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personal strengths
17 Jan 2012 05:55 pmI've had four days of orientation now; for the last three days we get to shadow the intern currently doing the job we're about to step into, which is great. Mine is going to hate me by the end, I plan to ask seven billion questions.
Coming to the hospital as an out-of-state grad, I was a bit worried about the fact that maybe 80% of the interns are from the one graduating class at ANU med school, but it's been pretty good -- I recognised a couple of people from my undergrad bio courses, and they introduced me to other people, and I've been barging around introducing myself willy-nilly to anyone who will stand still and look friendly for long enough. I didn't think much about it until today one of the guys I've been sitting with a lot said, "I've noticed you're really confident."
Me: Thank you, I suppose? In what way do you mean?
Him: Oh, on the first day when there was a whole bunch of us guys standing around the coffee machine, you just walked up and started talking, it was cool. I think it's pretty unusual.
I'm not so disingenuous (and I know far too much about social anxiety) to wonder at the unusualness of something that I don't think about much, so I'll just say: I'm grateful. I'm grateful that my automatic cognitions run along the lines of 'most people are fairly decent and welcoming', and so the prospect of not knowing anyone in a large group is only mildly daunting. I'm grateful that so far everyone HAS been both decent and welcoming, and I've made a pack of friends already. But nobody's ever singled me out and commented on it, so it gave me a strange moment or so of self-reflection.
Also today: I won a $200 Sunglass Hut voucher in a lucky draw! I was very excited.
Me: $200, wow, that's so much!
Me, after viewing the Sunglass Hut website: Oh. I see. That will buy me HALF a pair of sunglasses.
Seriously, since when is $450 a normal amount of money for sunnies, and WHY ARE THE BURBERRY ONES SO PRETTY.
Coming to the hospital as an out-of-state grad, I was a bit worried about the fact that maybe 80% of the interns are from the one graduating class at ANU med school, but it's been pretty good -- I recognised a couple of people from my undergrad bio courses, and they introduced me to other people, and I've been barging around introducing myself willy-nilly to anyone who will stand still and look friendly for long enough. I didn't think much about it until today one of the guys I've been sitting with a lot said, "I've noticed you're really confident."
Me: Thank you, I suppose? In what way do you mean?
Him: Oh, on the first day when there was a whole bunch of us guys standing around the coffee machine, you just walked up and started talking, it was cool. I think it's pretty unusual.
I'm not so disingenuous (and I know far too much about social anxiety) to wonder at the unusualness of something that I don't think about much, so I'll just say: I'm grateful. I'm grateful that my automatic cognitions run along the lines of 'most people are fairly decent and welcoming', and so the prospect of not knowing anyone in a large group is only mildly daunting. I'm grateful that so far everyone HAS been both decent and welcoming, and I've made a pack of friends already. But nobody's ever singled me out and commented on it, so it gave me a strange moment or so of self-reflection.
Also today: I won a $200 Sunglass Hut voucher in a lucky draw! I was very excited.
Me: $200, wow, that's so much!
Me, after viewing the Sunglass Hut website: Oh. I see. That will buy me HALF a pair of sunglasses.
Seriously, since when is $450 a normal amount of money for sunnies, and WHY ARE THE BURBERRY ONES SO PRETTY.
