The First Time

My new favorite hobby in Bukittinggi are visiting the internet cafe and moving away water from my neighbor's room to my room(water crisis)...hehe..
Today is my 11th day in bukittinggi. I like staying here, but tomorow I think I have to comeback to padang, some bussiness have to be finished and borrowing books from my colleagues.
I still remember when I firstly arrived in Bukittinggi and my senior, SY,MD who previously stayed in Bukittinggi, introduced me to the hospital's members, they were shocked seeing me, that I am a woman. They always said...this is the first time..(woman from surgery department comes here). In bukittinggi my duty day is...every day for 24 hours. I get off-day in the weekend, but my consultants here have a hope that I don't use my weekend too frequent..hehe..
So, when they called me via phone (usually by a connection from an operator) and I answered the phone, they asked me back, is this the number of Surgery's Resident? Then I answered, Yes. You are speaking to Dr. Jini. Then they asked again, "A girl?" I answered again, Yes. and they always ended their questions with.."This is the first time..."
I was the chairman for my class when I was in my 7th semester. I think I was the first girl in my medical school who was elected to be the class' chairman..(hmm chairwoman). When there were any problems about my class, my lectures always asked, where is your chairman?Then when I was showed up, they always asked back with question.."A girl?"
Also when I wanted take a drum class, my instructor said, "Is it you who want to learn drumming?"
Is it prohibited for a girl/woman, playing drum, being a chairman, being a surgeon?
Of course not, but women seldom do that, so the people see us, who do this, as a rare species..
I am not sure about this one, am I feminist or not.
When I was in kindergarten, 5 years old, I have a friend, a boy, who were very naughty, and always disturbed and made my friends crying. So, When I was saw him, I said like this to my heart, "You can make all of those girls crying, but not this girl." that words affected me much. When I was in Elementary School, If I have a friend who tried to disturb me, I fought him back. Sometimes, if I couldn't do at school time, I made a promise to meet him after school..hehe..
But, actually I have good relationship with the boys..I am not a man hater, but i just don't want to be dishonored.
When I was in Junior High School, I began to like rock music. And people saw me as a stranger. It was very rare at that time girls like rock music and my favorite were the hardest ones. I like Rock not to make myself becoming different with other girls. Because I like it. I still remember when i firstly heard Queen, in elementary school and I felt peace in my heart. So with my elementary school uniform, I went to the music store and bought Queen's cassette. I think it was not an usual scene in the '80s...hehe.
My Sister dislikes Rock very much..hehe.
When I was in the Senior High School, people still saw me peculiarly. One of my friend said, I really want to see the moment when you fall in love. Will you still play the rock music?
I also have a friend who just moved from Jakarta at that time and gave me a comment like this: Even in Jakarta I rarely saw a girl like you..
I never see myself, that I have to beat men, and being the first...But I like to compete with men, because people always said man is the strongest, woman is weak, so they can't do as best as man can do. It's true that woman is more weak than a man, if you talk about power. But in the quality of working, it is not true at all. If you want to have a good quality of working, you have to improve yourself quality, so it is very individual. That's why sometimes I work with two things in my head, to do the best I can do and show people, a woman can do this also.
Am I feminist with this goal of working?
(But I like surgery and rock, learning to play drum not to compete with men, just because I LIKE THEM from my heart)
I think the person who has a big role of my character is my father. My father always told me not to be affraid to anything and doing the best you can do in working. When I was told my father I want to be a surgeon, my father said to me, I think being an orthopaedist or urologist is the best for you. Then I said, an urologist? Don't you know that if I am being an urologist, I have to contact with my patients' penises? Then he said, it's not a problem, how about the men's Gynecologist? You are in the same position...My father is very cool..hehe..
My mother told me, that she was almost quitted her education in college when she was getting married to my father. Then father told my mother, you have to finish your education. And my mother finished it and continued it until she got her PhD. She is the first Woman professor of Andalas University's Animal Husbandry Faculty.
Maybe this kind of education has led me to be the first timer person, the stranger and whatever it is called..
But to say you frankly, I never feel what I am doing right now is something uncommon. It is other people always say to me..