My First Step in the Thousand Miles Journey

In the medical profession that emphasizes on evidence-based studies, I know that the only way forward inside this field is through journalistic articles. They say that a thousand miles journey starts with a single step. The article above is to remind me that this is my first step: my first article published in a non-medical student journal, or to look it in another way, my first article in an international doctor's journal: the International Journal of Public Health Research (http://www.ijphr.ukm.my/Manuscript/vol 3 no 1 2013_30.pdf).

The Story of Autism: Part II

I am currently in Family Medicine posting where we are taught to emphasize on the psychosocial aspects of medicine. It means looking at a patient beyond the disease itself, treating humans and not just the disease. One of the important aspects to consider in psychosocial is finance. It reminds me of my previous post ‘The Story of Autism’. A few days ago, I have been introduced to an autism consultancy firm, simply called ‘Autism Consultancy’. The founder, Ms Charlene Samuel happens to read my post about autism and we came in contact through email. She informed me that autism is considered a ‘rich man’s disease’ not because the disease preselect among the rich like diabetes or hypertension, but because only the rich could afford the expensive fees charged for autism therapy.

I was saddened to know that most children go untreated once diagnosed simply because treatment is just too expensive. Although there are national centres for autism, sometimes there are just too many admissions in a year that they had to select the ones who really could not afford treatment. However, those who deemed that they could afford private therapy, doesn’t mean that they are rich. Can you imagine, the best centres in Malaysia can charge anything from RM 6,000 to RM10, 000 a month? As I have stated in ‘The Story of Autism’, these kids deserve to lead a normal life and early intervention is the most crucial part. Hence, Ms Charlene told me that her firm is targeting families that are not able to afford the expensive therapy fees that most centres demand. They strive to keep costs that an average Malaysian family can afford without compromising the quality of therapy, training and programming.

An interesting thing about the firm is that it empowers parents to teach and nurture their child, so that they would not be fully dependent on the therapists to teach and communicate with their child. I am just sharing this information for those who has a child with autism and looking for an affordable private autism consultancy firm, because I do believe that every child deserves to live a normal life and hence for those affected with autism, therapy should be accessible no matter what their financial background is. For more information, you can visit www.projecthope4autism.com, or you can even directly contact her at +012 2852007, or through email at charlenemariesa@gmail.com.

Autism Consultancy official website

How I Fell in Love with My Passion: International Health

I guess every medical student has an idea of what kind of doctor they want to be. Common early ambitions include being a neurologist, a heart surgeon, pediatrician and all other high paying specialties. The type of doctor I want to be was different from others, shaped early on in medical school. It was inspired by a speech, precipitated by a chain of events and consolidated by fateful acquaintances.

The speech that changed the trajectory of my life was the one given by the president of World Bank, though he was not yet the President back then. His name was Jim Yong Kim. The event at that time was the 2009 Harvard Model United Nations. I was a first year medical student. Sitting at the back, I usually fall asleep during speeches or lectures, but somehow I stayed awake during his speech. Mr Jim Yong Kim opened my eyes, literally and metaphorically. It was amazing that after his speech, I never look at medicine the same way again. I begin to look at medicine beyond the four walls of the hospital. Ever since then, the hospital is no longer my world, for the world became my hospital. There at Harvard Model United Nations, I was selected to be the Indonesian representative (though I am a Malaysian) to the World Health Organization (WHO) committee. I had to learn all about the Indonesian healthcare system and all its policies. That's how my interest caught up in healthcare policies and healthcare economics.

Jim Yong Kim's speech during the opening ceremony of HNMUN 2009. This is where it all started

Ever since that event in Harvard University, I believe I have found my life's true calling. I have always been interested in politics, international relations, economics and sociology. But one thing for sure is that I do love medicine most, and knowing that there is a branch of medicine that deals with how politics, economics and socio-demography affects health and diseases, I believe I have found a place where I belong. Some call it international health, some call it global health, and some call it public health. It doesn’t matter because at the heart of it all is the notion that medicine is not confined into the four walls of the hospital. 

