say that the admissions system does need a significant overhaul, albeit some would philosophize that they are against the notion. How many of us would have passed through an interview, a psychometric or a medical-knowledge evaluation exam? The thought is indeed quite the fright. And yet people are adamant in convincing you that quality still prevails over quantity, that the country still respects the rule of law and fair criterion selection - my sincere boo to that.

Fellow IFMSAns, I must thoroughly thank you for taking the time to read this blabber of thought. It isn't too objective but I suppose it'll do for a first timer on our new blog. No?

The Light at the End

It has been quite a while since my last blog post, my sincere apologies dear readers. I wouldn't have really thought I'd be saying this, but in the last few months, I've been surprised at the amount of time and effort medical school has been draining out of me. To put it in perspective, the number of hours I spent sleepless before my final Microbiology exam was 35 consecutive hours, but you can probably exclude the 10 minutes in the Amman-Irbid service taxi in which I found myself unconsciously banging my head against the front seat's rear. If, by any chance, the girl who was seated there is reading this post, forgive me for the unpleasant ride I might have caused you.

'The Spirit of Children' by Mohammed Sada

I've been asked several times why I never continued a previous post about my experiences thus far at Jordan University of Science and Technology, and I honestly don't have a convincing reply to that, so I'll just stick to saying that I might follow up on it and I might not, depends on how much time I'll be getting.

So many great events have gone by, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to start. Can't really say Christmas and New Year were very festive this year, as a confession to you I had a brawl with the parents on Christmas eve, regretting it now. New Year wasn't too happy either, the majority of it was with my beloved Pharmacology books, can't say we didn't have a blast. Yes, sarcasm. On the bright side, however, I made several resolutions I'm really hoping to stick to; drastically improving my grades comes as a priority, going back to playing the violin, and finally working an extra bit on the blog.

Being finally on holiday, the family and I decided today we ought to buy some trees to green the garden. It has been more than three months since we moves houses, and unfortunately our backyard remains but brown soil except for two blots of land in which I planted an apple and an apricot tree some time back. Something that comes as a surprise to me is how people react when I tell them I've been working in the garden. I mean seriously, it's quite fun in the outdoors, and if you ask me, one can actually get a good workout. Could be the fact that my ancestors were farmers, dunno. Come to think about it, the ancestors of most of this society were either farmers or bedouins, so I'm not really comprehending the stiff stance on gardening I get.

In other news, tomorrow I'll be moving to my new studio apartment in Irbid. A lot of work is yet to be done, I guess buying a fridge is the most important. Then I've got picking out the kitchen stuff; spoons, cups, plates, food, and whatnot. Looking forward to the cooking, not sure I'll be very proficient, but no harm done in trying, aye? I've been blaming my family for my below expected grades for some time, so I hope moving back to Irbid will do me a favor and stay up to my expectations in terms of increased uni performance.

In an attempt to fulfill my resolutions, I've also taken the time to design a new header for the blog, hope you guys like it. Starting next semester I'll be blogging more often I hope, but for the mean time the aunt and cousins are impatiently knocking at the door, better run.

- The photo above isn't really relative to the post, but I thought I'd share it as it gave me a good smile. Hope it does you the same favor.

Faculty of Medicine logo

Seeing as there was a competition last week for designing the logo of the Faculty of Medicine at Jordan University of Science and Technology, I decided to give it a shot and participate. The design is pretty simple; more or less the original logo of the university with the 'staff and snake' medical symbol, and a bit of slanting to give it that 'in motion' effect. So what do you think? I'd appreciate some feedback.

It's My Life

More than a year has swept by since I last dusted the soles of my shoes at the towering gates of school, since I took those wary first steps into the unknown world of higher education, making the daring decision of choosing to pursue the degree of Medicine over that of Mechanical Engineering, struggling to find a solution to the various challenges that came my way, with success being my foe at times and my accomplice at others. An annum of contrast and experience I must say, packed with emotions and thoughts that I would have found hardly possible at an earlier while. This, my dear readers, is a recollection of notable memories that I underwent, ranging from those first tastes of university life, to the mingling and integration into the Jordanian public, to learning how to drive in the bustling streets of Amman. As simply as the kind Jon Bon Jovi puts it, "It's my life".

I shall start this series of recollections by introducing a friend of mine who, I'm saddened to say, I no longer have contact with. It was a bright day, the sun was shining so boastfully on a blazing hot summers morning, I was approaching the old ticket booth at the Northern Bus Complex, more commonly known as "Mojamma3 Al Shamal", where I was to begin my journey for the first time to Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST); little did I know that this would become my second home for the next six years to come. Ascending the squeaky steps of the 42-seat Hyundai bus and looking around, I found a seat next to a drowsy young lad who went by the name 'Omais'. It was honestly hard getting his name at first; interpreting his name as 'Anis' and 'Omar' didn't do me very well, so I ended up calling him 'M3allem' or 'Seedi' most of the the time. Omais came from a rough background, he was from one of the less well-off towns of Jordan called 'Mahis', and a second year Chemistry student at JUST. What made him stick out so vividly in my memory is the fact that he was so willing to help me on my first visit under no circumstances whatsoever; the determination in him was something I very much admired, and nothing I said would stop him from touring me around the university, let alone insist on buying me a Coke and Shawarma on his budget.

