Written in Arabic by:
Dr. Samah Alajjawi
Glory Batch graduate- Fifth batch- 2017-2023
Translated by: Dr. M.A. Awwad
"We declare you now new doctors in our Homeland"
By those words , our graduation ceremony ended on August 8th, 2023
The End launched a new start. Though ends always mean the end , but in Medicine, There are no ends when we start. I 'll never forget the night of Sept. 17th, 2017 as it was last night, When Medicine chose us heroes for a new adventure written in a book whose first page is decorated with the Quranic verse : "and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind".
We start in the name of Allah
When I first met my new colleagues; I have snapped-shot the faces in mind, I haven't known the names then. The hope was starting to light in my eyes, Will there be images that gather me with those new colleagues? Will there be memories that we are going to share one day?
In these first days I was preparing myself for the hidden battles with all the passion for science and knowledge. Yes, there was that ambiguous dread of the beginnings, the fear of failures and many many question marks, the first of all was ( Am I able to do it? ).
I was repeating this question till I felt bored of it , I think it was not me alone who asked herself or himself this question. But now -my colleagues- after six years of hard work , I am asking you all (Were we able to do it? ) YESSS, we were and we are. We got the title (Doctor of Medicine) after all the nights we stayed awake studying. Books are our witnesses, they will tell how many times our heads hit them when naps overcome us. Our coffee mugs are our witnesses too. letters , lines, pages and our eyes and tongues which read them accompanied us while we say Bye to moon and say Hi to the first lights of the sun with so short rest times.
The few hours of sleep we hear in our dreams the melody of the slogan that medical graduates sing ( We are going to stay here till all pains disappear).
With the early birds ,on our exam days we used to travel to our hospitals and the FM/YU campus holding our papers, white coats, stethoscopes and the prayers and tears of anticipation of our beloved family members and friends. He was right who said: " Medicine is a science that doesn't give you some of it, except when you give it all of you".
Mom , You are my doctor, my first inspirer. I still remember the flower bouquet that you made for me in a night before a hard exam that I was so tense while studying it, You wrote in the card: " Samah , Hug me as tight as you can, the flute lost its voice, the tea lost its taste, and now I am addicted to you my baby as the waiting helpless person addicts coffee, Hug me as if you are my mom".
No words in dictionaries and the meanings in poems could describe those beautiful words. Everything I get was because of you, God bless you. I was unable to do what I've done except with your care and prayers. Every time doubts try to sneak to my mind, you whisper in my ear (No glory comes without hard work, No life gives without pain). So for you Mom, I am wearing our dream , Why don't you wear it with me , so we continue this way together.
My brother, Do you remember how much we repeated that childhood song together (Don't forget your brother, You exchange care together) , how much we played, we cried, we laughed , we left and we reunited. Now we graduated together. Congratulations for me that you are my bro (Malik), Promise me that we'll stay friends even if life put distances between us, One soul in bad and good times.
In this occasion, I won't forget who taught me the ABC's of medicine, My doctors and teachers in Faculty of Medicine-Yarmouk University, One by one. without names , though every name is precious.
Today, I put my stethoscope and wear the dream-graduation robe and graduation cap and chant with my colleagues the Medicine Oath "I swear to God - Allah- that I watch God in my profession and protect the lives of Mankind".
Could be continued .....