Me giving my very first address to the international world. I swear I was trembling at that time! I still do now once in awhile, but learned how not to let it show

My stint with international relations continued even after I came back from Boston to Indonesia, where I continue to study for 3 years. I begin to give lecture and train fellow Indonesians on how to give a good speech in Model United Nations. It was so much fun training people to do the things that you love. At those kinds of moments, you feel so purposeful. You feel like you can do it for free anytime, and the fact that I was being paid for it makes it ever more meaningful.

Training students in Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB)

Then after 3 years studying in Indonesia, it was time for me to get back to Malaysia. At first, I was afraid that I would lose touch. They say that in Malaysia I will be really busy with clinical work and would not have time to join a single international conference. I wanted to prove them wrong. Equipped with the skills I've learned in Model United Nations, I became more confident to run for the post of Vice President for the Malaysian MMA Medical Students Society (SMMAMS). I won the post less than a month after coming back to Malaysia. The very next year, I became the President. It was during these 2 years of being involved in SMMAMS that I was introduced to the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA), thanks to my previous President, Mr Justin Lee who gave me the opportunity to present and register Malaysia under the federation at the General Assembly which was in Jakarta at the time. We were voted and accepted into the federation as a candidate member.

Lobbying for Malaysia to be part of IFMSA

IFMSA is much different than Model United Nations simply because there is more action. If previously I was trained to talk, in IFMSA I am trained to walk my talk. It offers so many training workshops, projects and campaigns that it seemed nothing in this world that these group of medical students from around the world cannot do. We are the largest student organization in the world, and our voices are heard by the World Health Organization and the United Nations. I am glad that me and my friend who was with me in Jakarta at that time, Mr Vincent Khor, successfully brought in IFMSA into Malaysia. We would like to self-claim ourselves as the founders of IFMSA in Malaysia, if we could ;P

Just one year through our membership, Vincent gave me a call and told me how he was so much keen to take the challenge and make Malaysia the host for the next IFMSA Asia Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM). I thought it was a brilliant idea and gave it a nod. Time flies really fast, and it happened last week. It was a big success. It is so much fulfilling to see that near the end of my ‘career’ as a medical student, I manage to see IFMSA brought literally into Malaysia. It is true that one of the best pleasures in this world is to be in the creation of something, see it flourish and then walk away and smile at it. In another half a year, I will be having my final professional exam. If I pass, I am no longer a medical student and will become a full fledged doctor. There is a mixed feeling about it. While I am glad that I will finally become the person I want to be all my life, I am afraid that I will never again live this life full of adventure. I might later settle down, have a family and all those things that people around my age do. Somehow I feel I am not ready for it. I feel like there is a lot of traveling to do. Many more international events to attend as a student. So many more great people to meet. Yes, the people are the best part. Along this journey I have met a lot of amazing people with similar passion, one person at a time, bit by bit, made me who I am today.

More than 18 countries participated in our APRM

My sheer love for international health has taken me to more than 10 countries in less than 5 years. My last chance would be the next IFMSA General Assembly in the United States. Should I go? Well, this journey started when I attended Harvard Model United Nations in the USA, what better choice would it be to end it all at where it all began, and complete my traveling line into a circle, where from there, I can start all over again, as a doctor. Hence Washington March Meeting  2013, here I come! 

First ever IFMSA Global Health Debate during APRM 2012. Won the best speaker award for this

My Japan Experience Part I: Niigata University

Sunset in Niigata

It all started during one of our Special Study Module (SSM) meetings. Our supervisor, Associate Prof Shamsul Azhar has been doing his pHD research in Niigata University, Japan for almost 4 years. In that meeting, where our research almost came out to a conclusion, he said that he would like to treat all of us sushi once we're done. I knew he frequently goes to Niigata back and forth several times a year, and it was a casual remark when I said to him 'well, you should take us to Japan instead and treat us the sushi there!'. I was joking of course, but then he said 'Yeah why not? I will be going to Niigata again next June'. Since that time was still SSM week and class hasn't started yet, he thought it would be a good time. Ever since then, the idea of going to Japan keeps lingering in my mind. I have always wanted to go to Japan. It is the land of my childhood dreams!

