Last year, I went on my first medical mission. Joining the society was something I always wanted, but somehow, there was never any time enough for me to participate in the activities. Until that day... The mission coincided with the inter-med sports fest, so the decision I had to make was not that easy. Anyway, we were supposed to meet at around 7 am (if I remember correctly) near the canteen in our school. But because of this phenomenon called "Filipino time", we waited for half an hour to an hour before we were able to leave. Everything was free, from the transportation to the food so money was no object. When we arrived, the whole barangay was already waiting for us. The children were separated from the adults (not sure why). We were divided into groups, and I was put into the pediatric section. After a short briefing (where we were told that the majority of our responsibility is to take the history and vital signs of the patient, and to prescribe a multivitamin drug), we were installed in our places ready to take on the legions of people clamoring for our attention. The most common complaint there was colds, which was not really a problem since they tend to resolve without treatment. For the first few instances, I floundered, unsure of what I should do. I didn't have the confidence to approach the people (because I had no previous experience), but after a few minutes I decided to meet the challenge. As the day progressed, any feeling of unease completely vanished, along with any conscious thought of physical appearance. In fact, the sheer number of people will drive all thought from your mind. I never had an easy time befriending people, and because of my ignorance (I didn't bring anything with me except for my stethoscope and my sphigmomanometer), I was forced to ask questions from my classmates (who weren't that close with me). That was a good thing really, because I got to know people I wouldn't normally encounter in class. After what seemed like forever, we had lunch (courtesy of the barangay), rested for a while and left. I can't really say I made a difference or anything spectacular, but I felt a peculiar sense of satisfaction at being able to assist. Another thing was it made me feel a little as if I was a doctor already. There was no clinical skill gained nor any medical knowledge learned, but what I got there was something equally important, and that is the experience of being able to relate and interact with people as patients.