Week One

Lets start with a run down of all the stuff (good and bad) that's happened over this past week...

Parents
My parents and sister drove up from Melbourne for a couple of days, bringing with them a haul of stuff from home. So now, my room actually looks like my room - rather than a cold, sterile hospital ward. Some of the things they brought were useful - like this 22' screen I'm typing on and my Windows 7 Rig. And clothes as well, having more than 5 pairs of "Calven Klain" underwear to last 6 years is a good start. However, they also brought other things that were a little less useful - like a gigantic 25kg box full of oranges. WHAT THE DUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH 25KG OF ORANGES. If I tried eating them all I'll probably die of Vitamin C overdose. Not that drinking ~1L of O Juice every night doesn't make me eligible for a good stomach pumping already... 

An Interesting Lecture
Our first anatomy lecture started off like any other in the Frigid Florey. (The lecture theater has it's thermostat set on -30 to keep students from falling asleep). Everything was normal until the professor STARTED TAKING HIS SHIRT OFF. AND THEN HIS BELT. AND HIS PANTS TOO. =O. I don't know why some girls started covering their eyes and screaming (because of frostbite in the eye?) but I thought the old man had balls. Figurative ones of course. So because it was cold, the professor ended up putting on a lab coat over his boxers and knee high socks. He is now my idol.

Anatomy Lab
On the same day as that awesome lecture (questionable because I'm not sure how much content I still remember), we went down to the basement which appropriately was where all the dead bodies were kept. And so (almost) everybody got a good look and feel of their first dead person. It was quite confronting. Here in front of me was an old man (looked 70ish) who had taken his last breath about a decade ago. Fully nekkid, perfectly preserved (except for the huge slit across his throat) and DEAD. Seriously, half the time I was expecting him to sit up from his guerney and start complaining about the draft down his neck or something. I guess I just couldn't really grapple with the fact that I was literally staring death in the face. It gave me goosebumps. 

-Warning, somewhat graphic descriptions ahead: do not read whilst eating.-

But all that soon passes when you realise how fascinating the human body actually is. Placed around the Lab were prosections (cut off bits) of various organs and structures. There were lobe-y lungs and hearty hearts and kool(?) kidneys. There were also torsos (from groin to neck without arms) that had huge cuts down the middle to expose the intestines and arteries and heart and stomach and lungs and veins and... well "dead body juice"(it's actually embalming fluid) - which tended to pool at the bottom of the cadaver. I accidently stuck my hand in one of these pools whilst looking for a kidney. Not a good feeling. Other body bits including arms and legs with skin peeled back, showing muscles, arteries, veins, nerves and bone. 
 

- End warning - 

All in all, it's one of those things that have to be experienced to actually know what I'm talking about. Despite the initially ewwness of touching real organs and limbs I learnt a load about anatomy. And as it turned out, it was also awesome fun.



Steth Pack 
I finally got my stethoscope and sphygmomanometer pack the other day, which I ordered off the internet. And it is really, really orange. Really orange. Dare I say it, TOO orange. (Sorry EJ)

Cecil
My order for Cecil's came in (refer to previous post). My arms broke as soon as I looked at it.

Stupid Public Transport System Made Me Late For My Lecture, Curses.
Well I think that subheading is pretty self-explanatory. Moral of the story: don't turn up to a bus stop with a $50 note and a $2 coin. Bus drivers don't like yellow. 

Free condoms!
For the finale of a surprisingly boring but useful lecture on sexual health (i.e. STDs, contraception and the like) the lecturer started throwing condoms and lubricant at the crowd. I was worried that there would be a crush of guys and girls trying to get their hands on some free rubbers but nay! My fears were unassailed - people tried to get as far away from them as possible. In the end, the floor of the Frigid Florey was littered with frozen condoms - no doubt the next group of students to use the lecture theater will shake their heads in wonder and think; "Damn, I wish I were a MedKid."

Memorial Service
This annual pseudo-funeral is organised for family and friends of people who donated their bodies for scientific purposes, such as those in the Anatomy Lab. The whole event was touching and made me realise how easy it is to forget that the cadavers in the basement are in fact humans - here are their loved ones, crying and grieving for them.


And it was only just that night that I was told one of my old teachers had lost his battle with cancer. It came as a shock and still is a shock. I think I'm beginning to realise how naive, and small my little world is. 

May we never forget your laughing face and questionable teaching methods, you are one of the most awesome people I know.
R.I.P, Mr C.