“Tell me about yourself.” Our professor
asked us before beginning our case discussions. My group mates started by
telling their names and then their future careers (future Neurologist, Surgeon,
Medical Oncologist, etc.) until it reached my turn. I was still unsure what “specialty”
I will go into, so I just answered the question with what I can think of best:
“I am Ahmad from Sulu. I love to
travel and do photography. My dream one day is to publish my novels.”
“Oh, I have been to Sulu a lot of
times,” said our professor who is a practicing surgical oncologist in PGH, “my
last trip there though was in 1996.”
“Ma sha Allah, really sir? That’s
nice sir! What did you do there, sir?”
“We stayed and volunteered in
IPHO-Sulu. Did a lot of charity services doing surgeries for free.” H mentioned
names of some Tausug surgeons back then, some I knew by name some I don’t. I
was somehow elated to find out that another great physician have visited my dear
homeland before.
“It was a nice place. Until all
those horrible things happened. There was this doctor who had his son kidnapped?
What’s his name?”
Yeah, the kidnappings. Indeed a
horrible thing perpetrated by horrible people lurking in the dark side of my
dearest homeland. I was not disheartened by this remark. I was in fact unaffected
at all. It was as if I was already expecting to hear it. As if it was something
normal to hear when referring to Sulu. (Now I realize how horrible that was:
being unaffected about it.)
I didn’t know the name of the
doctor who had his son kidnapped, perhaps I was still too young back then.
“It was too bad since then, we
were never able to go back” he remarked
And I shared his feelings of
disappointment. Frustration. Despondency.
“Another thing that I noticed
when we were there… Say some patient came in due to a vehicular accident, they
would just patch him up, clean his wounds, suture them, then leave him be.”
“Huh? But why sir?” his students,
including me, asked in unified shock hearing this horrible situation.
“I don’t know. There was this notion that if
you actually did something—say a definitive management of operating on a
patient—and things went bad, say the patient died, all the blame will be
pointed to you, the doctor. Especially if you came from the localities as well,
it’s easier to blame you. No, we were not among those they applied that ‘belief’
as we were ‘visitors’, ‘foreigners’ they claimed.
I am sorry to say this, Ahmad,
but it really happened. There is just a lot of things needed to be done in your
place.”
I intently agreed with him.
“I know sir,” I told him, “There
is just too much mess right now. Too much that maybe the only solution is to do
an ‘overhaul of the whole Tausug mind-set, of the way how we think’ about
things like this.” And I ended this statement with a big sigh.
“Ahmad for Governor of Sulu!” A group
mate jokingly remarked.
“I hate politics, dude!” I said
“For revolution!” Another said
“I don’t like revolts as well.” I
laughingly remarked “And I know I won’t be able to do it, to change Sulu? That’s
too ambitious. Perhaps someone out there can. And I will just support them.”
“Will you go back to Sulu, Ahmad?”
our professor asked.
“Definitely sir. In sha Allah
(God willing). I cannot see myself in the future somewhere else than Sulu.”
“Very good. I am happy to hear
that.
And I am looking forward to
reading your novels.”
“Ahaha but I haven’t finished
them yet sir. I can give you a copy once I am done with one.”
“Yes, please, even the draft,
give me a copy. I really want to read them.”
I thanked him. I was both humbled
and embarrassed for in reality, I haven’t really done much with those ‘novels’
I am blabbering about. In due time perhaps. In due time, in sha Allah. And after one last member to be
introduced, we were back to our case discussions.
====
[I recorded this conversation
because it brought in some thoughts about the Tausug situation and mind-set.
That what needs to be done in Sulu is far more than just socio-economic nor
politico-militaristic approach. It’s an OVERHAUL! Redirecting our mind-sets, of
how we think! But how in the world are we going to do that? Education? Maybe. I
don’t know as of now. Perhaps someday I will find out. Or someone will
enlighten me how. *Sigh*]
Written December 4, 2015 9:50AM
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Kah tadz here!��