September 4th, 2019
What did you like/hate or find easy/hard about writing the narrative?
I found it difficult to write in narrative form, especially when it came to establishing a balance between the description of the event and expository writing – sticking to “show not tell,” basically. The last time I wrote a non-academic paper was when I’d been writing my college essays. My college advisor insisted that we write consistently in narrative form, with our supplement being heavily grounded in one event rather than an overall explanation of our thoughts and feelings; everything had to be expressed indirectly, or artistically. I wasn’t sure what I wanted the reader to gain from reading my first draft, and looking back, it seems kind of disorganized because of this lack of clarity I had.
September 9th, 2019
Peer Review: How did the writing you did for the peer review differ from writing you would do individually? Or for a different audience?
One way my writing for the peer review differed from my normal writing was that I had to elaborate more in order to make sure I explained myself clearly, since my writing will be used as feedback rather than a standalone creative piece. With that in mind, I also made my language a bit more casual (though not too casual—I was very aware of the fact that this would be read and graded by an instructor) so that Yehuda (hopefully) got some clear takeaway from my answers. I made sure to make some direct references to the text so that my feedback wouldn’t be taken as too vague as well as to prove that I took the assignment seriously. Obviously, the writing I did for the peer review is more literal than, say, the writing I did for the narrative assignment.
September 12th, 2019
What shifted in the retelling of your story about why you want to be a doctor?
It was probably a lot more reflective than my original essay (or at least its final paragraph was) because I mentioned both of my medicine-related experiences, but my experience with the human/empathic dimension of medicine wasn’t what ultimately drove me to pursue a career as a doctor. Instead, I made my fascination with science and anatomy the main point of my piece, equating it to art. In my retelling, I kept that element but also showed how it wasn’t the only reason I want to be a doctor—just one of the first few things that got me interested.
October 7th, 2019
F2F or online peer review?
I prefer online peer review because I felt like I had more time to properly explain and express my thoughts on my peer’s work; when you’re face to face, there’s much more of a time pressure and I generally feel more comfortable with writing out my thoughts rather than verbally explaining them. I felt that my feedback for the online peer review was much more thorough and detailed as a result. As for the peer reviews I received, I believe my peers had a similar experience and the online reviews were much clearer in my opinion.
October 17th, 2019
What are some norms/popular narratives you find yourself not aligning with?
Norm I haven’t aligned with – traditional femininity w/i my family
Emphasis on appearance, motherhood, whatnot
Many of the women in my family were housewives, as is typical of Albania and probably even the world at large? Before the last generation (my parents)
Even if my mother does not fit this (she’s a professional) and emphasizes studies
Impact of me not aligning with norm: feeling cultural disconnect (language, food), isolated from parts of my own family (esp more distant relatives) I reason the impact on them is the same
My parents also talk abt my future married life and kids a lot which is weird
Originated from the beginning of agricultural society/non-nomadic civ? Lol
October 24th, 2019
It’s being unable to make the words come out; they’re trapped in a thick sludge. It’s standing wordless by the swing set when a girl skips me on line. Vigorously shaking my head no when my father encourages me to reclaim my place. To stand up for myself.
Now it manifests in different ways. A people pleaser. Trying too hard.
November 21st, 2019
What is one ritual you have?
Napping is my ritual. Most days, I feel so drained from school and the commute home that after I eat, I snuggle under my duvet, an AirPod in and playing white noise so I become drowsy. I make my dad wake me up in an hour because I know I could easily succumb to a deep sleep. Or maybe this just reveals that I DON’T take care of my body as much as I should. Without napping, I don’t think I’d be able to focus as well.
December 5th, 2019
What is a fear that you have in your future as a physician?
I’m worried that I won’t be able to communicate effectively with my patients, kind of like what Williams was talking about in “The Practice.” I could give perfectly sound advice, but it might be ignored. Or I won’t know how to state the advice in a way that would prompt the patient to listen and take me seriously, like in “Whose Body Is it Anyway” where Gawande recounts stories of “good doctors” prompting women to get another biopsy. To a degree, there is a lack of control. You can’t be sure that the patient will follow your advice, so I wonder whether I’ll be able to hone this skill of reading them and expressing myself in the best way as to push them in the direction I think is best. That also scares me. Who’s to say what I think is best is really best for that patient?
