In the early 19th century, the executioner's gallows were removed from the Northeast corner of London's famous Hyde Park. The public, however, continued to visit Hyde Park--no longer for its gallows, but instead to have a forum for free speech. In 1855, for example, shopkeepers gathered in the Northeast corner of the park to protest the newly passed law which forbade businesses to operate on Sunday. Other public rallies followed, and in 1872 the Northeast corner of Hyde Park was officially designated as a site for public meetings. Since 1872, political enthusiasts, religious missionaries, radical thinkers, drunks, leftists, rightists, and everyone in between is invited to stand on their own "Soap Box" to offer their opinion.

The soap box enthusiasts have included revolutionary thinkers such as Karl Marx, George Bernard Shaw, George Orwel, and even V.I. Lenin. Each speaker is typically given three minutes to develop their theme, someone then shouts "Liar!" and then the fun begins. The soapbox speaker is then subject to the often-outlandish comments of his listeners until someone else spins off their own idea and takes control of the proverbial Box of Soap.

And herein is born Steve's Box of Soap. While many blogs address a very specific topic, this blog is limitless in scope, just as the SoapBoxes of the Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. Steve's Box of Soap will hopefully be funny, insightful, random, goofy, and interesting. Most importantly, Steve's Box of Soap will be insight into what I would be saying if I were standing on a Box of Soap in Hyde Park's Speakers Corner.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Is this my new life?

It is 7:47 pm on Sunday and I am wondering if this is how my new life will be. The rest of the world is enjoying their evening and I am feeling the adrenaline of my sympathetic nervous system pulsing through my veins, causing my pulse to increase, my blood pressure to rise, as I prepare to "fight-or-flight" for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is my first medical school exam.

Perhaps it is that I am nervous because I never took anatomy in college, or perhaps it is all the other brainiacs in my class that intimidate me, or perhaps it is the page-long email from the School of Medicine Dean's office that we received on Friday evening telling us that we are not allowed to bring watches, mp3 players, backpacks, paper, or pencils into the exam on Monday morning and that we should arrive early because the exam will begin promptly at 8 AM.

Hopefully once I get this first test out of the way I'll be able to relax a little bit and know how to prepare next time. The first-game/first-test jitters will hopefully not prevent me from performing well on the exam. That being said, this is medical school, and I think I may have just entered into the fraternity of anxiety, stress, and worry that seems to ail most doctors. After all, this stress and worry is largely due to the pressure to learn the material so that I can tell you what's wrong with your sick baby, why you can't seem to get pregnant, why your sibling/parent/friend has a chronic disease, and so forth... I guess with that in mind, maybe it's a good thing it will be so difficult and challenging? It will be worth it, right?

Although I am somewhat anxious for what lies ahead, I am equally thrilled. This first week of school has been very exciting and lots of fun. Now if I can just get this first exam out of the way.
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5 comments:

  1. melanieAugust 30, 2009 at 11:04 PM

    Dear cousin. I am sending you billions of relaxation rays right now (and I will all week just in case the week gets stressful even after the exam). I'm sure, 100% sure, that you will do AWESOME. You know...they don't just accept anyone into med school. You're SO SMART! You are beyond qualified and you will do great.

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  2. JeniAugust 31, 2009 at 7:20 AM

    Don't be anxious Steve! I am sure you will rock this exam and all of them. And Dave reminded me the other day, "What do you call the person who was last in his class in medical school? A doctor." So, hang in there Steve! You will do great!

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  3. Adrienne33August 31, 2009 at 10:48 PM

    Hey Steve! Yes, I would say your description is pretty accurate! I am feeling that way sitting at work right now, wishing I could be watching "Friends" but instead I am listing the tissues I would puncture if I performed a epidural. Good times! See you tomorrow in class!

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  4. MelissaSeptember 5, 2009 at 8:05 PM

    I hope it went well.

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  5. AshleyNovember 2, 2009 at 6:16 PM

    You are GREAT!

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