Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Epilogue to Year 1

So, I've survived - yes, I'm sure my absence indicated exams had driven me to run off and join the circus; they did, but I'm a lousy acrobat, so I came home.

I got through exams and came out the other side relatively unscathed, if tired. Marks came in a week or so ago and it's all good news, so I can't complain there!

I had almost two weeks off, and I started my first of two summer jobs today. I'm running some lab work for a PhD student at school. Nothing glamorous, but it's much needed paid lab experience that I'm more than grateful to have. I'll be with her until the end of June, then I'm acting as a camp counsellor at some animal themed day camps for July and August.

Today, I had sort of a weird revelation. I was following the PhD candidate around, observing how she went about her research, asking lots of questions (she's very patient with me, luckily). It struck me - I was a minarai.

I've long been entranced by the karyukai - the flower and willow world of geisha. There's sort of four stages to a geisha's training. Shikomi, minarai, maiko and geisha.

Shikomi (仕込み) are the errand runners. They don't entertain, they don't get dressed up. They learn, they clean, they cook, they practice. Shikomi are pre-vets. The word "shikomi" translates as "preparation".

Minarai (見習い) are first stage apprentices. They atten parties, but they don't do much. Their goal is to watch and learn. Vet students in years 1-3 are minarai. We pay attention and if we're really lucky, we learn something.

Maiko (舞妓) literally translates as "dancing child". These are the fourth years. They're starting to entertain (see clients, treat patients), but they're nervous, they're inexperienced. Real maiko wear bright, almost garish kimono and hair ornaments to cover up the fact that they might be a bit clumsy. Senior vet students hide behind their lab coats, their stethoscopes, and will happily talk your ear off about what they do know in hopes that it covers up what they don't know*. I could probably lump new graduates and interns in here too.

Geiko (芸子)is the veterinarian with a few years under their belt. The geiko is refined, elegant. They don't need the flashy clothes and jargon. They may wear a white coat, or scrubs, or jeans. It doesn't matter, they know what they're talking about. They just go about their business, confident in their abilities.

So there you have it. That's what exams does to you. It makes you draw really weird comparisons. Someone reset my brain please?


*Okay, to be fair, all vet students sort of do that. Including yours truly. "Well I don't know much about x, but here's everything I know that's even vaguely related to x!" It's a bad exam habit I have.