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Bushra: Hey, what's up everybody? This is "Bundle Of Hers." We are reconvening after a nice long summer away from school.

Margaux: We were all away.

Bushra: Yeah. All of us did our own thing over the summer, our last summer before we commit ourselves to the next couple of years of medical school. And so, yeah, let's get into what we did over the summer. Harjit, do you want to start?

Harjit: Yeah. I can start. So it's pretty much the same thing that I said I was going to do. I really was worried about the final and being all prepared to finish off the first year strong. So I really didn't plan anything because I was just like, "Oh my gosh. Will I pass? Will I stay here?" So I was kind of just getting out of finals and I was like, "Yay. I got through."

And so then my sister was like, "Oh, you should come visit me." So I went to Pittsburgh. She's actually an engineer there. So I kind of got to see Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is so beautiful. There are so many bridges. It's just such a dream. And then we went to my sister's graduation, her residency graduation, which I did mention I think. And that was super fun.

And then finally went to India, and India was awesome. It was actually very different than from the past times I went because I was . . . for much of the time, I was in the city rather than the village. And I thought it was really an interesting perspective to see the difference between the two communities. You know, the life in the city is very much, I would say, a little bit more similar than to my life in the U.S., where in the village I remember we would even heat our water because they don't have . . . or they have these things called geysers and sometimes the lights would go. Do you know what a geyser is?

Margaux: No, I don't know what a geyser is.

Harjit: Okay. It's apparently this thing that just heats up water and stores it pretty much.

Margaux: How?

Harjit: With electricity.

Margaux: Okay. So it's like a hot plate?

Harjit: Yeah. So it's similar to a hot plate. It's like this round igloo-type balloon. Is that how I . . . Bushra, do you know?

Bushra: I mean, I've never seen a geyser, but I can imagine what it looks like.

Harjit: Yeah. Okay. So, yeah, it's . . .

Bushra: Is it separate from the water of the houses or . . .

Harjit: So sometimes it can be. In the city, most of the bathrooms are indoor, and for that reason they're there, but in the villages, yeah, sometimes it can be outdoors. And they also have these huge things called [foreign language 00:02:42], which is basically a tank but I guess in an Indian accent, where they store all the water. So it was actually a really . . . I thought it was really interesting to see those two differences.

And then I came back and I really just enjoy the rest of my summer. In the beginning, I was kind of feeling guilty, like, "Should I be doing research? Should I be doing more stuff? I feel like everyone's still being productive with their summers." But I realized that I need this time for myself and I know that it's my last summer off. And I think we all know our own selves very well, and every person is different, and for me, this is what really fit me. So I'm rejuvenated to start Year 2.

Margaux: One thing Harjit forgot to mention is that she came to my wedding.

Harjit: Oh, yeah. Oh my goodness.

Margaux: I got married in July, which was one of the main things I was doing this summer and it was a lot of work. I didn't really do a lot of wedding planning during school, and so my mom and my wedding planner kind of waited until right after finals and then gave me a huge to-do list. And I had also overloaded my plate with some research.

So I think one piece of advice I would have for summer is maybe pick one or two things to focus on and really try to enjoy your summer that way.

But after the wedding, we went on an amazing honeymoon to Italy and Croatia, and it was so rejuvenating as well and just a great experience. So I would say if you really take advantage of your first summer, you'll be really happy going into second year.

Harjit: By the way, Margaux's wedding though . . . oh my goodness. It was so beautiful.

Bushra: I saw pictures and I was getting serious FOMO. I was like, "I wish I could be there." It was beautiful.

Margaux: Thank you.

Bushra: Oh my gosh. Her gown, everything.

Harjit: I mean, you missed out.

Bushra: I know. I did. It's okay.

Margaux: You were in Kenya, right?

Bushra: Yeah. So my summer, I spent the summer . . . well, let's talk about right after the exam, our final exam, because I feel like that's when summer break really started for me. So we go into our exam, we finish up, and as soon as I walk out that door, I just feel this weight lifted from my shoulders. And so I feel like that's when my summer break really started.

So I had a week in Utah, and me and Harjit hung out a couple of times before I left. And then I went out of the country to Kenya, and I spent two months there. And so, in Kenya, I have family there that I've never met before. So it was kind of nice to just be in a place where, you know, people look like me and I can speak their language and see things that I've never seen before and just kind of get back into my roots really.