Perhaps my other group members didn't gave it much thought, but I went back home and looked for the flight ticket price to Japan. I was elated to discover that it was quite cheap! I quickly SMSed all my group members about the ticket price. However, after a few days many of them had constraints and none of them could go. I was with my friend, Hannan in Mumbai and through our experience there, we realize that we make great traveling partners. I finally had him convinced to join this trip to Japan, and at last, we went to the Japan Embassy at Jalan Stonor, Kuala Lumpur to apply for a Visa to Japan. Prof Shamsul was very happy that finally there will be undergraduate student visit to Niigata. Although my intention of going there is just for sightseeing, he suggested that we make it a formal visit, because before this, Niigata University has been sending postgraduate students to UKM for formal visits, and now would be a good time for us to return favor. 

He contacted the doctors at Niigata University, and they were glad as well that after more than 5 years of MOU between UKM and Niigata, the undergraduate students are finally getting involved. They were happy that in return, they would like to send the undergraduate students from Niigata to UKM in October. That was great news. The Japanese students will receive us in Niigata, and as a return we will receive them in UKM in October. Finally, we decide to make this an exhange student program, and this would be the first time ever for both the medical faculty of UKM and Niigata University. We went to Japan on separate flight from Prof Shamsul. We took Airasia and he took Malaysian Airlines. We landed in Haneda Airport and he landed in Narita Airport. Our flight arrived late at night so we had to stay the night at the airport, at the waiting area:

Sleeping like a spoon at Haneda Airport

We meet up with Prof Shamsul at the Tokyo Ueno station. Then, we head up straight to Niigata by the well known Japanese bullet train, or Shinkansen. There was a particularly memorable scene while we were waiting for the bullet train to be ready. From outside, we saw the workers cleaning and adjusting back the seats hastily. Being Japanese, they were very fast and efficient indeed. After all of them were done, suddenly we saw them lining up in front of the train. There must be around 15-20 of them lining up, facing the passengers. Suddenly, all at the same time, they start to bow together to the passengers and then dismiss, going to each of the train doors to greet the passengers in! How adorable, we don’t see cleaners do that often in other countries, do we?

While waiting for the bullet train. Notice the time of arrival on the board to the right: 12.08, 12.24. In other countries it would have just been 12.10 and 12.25.

Our first day in Niigata was received first by the Malaysian students studying there. The majority of them were engineering students. They had a car, so they first took us sightseeing around Niigata. It was evening and they thought that it would be nice to see the sun set from a high point to they took us to Nikko Hotel, where there is a cafe at the top level. We could view the whole of Niigata from there, and the view was absolutely amazing! So we sat there for about an hour, just waiting for the sunset and taking pictures

That night they took us to a sushi restaurant. We are a big fan of sushi back in Malaysia, and we were elated enough to know that we finally get to taste the original sushi from Japan. We heard from those who went to Japan before that the sushi is Malaysia tastes different from the original ones in Japan. I could not agree more. It definitely tasted different we loved it! I ate 7 to 8 plates of sushi that night, and was very satisfied. We also had the chance to talk to the Malaysian students studying there, discover how their life were living there in Japan, and what were they planning after finishing their study. Some would like to work in Japan,  but most of them can’t wait to come back to Malaysia after 4 years here in Japan. Well, I guess no matter how wonderful the place you are in, you will eventually miss the place where you're from.

I was so much into appreciating the taste of original sushi I just had to close my eyes

The next day was the first day of our exchange program. On our arrival to the medical faculty, we were greeted by Associate Professor Yugo Shobugawa, who would help us in just about anything during our stay in Niigata. Since this visit is under the Public Health Department, we started off the official event with slide presentations from the Public Health pHD students in Niigata University. We listened to their presentations and I was surprised that some of the researches done by the pHD students are similar to the one that my SSM team was doing, using the Graphic Informational System (GIS). At first, I did not intend to present our SSM research to them, but since I realize that our research was similar to theirs, it gave me confidence to go on ahead. I downloaded the slides from the internet, and presented our SSM research titled 'Tuberculosis Clustering and its Associated Factors in Cheras, KL'. They found it very interesting firstly because they never thought undergraduate students could already use the GIS system (the system were never thought in undergraduate curriculum), and secondly because tuberculosis is very rare in Japan, hence they were very keen to know about it.

