A Reunion of the Past

Dear Diary,

I don’t know why… but I feel a little sad today. It is strange because I should almost be in celebratory mood. Besides, two of my ex-students came along and even my former classmate who worked with me during my community / retail preceptorship when I was a year 2 student, came to say hi to me at my dispensary counter! My dry cough persisted for almost a week now… sigh… and it is draining me.

This day started with me sending an email to two of my closer colleagues to break the news of my resignation but they knew about it already. It goes to show how news travels despite my attempt to make it low-key. Then, I am beginning to doubt if I am ever a good preceptor. Sigh… I can’t seem to motivate my student at all. There is this new “emo-ing” phrase among this batch of students and my student seems to be constantly in that mood. Maybe she resented me since I broke the news to her about my resignation. I should know better to consider the impressionable mind of a Year 2 student. Well, no use crying over spilt milk really… I am trying my best to teach her well and to love her as I would with neighbours. Yes… you are so correct… Love thy neighbours! Haha…

Was reading this book “My Life with the Saints” by James Martin, S.J. It is incredible how these saints lived and loved despite being in persecution and being ostracised. I really hope I can live a life pleasing to God in my limited ways. Not by my own strength but by the Spirit. Sometimes, I really wonder if my student hates me… but nonetheless I will do my best for her. She is, after all, my last student. Maybe it was a mistake for me to take a student this batch when my mind is just so far away from pharmacy practice in a patient-care setting?

Then two of my former students came in the evening at about 7.30pm and we all had dinner together. It was really nice seeing them again! We chatted over a meal at McDonald’s and the memories just kept flowing back. Nice listening to their experiences at TTSH too… especially when a couple of my own classmates are still working there. These two former students definitely look a little more matured than before, and I am so glad that they are doing very well in their lives. My one advice to them was to do pre-registration training in the hospitals. They returned back to store with my current student and myself, and continued chatting with us till we left the store together after work.

Incredibly, in the midst of this student reunion thingy, my own classmate who did retail preceptorship with me in 2003, came along! I haven’t seen her in ages! Two years to be precise…. Probably since we graduated from our pre-registration ceremony! Spoke to her a little and my own student recognised her as a teaching assistant in the university. She is now in the middle of her doctorate degree. She looks very different now compared to previously. It only makes me all so conscious of the relentless progress of time. Talking to her made me think about the time when we were students “slogging” at Guardian Pharmacy (Parkway branch). The students, these days, really have a much better life than us then.

I am so guilty of doing things in my own strength, by my decisions and with my own intellect all these while. I really hope I will be able to rely on God more in future. In fact, I thank God that I have landed this new job. If I had been impulsive and made my own decisions, I would have made a wrong choice already. Okay, that’s about all… a little nostalgic but I am reminded that we should always look forward to the future.

God Bless,

Andrew