So, yeah, I got to see different parts of the country. I went to the coast in Mombasa. I went to the country in Kajiado. That's a side territory. It was in Nairobi, which is a city. It's an amazing country. It's still developing and there's still more growth that's happening there.

Leen, what did you do this summer?

Leen: So right after the exam, I guess, is where I'm going to start. I was really worried about the exam because everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for me. My computer shut down. I had just a lot of drama going down, but . . .

Bushra: It sounds rough. Yeah.

Leen: It was intense after the test. I shared a few good cries with you guys, but that's just the way med school goes sometimes. But no, it turned out well and I ended up going to Palestine to fulfill part of my research in working with thalassemia patients. I worked with pathology clinics as well as actual clinics where patients will go in and get transfusions, and I had a really good insight into how the healthcare system works in Palestine.

And I was actually really shocked to see, despite having all this conflict over there, the one thing the doctors always told me was, "In the American system, you guys make your patients wait too long. You guys make your patients suffer in their brains about, 'What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?' before you give them an answer. And culturally, we just can't have that. People will go mad if we do that." And so it was so interesting to see how fast everything was.

For instance, if you need a CBC, I just walked right into the lab, I put my blood in the vial, and I took the CBC. Five minutes, you had a result. CT scan, I walked in that morning, did a CT scan of my lumbar spine, because I had back issues, and walked right out.

And so that was for my personal healthcare experience, but also from shadowing experience, it was so interesting to see how they try to control genetic anomalies in order to control that from the population with thalassemia. It's a huge problem in the Mediterranean, especially in Palestine.

And so, in 1998, they passed a law saying that if you can have a kid with thalassemia, the judge will not sign your marriage contract. And so, by doing that . . . it sounds harsh, but in reality being in a conflict zone where you don't have any resources, it was almost needed. And so it was so interesting to see how, by 2013, there were zero cases of thalassemia that year, and the only thalassemia patients we have are the ones who were born before 1998.

Bushra: Wow.

Margaux: Wow.

Bushra: Preemptive. Yeah.

Leen: Right. It's intense and, you know, it's a very intense way of dealing with it, but . . .

Harjit: Like public health. I mean, that's basically what it is, right?

Leen: Absolutely. Right.

Bushra: There's a problem, and they found a solution that works temporarily while this unrest is going in the region. And so, until that can be alleviated, this is the short-term solution, basically.

Leen: Right. Yeah, so that's what I did for my summer.

Harjit: That sounds great.

Bushra: Yeah. We all had pretty different, I think, experiences this summer, which is kind of nice too because we had a lot to catch up on when we saw each other again.

Harjit: Oh my goodness. Yes. A lot.

Leen: I mean, everyone has a different idea of what they want their summer to be. I mean, for me, I was really worried about forgetting information and things like that. But at the same time, I learned through being in a clinical setting and actually seeing patients. And so you have to center it around on what you want to do.

Harjit: And I would also add to that it's really like you're running a marathon. It's not a sprint. So I think it's really important to take that time and know what will rejuvenate you and make you feel fulfilled. Because in life in general, yes, school is a huge part of our life, but, you know, it's important that you take your time and really focus on what will keep you, for the long run, sustained.

Margaux: Right. And I would say it probably seems early to start thinking about summer since you're just starting school right now, but having a trip planned or something exciting planned for your summer will really give you a light at the end of the tunnel when you get towards finals.

Bushra: And you need that light at the end of the tunnel. Trust me.

Harjit: And to all our listeners that aren't med students, you should just have fun summers. Summer is a great time to just go outside, chill, focus on life. I know that people work and people have jobs, but I think it's really a time where . . . you know, isn't there something when it's sunny, you're more positive and stuff? Isn't that thing?

Margaux: Yeah.

Harjit: I feel like it's a thing. So really focusing on yourself, to all our non-med-school audiences out there.

Leen: We appreciate all our listeners, whether you're a med student or not. Thank you for joining us. We are the "Bundle Of Hers" and we hope to have you listen to us again soon.

Harjit: Subscribe to our channel.

°ä³ó±ô´Çé: Somebody do a subscribe thing.

Harjit: Oh. Subscribe to our podcast.

°ä³ó±ô´Çé: Can we do that again?

Harjit: Should I sing it?

Margaux: Don't forget to subscribe. Ding. We don't know how to end it. No clue how to end this.