Presenting our SSM research to Associate Professor Yugo and the pHD students of Niigata University

Although the program was under the Public Health Department, we also get to join the ward rounds for other departments. Hence we joined a Paediatrics ward round. The ward round was headed by Professor Akihiko Saito. Since he did his master in San Diego, United States for a few years, his English was very much fluent as compared to other doctors, making it very easy for us to learn from the ward round since all the students presented in Japanese. Professor Akihiko helped to translate each of the cases for us. Very kind and helpful of him. We realized that the ward rounds were very much similar to the ones back in UKM, with the students reading the cases from carefully written notes, the students being very silent when the Professor asks questions, and some of them even shy away. Oh Asian medical students, perhaps we are the same ;p

After the Paediatrics ward round

Each evening, after the events at the hospital is over, we would walk back to our hotel about 2 kilometers away. It was a leisurely walk since the weather is very nice, and we would always be accompanied by small children coming back from school. These were the little children wearing bags like exactly like the ones we see in Japanese cartoons like Doraemon or Shin Chan. I am surprised that there were no school buses here. Every children either walks to school or used the public transport. It is amazing how independent they are and how safe the social environment is for children as small as them them to walk home alone.

Walking home with the kids. Look at their cute little backpacks!

One of the nights, the Japanese students took us out for dinner at a halal indian cuisine restaurant near our hotel. They are the students that would be coming to UKM in October. The food was great, though of course not as good as the original ones we had back in Mumbai 2 months ago, but the more important thing is that we get to teach each other our own languages. The dinner was mostly filled with language exchanges, where we ask what certain words are in Japanese, and they ask us what certain words are in Malay. It was hilarious when we taught them to count from 1 to 10 in Malay. I had it recorded on a video, which you can view:

We also had the chance to join the pre-clinical students in their tutorials. They used a unique method for discussion, called the KJ method, named after a prominent Japanese initials who created that method. The method makes the discussions much more alive and interesting, where every student has to be active, play their part, and think together to come out to a group conclusion. I think it is the essence of group-thinking, something the Japanese were well known to have, as opposed to the individual-thinking which characterizes the west. Since all their discussions were in Japanese, we could not understand a thing, but the doctors there were kind enough to translate for us, and we contributed what we can to the discussion.

They were asking if I can read Japanese. I don't!

We also had the chance to join their lectures. As expected, the lectures are in Japanese. I even fall asleep during lectures in language that I understand, how do you expect me to stay awake in a lecture that I don’t? Oh well, I even saw some of the students dozing off, so I think it was not much of a big sin to join them sleeping.  I also realized that they have really big blackboards in front, and I could not believe that they still use blackboards and chalks. 

This is the moment before I doze off

As the amazing experiences were happening, we did not realize the time had passed by so fast. We had a heavy heart on our last day in Niigata. We could not believe we would be leaving soon. For us, our time here was too short when there is so much more to experience. However, we do feel that the experience we had, although little was extremely valuable and memorable. Before we went back, Professor Yugo was kind enough to bring us to a park next to the Big Swan Stadium that was once the host for World Cup matches when it was held in Japan in 2002. We had sushi in the park, and it was a very tranquil experience. Just the nice experience for a lasting last impression of Niigata. Niigata seems to be very cozy and quiet place, a perfect place to study medicine. It is one of the best places to study Public Health too, my passion. Perhaps one day I will come again as a student. Until then, sayonara :)

Sushi in the garden with Professor Yugo

Tun Dr Mahathir Used To Be My Imaginary Grandfather

Most Malaysians of my generation would remember Tun Dr Mahathir throughout their childhood as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. But things are a little bit different for me. Thanks to my elder sister, I remember Tun Dr Mahathir throughout my childhood as my grandfather, or Tok Ayah. I could not understand her motive, but whenever Tun Mahathir came up on TV or the newspaper, she would say to me ''Opie, tengok ni, Tok Ayah masuk TV!''. As a child 4 or 5 years of age, of course I would believe in anything she said. So I believe that I have 3 Tok Ayahs. One is Tok Ayah kampung who lives in Batu Pahat, another one is Tok Ayah PJ who lives in Petaling Jaya, and the last one is Tok Ayah the Prime Minister. My delusion that the Prime Minister is actually my grandfather was so strong that one day me and my family went to a 'Disney on Ice' show premiere in Kuala Lumpur. Tun Mahathir was there with Tun Siti Hasmah. At the end of the show we had a chance to shake his hands, and I went to him and said 'Hi Tok Ayah!'. I could not remember the expression on his face at that time but it must have been a surprised one.

