My Baby Sister.. A doctor..

Just send my sister off.. Can't believe that my baby sister will be starting her housemanship today.. at my town's general hospital.. After 7 years in Moscow, Russia, she is finally back in the country.. now she is taking her first steps in getting her practicing license.. Because she decided to come back to Malaysia, on top of the 2 years compulsory housemanship, she needs to serve the country for another 3 more years for a total of 5 years before getting her medical license.. It is a long road ahead, but one that she had chosen for herself..

I was rarely around during her growing years.. having left home to Singapore almost 15 years ago.. with a 9-year gap between us, she is the baby of the family.. (ya.. that's me and my sis.. she was barely 1 year old in this photo.)

Because of the big age gap, she more or less grew up as if she was the only child in the family, with me and then my brother moving out of the house when we were in University.. she was the more outgoing one.. the more friendly and approachable one.. the one with better EQ.. she was very active in PBSM (Red Cross/Crescent Society) and sometimes would even defy my parents with late night meetings and camping/camp fire activities.. she is the counselor, the mediator, the leader, the "big sister" among her friends.. and sometimes, I think she is more sensible and has more "heart" than me..

Then, I was surprised at her determination to do medicine and was even willing to go half a globe away to Moscow to do it.. Now, I am happy that she did.. because I saw in her the aptitude and empathy that a doctor should have.. she didn't do it for the glamor, prestige or because my parents wanted her to.. unlike me, she is truly and naturally compassionate and caring.. and she is not afraid to show it.. Of course, she is no saint.. she has the "family traits" of stubbornness and control-freakness.. :p but with her superior EQ, she is less of a "pain in the ass" than I am.. :)

She will be on 18-hour daily shift (from 6am to 12midnight) for 14 days STRAIGHT from tomorrow onwards.. before reverting to a 12-hour daily shift with on-calls duties thrown in between.. Thus my only worry is her health.. not that she is weak or anything, more like she tends to overwork herself because she is too responsible (another family trait).. but there is nothing that I can do about that, she has to take care of herself which I believe she will.. What I can do is to wish her all the best, let her concentrate on her job and not let her worry about anything else.. 小妹，加油！！