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Freshers' fortnight


Sabrina

We chart the ups and downs of fabulous fresher Sabrina as she trains to be a doctor.
Entry: 2

TheSite.org follows fabulous fresher Sabrina as she trains to be a doctor, and ends up on the operating table herself.

Well, I'm here, I'm alive and in one piece! It's Freshers' fortnight for us medics at UCL so I'm only halfway there! It has been such a hectic week, and looking back now, it seems to have gone by verrrrry slowly.

I moved into my room last Saturday, and basically did a Monica and disinfected everything in sight. If you ever happen to visit my room it is the cleanest, and smells the nicest (I encountered some very strange smells this week). I settled in a lot better than I thought I would, and the timetable was pretty easy for the first week. I've been out every single night in the past week, which has been a great opportunity to mix with others, but not so great if you like your sleep. I haven't been drinking a lot (I'm not much of a drinker anyway; I don't know why I'm doing medicine), so I'm afraid there are no stories of waking up next to strangers, wondering how on earth they got there, and why on earth I'm wearing nothing but a pair of Wellington boots and carrying a pink feather duster. Just give me time!!

I've told a couple of people about the breast reduction, and they've been genuinely interested and supportive, which is always a bonus. I haven't told any of my tutors yet, because I haven't really had the opportunity, but I will be meeting with my academic advisor this week, so I'm a bit wary of the reaction I'm going to get. Again, watch this space.

"I've told a couple of people about the breast reduction, and they've been genuinely interested and supportive"

In terms of the gory stuff, it honestly hasn't been too bad. I saw my first cadaver (corpse) on Thursday, and I found it OK (hell, there were guys built like brick shithouses who looked like they were going to be sick) so you can never tell what someone's reaction is going to be like. But it does make you wonder why a person would want to donate their body to science - I don't think I could. (I'm still holding out to be put in a glass coffin on display like Snow White).

Despite sharing a bathroom with about 20 other people, I haven't had to queue once, and the food isn't as bad as people make out. I've met a lot of genuinely nice people, but you can tell a mile off the ones that are being false. I give them another week; you can't smile like that 24/7 without getting some form of chronic jaw ache! Perhaps I'm being slightly harsh, after all, it's still a process that involves a lot of adaptation to the new environment and they're probably as nervous and insecure as the rest. Time will tell, I guess.

Other than that, I've joined clubs at the Freshers' fayre that I probably won't be turning up to. It's just ever-so-slightly scary when you have people jumping out at you from all corners, and the only alternative is to run in an Indiana Jones sort of way. I can't run, and I'm not Indiana Jones, so I had to resort to Plan B - nod, smile and just sign the damn form! It's all good fun though, part of the whole experience I'm told.

So, this week, the real work starts. I've looked through some of the notes, and some of it looks like basic A-level work. Other parts make me want to breathe into a brown paper bag. I'm told the hardest part is finding the balance between work and play, although the general consensus is, "Work hard, play harder." I don't think it has really hit me that I'm going to be doing this for six years. I think when it does, I'll be packing my bags, hiring a nun outfit, and heading straight for the hills


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