This is the first day of full sunshine here in Eastern Samar this past 2 weeks. It was as if I was really meant to go out and explore the city today and the weather was cooperating with a smile on its face. But first I have got to work. Friday signals a rise in out-patient consults here because before people head to wherever far places they reside in, they want to get consults for their complaints first. I am also beginning to settle in my clinic routine. Add that to my few in-patients so far and I have made a breakfast-morning care-inpatient-outpatient-lunch-outpatient routine.
I have also discharged 2 patients today and I am appreciating the smiles as they leave my care only to return for a follow-up check-up in two weeks for me to assess their compliance to medical care. Patients here, I have found out, need to be constantly educated about their conditions and emphasize the need for compliance. This is also true for Manila though. This makes me think that patients are all around the same – difficult to convince out of their old ways and craves education as much as the next person.
As the sun (yes the sun actually shone hot and bright today!) come down to rest its life-giving rays, me and an obstetrician friend decided to have dinner in one of the nearby restaurants located near the shore by the seawall. But before that I had to admit another patient. Dinner was a well-deserved treat for me. I had a platter of crispy spicy calamares, sweet and spicy pork ribs with spicy garlic fried rice. Yum yum yum. All of the food was even more than what the three of us (a chief nurse went with us as well) can consume, and all for only 500 bucks. I am loving this place more and more.
Next stop for us was a hotel lounge with a videoke machine. According to the nurse with us, it is one of the more decent places for videoke in the city, plus it had a wider selection of songs for the 3 of us to sing our hearts out. I ended up singing 11 songs including Mr. Brightside of the Killers, The Prayer of Josh Groban, All Out of Love by Air Supply, Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, Peabo Bryson’s If Ever You’re In My Arms Again, Lips of An Angel by Hinder, Angels Brought me Here by Guy Sebastian and Go The Distance by Michael Bolton. Had a blast! And what made it more enjoyable is that the song list is similar, if not the same as the one in the videoke place I frequent in Manila. Easier for me to adjust and find songs! Whoopee!
As we left the shore side, the staff people there wanted me to go back soon so they can sing along with me. I said, as long as there are no patients, maybe I can keep on going back every so often. Yet, without the luxury of time my hands are tied. Despite the fact that we left quite early for a night out (11PM), I still enjoyed it immensely, being my first here in Borongan.
As we head away from the shore, I will have fond memories of this day as my first night out of town. As I head to sleep this day, I realized that there may be more in store here for me to discover, enjoy, cherish and make my own.
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