University of Maryland School of Medicine - Terrae Mariae Medicus (Baltimore, MD)

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An endless array of identical houses. We were consoled by others. As we look back, we faintly remember that first semester. As we delved into the unknown, we were full of questions. In those days, we never knew what to expect next. Somehow, though, we either asked enough questions to satisfy ourselves, or became accustomed to not being in complete con- trol of our destinies. Many of us had to deal with living in Baltimore for the first time. It mirrored our classroom environment — the impersonal sameness of quantity. Identical rowhouses lined our streets. Lecturers taught 175 nameless faces. Each of us was insignificant. Our study of medicine began with anatomy, where we began to develop an ap- John didn’t mind getting dirty. predation and fascination for the wonder of the human machine. The work was demanding, and our perfor- mance sometimes discouraging, but we were consoled by others. We soon learned that to survive, we must jump in headlong from the beginning, and not be afraid of get- ting dirty. We were warned that we may lose our sensitivity toward the simpler things as we struggled to survive. Some of us took the time to notice the simple beauty around us, and it often rejuvenated us. Many things were occurring that first semester. It was a period of great adjustment. 7

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. THE FIRST SEMESTER 6

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Everything appeared as a blur.