My first day at work

Salam

After waiting for 3 months, after interviews and interviews, after phone calls and SMSes I finally started to work in Malaysia. Although I have worked in Ireland for couple of years it is still nerve racking to start working after being out of the job for few months. 5 months plus since I last took up a job. Prior to that 6 months of irregular jobs as I was doing locum work. So all in all I haven't been doing any regular hospital job for nearly a year!
So on Thursday 15th May 2008 I reported for duty at Medical Faculty, UiTM Shah Alam. Like I said I was quite nervous initially as I did not what to expect. Everybody that has been working in Malaysia kept telling that working as a doctor here is very-very-very busy. Only plus is that you will given task which suits your qualification, not as a clerk or as a nurse like one might be tasked to do in Ireland. But then as I haven't got my Certificate to Practice from Malaysian Medical Council I won't be doing any hospital work for awhile. So the nervousness wasn't really that bad. Just that you have to get to know people again, the place, the work etc. Everyone turned out to be quite pleasant. Maybe because I'm a doctor. And a lecturer as well. Pleasant probably not the word but respectful probably the more accurate term. As I never worked in Malaysia before I had to register myself with KWSP. That was quite fast and credit to the staff there in Shah Alam. Took me about 30 minutes from the moment I stepped in to the KWSP office until I came out. Then I had the medical check-up. Unfortunately UiTM's own clinic was understaff so I was sent to a private panel clinic. That took awhile! Well not really their fault but just before I left for the clinic from the medical faculty office I absent mindedly went to the toilet and emptied my bladder! It was embarassing to tell the clinic staff that I don't feel like going to the toilet and explained what I did. I bought a bottle of mineral water and even took a glass of water from the staff just to fill myself up....damn that was really embarassing. Furthermore she kept coming back and ask if I had filled the container. Anyway after that I had chest X-ray taken and then met the doctor who was very pleasant. Everything was ok. Went back to the main campus and I was shown to this computer cum common room and was told this would be my place for awhile. Friend of mine told me everyone that was new will be given this room as their 'office'. So much for privacy. Anyway I did not require any and I used all the time that I had to fill up the forms that were posted to me with the offer letter. Stayed there made new friends, chat while filling up forms until 5pm. That was the first day! Oh yea I forgot to mention a friend of mine unexpectedly turned up at Shah Alam (he was the one who told me about the room) for lunch. He had some 'business' with the faculty and we had lunch together. The restaurant/cafetaria was at the Chancellor's Building (I think..). Lunch was quite good. I had meatballs with some chips. Still not used to eat rice during lunch yet.
That was my first day of work in Malaysia. Nothing really exciting but for me it was an important and very significant event of my life. I felt more motivated than what I had been back in Ireland. When you deal with your own people you feel more at ease. More accepted. You don't feel like 'Ah...another foreigner!What's he doing here instead of my countrymen?'.Sometimes and mind you not that often but it happens that when I was working in Ireland, I can meet people and they can be patients that you feel do not really want you there. Not there as in at that moment because he/she is tired or in pain or just plain fed-up but just don't want you to be there, on their soil. the attitude that you can get my god I sometimes feel like I wanted to pack my things up and go. But having said that like I said it was a rare occurence but once it occured it really sticks to your memory and very hard to forget. And again maybe I'm new in Malaysia...everything looks fine and rosy...maybe in 2-3 months time my perception may change!