My first week as a BST 2 throws me into strokes, advanced cancer and one haunting transplant case that exposes the limits of emergency medicine.
START OF BST 2
I begin BST 2 with more responsibility, a better training programme and a renewed determination to grow without losing my hard-won balance in life.
END OF BST 1
Reflecting on the end of BST1, choosing emergency medicine, keeping travel alive, and proving that medicine and life can coexist.
BST 1 – Q4: Journal Entries
Journal entries from my fourth quarter in my first year of basic emergency training.
T + 365
Back from the Philippines, I return to work renewed, complete my first BST year, pass my ARCP, and bring home one unexpected souvenir.
Manila: The Last Ride
My final day in the Philippines takes me through Intramuros by bamboo bike, from Spanish walls and Rizal history to ghost stories and goodbye.
Siargao – Day 5: Gnarly Waves & Goodbyes
My final morning in Siargao brings a perfect sunrise, wild surf, one last motorbike ride, and a bittersweet goodbye.
Siargao – Day 4: Freediver on the Road
My final Molchanovs Wave 1 day in Siargao brings rescue skills, baby freediver certification, a north-island road trip and a stormy sunset fail.
Siargao – Day 3: Free Immersion and Free Spirits
My third day in Siargao brings open-water freediving, a 12-metre descent, a road trip, and a sunset bridge farewell.
Siargao – Day 2: Cowabunga & Carbon Dioxide
My second day in Siargao brings Cloud 9, a rough surf lesson, the International Surfing Cup and the start of my freediving course.