The delusion weans off as I grew older, I no longer look up as him as my grandfather, but I still look up at him as my inspiration. I could not believe that after 20 years, I get to speak to him again at an event held by my University. Tun Mahathir is a much older man now. Even early in his speech he seems to fumble with words, forgetting some of the things he wanted to say, but as his speech goes on, he speaks as well as he spoke 20 years ago. I fully took this chance to ask him a question, in an effort have a form of conversation with him. I asked a friend to record the video, and I shall put it here to preserve the memory:

Both ardent fans of him and his political enemies seems to agree that he has done a lot for the country. I was inspired by what he said in his speech, that he does everything for the love of the nation, he could not bare people looking down on his nation, and he feels humiliated that during his time the country were always under the rule of another. His love for the nation is above everything else. I have read a few of his autobiographies, the most prominent of course being his own memoir 'A Doctor in the House'. I was inspired when he said that his training as a medical doctor contributes much to his way of thinking when he solves problems as a Prime Minister. He admits that doctors has a systematic approach to solving problems, and that approach can be used not only to treat patients but to treat political, economic and social problems. At the age of 87, it is amazing that he can still be active writing, giving speeches and attending events. I am sure that when he looks back to his past life, he can be proud that he has changed the lives of many for the better. That is the life I want to live. To serve, to change people's lives, to be remembered, to leave a legend. I know it will be hard, but we have only 2 choices: either to tip-toe through life, avoiding getting bruised and die without a trace, or we can live a life full of ups and downs, filled with challenges...and be remembered long after we are dead and gone.Tun Dr Mahathir lived a legendary life, and I will always remember him as THE Prime Minister, and my imaginary childhood grandfather :)

Me and Tun Dr Mahathir after book signing

13 Things I've Learned

I would like to share the things I have learned throughout this busy year of mine, having survived a whole year without failing in any of my exam papers while juggling responsibilities of both a national and college level Presidency at the same time:

1. Most of the solutions to my problems didn't come when I think hard but when I take time to relax or do prayers
2. Real peace of mind is not about hanging out by the beach, by the river or somewhere completely silent. It is about being in the middle of the hustle bustle of daily life and still feel peaceful inside. How? Work on feeling close to the Almighty. I have a ringing in my head 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How am I supposed to feel peaceful if I keep waiting for silence?
3. We can adapt to almost anything if we expose ourselves to the challenge or unfamiliar situation long enough. Say...2 to 3 weeks.
4. Most of the bad things we worry would happen won't actually happen anyway
5. Time is relative. Wake up early in the morning and the afternoon comes very slowly. Wake up near the afternoon and the day will end so fast!
6. Doing things early in the morning is thrice as productive in terms of creativity and quality as compared to doing things after noon. Do your most daunting tasks early in the morning and reserve the less challenging ones for past noon.
7. There is always time. When there is none, you can always stay up all night
8. Everybody has a different definition of success. Even if you seem like the most successful person in the universe, other people will always reason that they are better than you in one way or another. So celebrate this malleability, stop being so uptight and let loose!
9. Never let success get too much in your head, but never let failure get too much in your heart too.
10. Not everybody thinks like you, if you don't understand their ideas, try to understand their way of thinking.
11. If your are obsessed with the bigger picture, work with someone obsessed with details. If you are obsessed with details, work with someone obsessed with the bigger picture
12. Preparations and deliberate practice do wonders
13. Missing a train only hurts if you run after it. If you know you are going to miss the current train, sit back, relax and wait for the next one which offers more seats and comfort. Same thing goes with daily life. Resist chasing things that naturally slips away from you. Learn to let go. Relax, sit back and have a good cup of coffee. I never have a daily schedule. I prefer a 'to-do' list. I work on the list at any time of the day I feel like I want to. By refusing to run to keep on schedule, I developed a sense of control over my time. I stand above the rat race instead of outside it. Well, it is difficult to lose a race you set up yourself, isn't it? 

