An Imperfect Offering

Physicians for Human Rights is finally starting to establish itself here on campus. So far this year we've had journal club meetings, a documentary showing and a World AIDS Day quasi-event. While I got into the group mainly due to my interest in global health I'm slowly getting drawn into the more activist side of things. It's a little rough sometimes...I'm not one to force ideas on people or even argue all that much and I'm not wild about petition signing (except for the 10,000 in 10 days campaign for women's rights) but I'm getting there. And it's a way to stand up and rant again and fight for something. Perhaps it's even an outlet for the lack of drama in my personal life...which is a completely wonderful thing...it just could use the occassional shot of chaos. Gossip Girl helps with that too (especially with it's Thanksgiving episode) but it's not always the most fulfilling endeavor. I can't wait to go to Kenya for 2 months in early 2011 for the OB/GYN elective...it just seems so far away...

Before running away to China for the summer, Andrei gave me three books..."Becoming a Doctor" (a biographical book by an anthropologist who went back to med school), "The Knot Book of Wedding Lists" (pretty self explanatory), and "An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the Twenty-First Century" (by Dr. James Orbinski, a former president of Doctors Without Borders, who has done some crazy stuff in his time like working in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994). Guess which one captivated me? I may not be destined for war zones, but it's hard not to respond to the book. While his eye witness account contains some of the most horrifying stories I've ever heard (how can people just start slaughtering their neighbors?), his intelligent, compassionate response is ultimately hopeful. He's a realistic optimist! We decided to show the companion documentary, "Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma", for a PHR event (with Noodles!). The book and the documentary cover similar territory and Dr. Orbinski is shown trying to write the book in the documentary as he revisits Rwanda and Somalia. Intense. But I held it together. What finally made me lose it was watching "Hotel Rwanda". After studying the genocide but thinking about it as something that happened 15 years ago, watching a movie that put you right there was just too much. I was sobbing uncontrollably the majority of the time...between all the little kids with cancer and being confronted with the fact of genocide, the pain and senselessness in the world seemed overwhelming. And now I can say something about how Thanksgiving with my wonderful family restored my faith in humanity...but that doesn't really solve anything.