Clash Of Cultures

2. Orientation

Noor

I checked my bag again to make sure I had my notebook and pen, my wallet, and my phone. The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) had said to not bring anything else. Today was the day that we got our hospital badges and the log in information for electronic medical records, were given a tour of the hospital facilities and met our fellow interns.

I closed the door to my apartment. It creaked loudly and the key had to wiggled around so that it would turn and lock the door. It hadn't occurred to me that the third largest city in the US would have buildings that were a 100+ years old. I had seen the apartment online, and decided to rent it because of how close it was to the hospital and was actually affordable with my intern salary

The 80F weather was perfect for the 20 min walk to work. As I got closer I noticed a group of people standing around the entrance. Some with their coffee mugs, others with their pens and notebooks, and yet more that were scrolling through their phone. I figured they were all there for the same purpose as me, so I took out my phone and pretended to read the news. It was too early in the day for me to come out of my shell!

Not long after, a woman came out with a clipboard and introduced herself as Allison Whitley, a senior administrator in the GME office. She congratulated us on being selected to the residency program at Children's Hospital of Illinois and started to call out our names so we could get our individualized welcome packages.

After what seemed like an eternity, she said, 'Well that's all I have. Looks like Nora was not able to join us today'.

Confused, I looked around me and realized that I was the only one left standing there.

'Ma'am, did you call out for Noor?'

'Hmm, I don't have a Noor listed here, but I do have a Nora Ali here', the administrator said, pointing to her clipboard. Then noticing that the name was spelled N-O-O-R, she said, 'Well that is an interesting way of spelling Nora!'

I wasn't sure if she was joking or not. It didn't seem like it from her expression.

'Actually that is my name, Noor, pronounced like N -oo- r.'

Her face flushed and she started to profusely apologize for mis-pronouncing my name. I had to suppress the urge to roll my eyes, but let her know it wasn't a big deal and started following her to the room everyone else had already gathered in.

What a ridiculous start to the day! How can anyone mess up a four letter name?!

Salman

"N-oo-r", an accented female voice spelled her name out to a very confused Allison Whitley as both women stood at the entrance of the Children's Hospital that I was trying to enter so I could get to my clinic that morning. 

That accent was a familiar one. It was one that I had grown up hearing, and one that I had come to loathe, as much as I loathed the smell of curry and the sight of traditional dresses. In short, that accent reminded me of everything desi that I had worked so hard to purge from my life. 

Desi: a word used to describe the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora. 

For many it was a source of pride, for me it was a source of nightmares. 

"Follow me...", Allison said to the female with an accent. 

That female, Noor, I guess her name was, pushed away a lock of hair from her face and started following Allison. I held the entrance door open for both of them. I may be grumpy but I still had manners, yet much to my annoyance it was only Allison who turned to thank me. 

"Thanks Sal. Are you coming to the intern's welcome lunch later on?"

"Yes, I'll be there...", I told her, while I eyed the rude desi female who just stood there toying with the notepad in her hand, her pink, full lips pursed together. 

Of course, she is used to men just doing everything for her...who the hell does she think she is? Princess Noor?

A very small part of me sympathized with her. No one got my my name either when I had started working here. They all called me 'Saal-mun', like the fish Salmon, instead of 'Sul-maan', like it was supposed to be pronounced. 

So I had made the decision to go from Dr Salman Hasan to simply Sal, or Dr Sal as my patients would call me. I didn't even have to think twice about that decision. It wasn't like I had chosen that name for myself, or anything that had come with that name. If it was easy to do, I would have changed my name on my birth certificate as well, but alas it wasn't. 

Allison and princess Noor had moved on to the check-in desk in the main lobby as I caught up with my co-residents who were laughing at something. 

"They are such a bunch of ninnies...", I caught the tail end of Mark's conversation with another resident. 

"Who? The interns?", I guessed he was referring to him and Sam crashing the intern welcome party over the weekend. 

"Yeah man...and especially that one", he pointed to the desi female who was now listening intently to Allison with her big, brown eyes wide open and her fingers absentmindedly twirling her thick, straight hair. 

Why the hell is she fidgeting all the time?

"Sal?", I heard Mark call me. 

"What?", I snapped my head back to face him. 

"I was just saying that she...", he pointed to Noor again, "Is new to the country even. She looked like an absolute prude and just stood in the corner all night with her bottle of water. I swear, it's going to be like working with a nun if she is ever on my team"

"That's a shame...she's not that bad looking", our co-resident had to add his opinion as well, as both men turned to look at the unsuspecting intern across the main lobby. 

"Ok...enough...get to work now", I blurted out and moved in front of them, blocking their vision of the new intern, and surprising myself in the process. 

But I recovered quickly enough that the other men with me didn't get a chance to say anything. 

"We are senior residents starting today. Come on...let's act like it"

Mark punched me in the shoulder playfully, "That's easy for you to say...every female in here throws herself at you"

That wasn't true. Somehow, I had built that reputation, based on some interactions I may have had. But, it was all harmless fun. I wasn't really into any of them. I wasn't sure if I could ever truly be into someone. 

I am too damaged, and too self-destructive to ever have a meaningful relationship with anyone 

The elevators came and the three of us stepped in, turning to face the lobby once again. My eyes wandered back to the two women standing near the check-in desk. Allison reached her hand out to give the new desi intern a pen. The elevator doors started to close, and that's when I saw it. 

Her smile

A smile that would haunt me in the months to come

A smile that would save me, even as it threatened to completely destroy me

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Hope you are liking Noor and Salman so far. They are sooo different! But maybe not in some ways too. 

Please don't forget to vote and leave me a quick comment!