The Last Speech

I could not believe it has been a full one year term since I swore in as the President of the MMA Medical Students Society. Last weekend was finally the time for me to step down. It has been a term full of learning experiences, but I will write all about it later. Much has also been achieved, but I am not going to write it down either. Because listening is easier than reading, so...listen ;) 

Final speech as SMMAMS President:

Opening speech for the 4th Malaysian International Medical Students Conference (MIMSC 2012):

My New Endeavour in Cambodia

Most of my bizarre ideas are like the finest of coffees. Both of them are brewed in cafes, and before that final process, it takes a lot of time to cultivate, process, grinded, tamped upon and put under pressure. As I was having my usual morning caffeine kick at a small sidewalk café in India, a flash of idea brewed upon me. It started by asking myself ‘how did I get here?’ followed by ‘what does this journey, that I have trotted so far for, means to me?’ The journey I thought of was not of my trip to get there in India. No, not that. I was thinking about the journey of my life, is this all to it?

I was in Mumbai for an International Workshop on Healthcare and Medical Education, so days before I had to listen to hours and hours of lecture on the Indian healthcare system by one of India’s prominent public health specialist. She explained about all the good side and also the lacunas in the country’s healthcare system. I have always been interested in the healthcare system everywhere I go to (I ended up learning more about the National Health Service, NHS in the UK when I am supposed to learn ENT there). Then we went to the slums area. The situation there is beyond words, the people were poor, living in small, dark spaces, some of them downright unhygienic. The words of the public health specialist kept resounding in my head: ‘’we are good on policies but rarely on implementation’’. Then I remembered these words from the Holy Quran:

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do. Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall (Quran, Ash Shaff [61]: 2-4)

I began to think about myself. Traveling the world, seeing new places, experiencing bizarre things, winning awards and speaking in public might seem fulfilling to me. But is that all to it? I can write pages and pages and speak for hours and hours on suggestions of policies that could improve the health care of those who are most deprived of, but is writing and talking all that I can do? What can I do to walk all my talk?

I have been thinking about that a lot lately.

A few months ago, a Muslim Cambodian was invited to our house to give an overview of the situation of the Muslim community there in Cambodia. The situation there is that while many missionaries from Malaysia were there to build schools, provide shelter and food, they still lack health care services. It felt like a calling to me to see what I can do. My father sparked the idea of building a charitable hospital there. However, he has his own new endeavour of setting up a medical school that he has less time to work on that idea. It came to me that maybe I can take over the project. That idea was cultivated, processed, grinded, tamped upon and put under pressure in my mind until the time in that café in Mumbai where I have decided that with guidance from the words of the Almighthy as stated in Ash Shaff [61]: 2-4, I will start this new endeavour. Health care is my specialty, I have the knowledge, and this is the time for me to put it to good use, ‘to fight in Allah’s way in ranks as if I am a firm and compact wall’. I am going to start saving the world by helping the most destitute people. I am going to start with Cambodia. This weekend, I will be going to Cambodia with my parents to visit the community there, assess the situation and start planning something. This is going to be a long endeavour. It might take months or years to see results, but I will strive to be persistent in this.

I might be young, I might be naïve, I might not have a clue of what lies ahead. But mainly what makes a weakness might also makes a strength, as how a strong sword can also be tempered into a strong shield. By not knowing what lies ahead, it keeps me going on to discover and keep challenging myself and asking ‘’what happens next?’’. For now, what happens next is that I am going to Cambodia, keep on writing and speaking about the situation there to raise funds, and set up something that could sustain the efforts physically and financially. Obviously, I cannot do this alone. I will need help from other people: friends, family and colleagues. It might not seem clear yet what sort of organization or foundation I am going to form, but I sure will know when I get back from Cambodia this weekend. Pray that Allah be with me. 