I admit the tour wasn't at all very fascinating, but it was more than I deserved. After permitting me to sit-in a refreshing air-conditioned lecture with him, I discovered Omais wasn't the brightest of students; on the contrary, he was rather the opposite, and was barely coping with his studies. To my utter shock, he had already received an ultimatum from the university, threatening to disqualify him from the upcoming academic year had he not passed in his subjects. Sitting at the cafeteria next to the university pond, the scenery was amazing; a cool breeze made it's way across the landscape through the withering leaves above us, ducks were quacking merrily unaware of their surroundings, and it seemed the weather had changed for the better. We were talking about each others' history and getting acquainted; he had an upcoming exam in an hour and was facing difficulties with problem solving so I decided to give my assistance where possible. 'Integration and differentiation', I thought. Had it not been for my ingenious A-level school teacher I would have been utterly lost in the subject. The last I heard of Omais he was planning on re-starting his studies at the Hashemite University in Zarqa, his attempts on convincing me that JUST was the most strict and difficult college in the country left me rather confused. At the end of the day, we bid each other farewell, and each of us went our own way; that was the last I heard of him. Omais was my first acquaintance at JUST, I honestly hope he is doing well.

From that I take you to the end of the first university semester. It was a fluid one overall, the subjects were ones I had covered previously in my A-levels, with the exception of Arabic, thus I didn't face much difficulty and spent most of the time messing around in Irbid, '3aroos Al Shamal'. I also chose to accommodate myself with a close and sincere friend I had made, named Ehab from the city of Nablus; we had met on the bi-articulated bus, popularly called 'Al Doodeh' translated 'The Worm', that leads from the Engineering Faculties Complex to the Medical Faculties Complex; I had unwaveringly sided myself against a group of elder students attempting to criticize the first-years, how exactly I honestly don't recall.

It was my pleasure one evening that I got invited over to a couple of friends' house in Irbid whom I had met from my Arabic class; arriving late on a daily manner and issuing my apologies so bluntly interrupting the lecture must have had something to do with it. We were coming close to the final exams, and these international students from Kuwait and Yemen approached me for some assistance with biology, as studying in English was somewhat of an obstacle for them. So I agreed to help-out and tutor them as much as possible. Escorting them through the suburbs of Irbid, we went through the city where students form a majority, the city which has gained global reputation for having the largest number of internet cafes per capita in the world as accredited by Guinness. The sun was gradually setting behind the oblique skyline of weathered stone houses, draped with dull laundry, with the scenting rich Arabian coffee emulsifying around us from the nearing coffee house.

Climbing the uneven concrete steps lined with crack-swarmed walls, a gentle wind made its way through the open window. The door opened with an enchanting creak and I was ushered with warm smiles into the house. The strongly fragranced incense had me coughing almost immediately, the smoky environment inside the house was one that had me with surprise, but I got accustomed, and soon I curiously began contemplating the Arabian floor-based furniture where the table was merely several inches above ground, something I found interesting. I was kindly gestured for, yes, Arabian coffee the Yemeni way, and although I claimed I didn't want to cause any trouble, my hosts insisted. The shining silver Dallah sparkled with life as it was placed on an extravagant fire upon the aluminum-covered oven. We comfortably sat down on a soft array of reddish-black Arabian-designed pillows on the floor, around a unique date-filled pot, a small plate of water used for washing 'daty' fingers, and the freshly-brewed coffee was poured by the hosts filling us with an enthralling aroma. At the creeping sound of silence, I remembered why I was there, and beckoning them to open their books, I attempted to begin tutoring.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created The World's Greatest Encyclopedia

I must admit it has been quite a while since my last blog post, can't say there's a specific reason, but laziness and medical studies come as the main factors, my apologies.

So the focus of this post will be about how I've recently been into editing Wikipedia, or The Free Encyclopedia; I'm sure you've used it at some point, it is, after all, usually one of the primary results in a Google Search. Ever imagined where these articles came from, who wrote them, who contributed, and who edited? Well I doubt you have, it honestly isn't something I would do, but being a recent editor has got me thinking, how much credit do these contributors really get for their work, is there anyone who says well done, good job, or even thank you?

The surprising thing is that the majority of people in our society don't know editing is actually possible, which makes it quite obvious why Middle Eastern articles are somewhat low-grade compared to those of the Western world, and by low-grade I really mean that there is much room for improvement. Gratitude? Can't say they get any, that is unless it is from their fellow Wikipedians, usually represented as a barn star posted on the user's talk page; a page on which discussions about user edits are made.
My contributions until now have mainly targeted articles about the Middle East, two articles I am especially interested in are "Jordan University of Science and Technology", the college which I currently attend, and "Suleiman Mousa", my late grandfather, who was the first and only Arab author to write about T.E. Lawrence, or "Lawrence of Arabia", and show the Arab perspective.

What do you need to become an editor? Nothing much really; an e-mail account, a sufficient command in the English Language, good grammar skills, and suitable references for any ad
ditional information you might want to add to an article, or else it will be deleted by an administrator.

I would definitely recommend  becoming a contributor to Wikipedia, with no doubt there will be articles of interest to everyone, and increasing one's spectrum of knowledge is also a pleasant side factor. Beware though, it is a very time-consuming business, so choose your time carefully.