Now I truly feel like I'm living here...

To truly feel like you live somewhere is when you're working there. So, yesterday I was a tourist but today, I was truly a resident or what you call 'Bermastautin'. I have to say that the people here are very helpful and very generous with their effort and their time.

I am very fortunate Alhamdulillah to work in a fairly new Medical faculty. The people are enthusiastic and we have recently been relocated to our new high-tech Medical campus with a brand-new outpatients department next door. It is all new and exciting. On my first day, we have paper-work to sort out as usual and I was then taken around various sites to familiarise myself with the place and people.

I am so glad that I started work half way through the week. That means I have a gentle 2-day introduction to everything. There's so much information to absorb including all the different clinics to attend in various different locations but Alhamdulillah I'm glad that I'm quick at learning routes and of course thanks to googlemaps and the kindness of others to show me around.

Then, there's so much reading to do. I need to familiarize myself with KKM guidelines rather than DOH guidelines. Unlike law, Medicine is fairly standardise all over the world but there's always some subtle differences. I mean my colleague was giving a tutorial to students on 'sore throat' and although I've managed 100s possible 1000s of sore throats but teaching is slightly different from routine practical general practice. Teaching requires a lot of knowledge based facts whereas practical management requires more weighing up facts and making the best judgements. So, I had a lot to think about and personal reading to do. Besides, in the UK we are taught to broaden our thinking and exercise more lateral thinking but the focus is not so much on in-depth knowledge. However, I am no longer just a clinician but I am also an academician. So, this requires in-depth and lateral thinking...sort out what we call 'enlightened thinking'; to know things in detail but to make judgements based on the comprehensive study of reality, possibly not just on that subject but to be able to link it to other matters...like the patient's lifestyle, environment, work, family, home, school etc...

Then, I had an hour long session on computer training. The great thing about Msians is that they are very helpful. They really take time to sit down and teach you things and to make sure that you are comfortable with the system. After that session, I really felt like I knew the computer system inside out although I'm sure I'd still suffer from teething problems.

So, I spent the rest of the afternoon downloading and reading guidelines.

From where I started a few months ago, I never thought I would end up here and I am so grateful to Allah swt for His Mercy and Guidance. There were times when things got very hard, there were times I felt like giving up and going back to my comfort zone but it is always darkest before the dawn and after all that I went through, I truly believe that the weapon of the believer is patience and perseverence.

Allah swt says in Surah Baqarah:45 "And seek help in patience and salaah and truly it is extremely heavy (hard) except for the Khashiun (the true believers)."

May He make us one of the Khashiun.