Christmas, and beyond ...

Back in India, my observance of Christmas was more a kind of lip-service and some innocent enjoyment of the festival that Christmas represents. In my lane, there were a few influential Christian families who got together during the last few weeks of each year, and created magic out of decorative items, conifer trees, paper stars and lights, etc. The house that is known in my lane as "Lion's Den" would come alive during those days. The Christians would deck up their large conifer, hang a large Merry X'mas lighted star between the branches of two trees that stood, one on each side of the road, play some kind of music, and so on. I would drive past their house as I proceeded to work (in the day) or to return home (in the night). 

On  Facebook, I would post a Merry Christmas greeting and later, a Happy New Year wish, to all my Christian friends in India and abroad. 

On New Year's Eve, my family and I would go out somewhere reasonable, and spend the evening having good food and a drink. 

And, on the night, we would join some of the kids in my housing society to burn effigies of the closing year. 

And that was it.

Now ... I am in a land where more than 90% of the people are Christians of some shade or the other. Christmas is their biggest festival. It is here, in Blackpool, that I am finally learning what the meanings of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, Christmas and New Year really are. Each of those days, my inbox was filled with emails from various shopping companies, advertising huge sales during the holidays. It was very tempting to spend "just 9.99 pounds" to get a voucher of 50% off on the next purchase - or buy something at throwaway prices - something that I would never, ever need or use. I have, so far, not entirely managed to stay away from those alluring deals. Although, Jesus knows I have tried to, and tried very hard indeed to resist temptation. 

The result is that my room is filled with cheap stuff bought at even cheaper prices. I have a complete drawer full of biscuits and chocolates - things that my diabetic body can certainly do without! And farsans, and chivda, and what not! 

I worked all the three days of the Christmas weekend, and into Monday. This prevented me from going out and splurging money. It did, however, in the absence of the consultants, give me a good chance to learn how to manage a Paediatric ward in a much better way. I kept trying to learn the ropes. Whether it was taking a successful history from a fretful and worried parent, or cannulating a vein in the presence of anxious parents, running to the emergency department in response to a crash call, or finding the time to rush to the doctors' room for a quick bite of the sandwich I had brought with me on duty, helping a colleague to undertake a blood collection, or searching the internet or the pharmacy book to find the correct doses of a rarely used medicine for a rarely seen illness, clerking a new patient (taking the basic history and examining the child), or coordinating with an outside hospital in the management of a complex patient, ordering investigations on an online platform and taking printouts from a printer inside the ward, or discharging a patient, dictating a letter on the online automated system to a consultant's secretary so that she could send the letter onward to the patient's G.P., or escaping the ward to go to Costa's for a coffee ... I guess you are getting the idea, right? I did all this, and more. 

In the process, I have left my footprint and initial impressions on all the people who work in our department. Whether these impressions have been favourable or not, only time will tell. However, it does look like even the junior doctors have realised that I have a very steep learning curve ahead of me, and they have so far been very kind and benevolent towards me. That does not mean, however, that they will do something only a registrar is supposed to do. Then, they mercilessly chase me and get me to see a patient or give my opinion, a task that I get absolutely scared to do. So far, I have managed not to paint myself into a corner, but that is thanks to the very efficient nurses and my colleagues - from my co-registrars to my consultants, who have been very, very understanding and have helped extricate me out of every tight spot.  

And that is how I celebrated my Christmas this year. How did you all do it? Do share your experiences with me. Thanks so much for reading this, and I wish you and your families a very, very Happy New Year (there I go!!!)                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Paediatric Department Christmas party

The various stake-holders of the department of Paediatrics (mostly the Paediatric Ward) had pre-organised a Christmas party and I was fortunate to be a part of it. The venue was the Park House Hotel on the northern promenade of Blackpool, a road mostly dotted with hotels. From the ward, all of the nurses were there, and from among the staff, we were just the three of us - Dr. Nigel Laycock, one of the consultants, Dr. Letty Ene, my co-registrar, and myself. 

I arrived there by bus, having to walk about a km before reaching the hotel. It was an extremely windy evening with intermittent rain and, at a few points, the walk through the extreme wind was so difficult I almost turned back! However, once I had reached the warm interiors of the hotel, and had been escorted to the Pavillion, a sort of basement restaurant, my mood improved considerably as I found both the doctors and a clutch of nurses already present, and all (except Dr. Nigel - who was presentable, but not formal) dressed formally and looking great. Dr. Nigel brought me a drink, and as we sat there, I thought to myself - hey, the party is on!

After some time, we were all taken to our tables. Three 8-seater tables were booked for us out of the nine that were set up. The waiters then began to serve us as we sat there, admiring the arrangements and I getting to know the others. 

Dr. Nigel and Dr. Letty

The first course_ a prawns starter

Christmas mood

The room filled up gradually, and we were then served a vegetable soup as the second course, a turkey breast roast with sides as the main course, a chocolate with cream cake as the dessert and a cup of tea to round off the meal. In the mean-time, a DJ took over the music arrangements, and presently, yielded the stage to a young singer who began to entertain us with his voice and the digital paraphernalia at his disposal. He used clever combinations of synthetic music, karaoke and his own vocals to create a beautiful medley of songs from the present and from the past. As guests began to dance to his songs on a well-designed illuminated floor, I watched Dr. Nigel groove with the nurses in a state of gay abandon, and decided to also step up and dance a bit. 

The main course of turkey and sides (potato, brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce)

The chocolate cake, which none of us could really finish as the portion was too large

The central decor at the round table ... each table had different arrangements

The ceiling over the dance area 

For the rest of the evening, we danced, we sat and enjoyed, had conversations with each other, and had fun. Dr. Nigel and I left together in a cab, and he dropped me off at the hospital before proceeding to his own place. All in all, a very enjoyable evening was had by me. 

Here is a video of the dance floor happenings that I shot with my mobile camera.

I also tried a selfie video ... which isn't so good, but here it is. 

And that's about it.