 

The Mumbai Experience

I go wherever life takes me. Today, life takes me to India. As I am writing this, I can hear the continuous sounds of blaring horns from cars, taxis and autos alike. The sun shines on the dusty streets of Mumbai as I look outside my window. People are walking around doing their daily business. Some work, some beg, some lay idle on the streets. Mumbai is known as the financial capital of India, and the booming economy of the area is evidenced by massive constructions going on. There are the rich, the poor, and very little in between. I get to experience both the bright and dark side of Mumbai. From the highest point of a lounge of a 5-star hotel, to the shoddy, dark and cramped slums of Mumbai.

Some work, some beg, some lay idle on the streets, some do all of those

The city is complemented by its people whose personality is as dynamic as the city itself. Along my stay for the International Interactive Workshop (IIW) at the Four Season’s Hotel, I have met so many locals, most of them fellow medical students who were very hospitable towards us. There were four Malaysians in the workshop, and before me and my friend Hannan went here, we had no idea that the other 2 Malaysians, Jasmine and Manissa were coming. We met during the opening ceremony, and since then four of us would go around Mumbai together with guidance from the Indian IFMSA President, Pratap Naidu, who happens to be a Malaysian citizen studying in India.

From left: Me, Hannan, Pratap, Jasmine, Manissa

He recommended the prominent places in Mumbai, such as the residence of the Bollywood star Amitabh Bachan and Shah Rukh Khan, the prime area of Bandstand Beach, Linkin Road shopping area, the Gateway of India and the Taj Hotel. The colonial era feeling was apparent as we walk around the Gateway of India and The Taj Hotel, where the gateway was built to commemorate the arrival of King Henry V to India during colonial times. We had dinner at Leopold café, a very old café that existed since colonial times. The foods here are might look similar to the Indian food we have in Malaysia, but many are wrong if they thought the taste is the same. The unique taste of the original Indian food could not be replicated anywhere else, and I have fallen in love with the foods here.

Having Indian food at Leopold Cafe

This is NOT London. In front of The Taj Hotel

The Gateway of India

The next day we went into the slums of Mumbai. The slum visit was one of the most eye-opening experiences throughout my stay in India. I am sure many have seen the Oscar-winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionare’, and many might have thought the movie might have exaggerated a bit on the part where they portray the slums. But they did not. The slums were just as it was seen in the movie, small, dark rooms, cramped, shoddy and dirty. This is where the poor live, and I have so much sympathy for them. But what surprises me from our interaction (via a translator) is that they are quite happy with the way they live. Some did not even want to move out of the slums even if they have been given the resources to. I have also been told that the child actors in the movie Slumdog Millionaire were actual child from the slums and their parents refuse the royalty payments from the movie because they want their children to stay in the slums.

She is quite happy with her life

The children living in the slums

At night most of the workshop delegates and us went to the Aer Lounge at the roof of the Four Seasons Hotel. The view was amazing beyond words. I have always loved city lights and the view from up here serves the perfect place to chill out from days of conference workshops. Of course, the drinks to choose from were very limited, I would love to have coffee up here but the closest they have was a mixture of chocolate, hazelnut syrup and coconut. It seems like a weird combination, but it tasted amazing. We really had a good time that night, playing ‘Truth or Dare’, taking pictures and just talking, getting to know more about each other. It was a magnificent night.

At the roofs of the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai

The workshop itself was great in terms of content. I have always been interested in health policies and global health, and the workshop serves a great medium of understanding for me. I presented about the current Malaysian Healthcare but stopped short at 1 Care since there are still so many vagueness in the policy. I won the 'Best International Speaker' award for my presentation. Public speaking and presenting has always been my passion, and this serves as a motivation for me to live a life of traveling, writing (research and publications) and presenting.

Award Certificate

Before the presentation

Today is my last day in Mumbai, and our next stop is Bangalore. I choose to visit Bangalore because I have so many of my friends there, and it is actually the place where I was offered to study medicine at before I decided to switch to Indonesia-UKM Twinning Program. I tried to imagine my life if I chose India. How different my life would be?