I took the long weekend off and got a chance to see my brother graduate from High School, my aunts that I hadn't seen for about 18 months and one of my college buddies get married. It's kind of strange how some people's perception of you changes once the find out that you're in medical school.
Several of my family members ask the obligatory health questions "what's wrong? what should I do?"...like I've actually learned anything medical this year. I do my best to explain that I can only point to body parts and call them by their proper names, tell you what they do, where their blood supply should come from and what part of the CNS they're controlled by...but that's it. Is it that hard understand that we don't learn any medicine in the first two years of medical school?
It's always interesting to meet new people though, because you never know if you're going to get the stories about their great-aunt's heroic battle with hemorrhoids or the nth degree about what your medical training entails. The icing on the cake comes when they are people that you've seen for years at various functions, that all of a sudden want to get closer to you. Instead of being the college kid/what's-his-face's kid, you're now "THE DOCTOR". It's as if by matriculating you've undergone some super-natural metamorphosis whereby you've become a full human being worthy of their attention. Unfortunately, I'm still the same 20-something I was at last year's bbq or wedding-related thingy, I haven't changed that much, save for the grey hairs, bigger bags under the eyes and $60k of debt.
It was also weird to be back at my high school for the graduation 6 years after my own graduation...ah, nostalgia. I could clearly remember the hours I had spent there for drama productions, awards and the obligatory first Friday masses. Except for a couple coats of paint, the auditorium was exactly the same. It still had the exact same smell of dusty seats mixed with the musk of the resident bus driver that lived behind the stage (gross). At the same time I felt so far removed from the chubby little 14 year old that wandered into that place, and I was reminded of exactly how far I've come since those 4 years at MHS.
When I saw my friends at the wedding, though, it was if we hadn't missed a beat. We keep up as much as we can, there wasn't very much to catch up on...they're basically the same as they were 2 years ago when we graduated. Fortunately, they still treat me the same as always. No medical discussions, no sudden onset of reverence due to school, and thankfully the same amount of ridiculousness that I need to keep me grounded. They remind me of who I really am., which sometimes gets lost in the midst of Med school.
It was weird mix of pride and jealousy watching J-man walk down the aisle with his bride, but I can only wish him and his wife the best. They've both grown greatly since college and I have high expectations for their life together...
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