February/March - University of Toronto's Undergraduate Pharmacy ...

Just a Smalltown Girl…---Lauren O’Connor (0T8) Monograph RepOne of the best things about moving to a new city and making newfriends is learning about other people’s backgrounds. Comparing thosethings that you had in common growing up is a tie that binds us all, butlearning about our differences, like where we grew up, is also somethingthat brings interest and many long conversations to a friendship. I alwayslove to hear my friends’ stories about growing up in different cities,provinces, or even countries, especially because they are usually differentfrom my own experience growing up in northern Ontario.The first 18 years of my life were spent in Kirkland Lake, a smaller townlocated north of North Bay and south of Timmins. The town was initiallyfamous for its gold mining (at one time its mines produced the most goldin the world), and is also well known as the origin of more NHL hockeyplayers than any other town in the world. But, to me KL has first andforemost has and always will be one thing: home.There are times when living in a small town seems to have itsdisadvantages. When I was younger, I could only imagine what it wouldbe like to see the REAL Santa Clause parade on Yonge Street insteadof only watching it on TV. As I got a little older, I thought it would bepretty cool to be able to skip down to the ACC whenever my favouriteband came to town, instead of trying to plead with my parents to take aweekend trip to T.O. Even now when I go home, there comes a time inthe middle of the summer when I would do anything for a latte and sushi(Wasabi rice crackers just aren’t the same).As cool as living in a big city is, however, there are certain things thatcan’t be replaced about living in a small town. Actually having a frontrow spot in front of my parents’ store to watch my friends in the KL SantaClause parade, or being in it a few times myself seems to stick out morein my mind than watching anything on TV. Watching someone you knowplay in a band, even if they had yet to become “famous”, being able towalk pretty much anywhere you want to go, and paying $3 to get intoa movie are fond memories of being a teenager. And truthfully, I haveyet to taste an eggroll as good as those at our Chinese take-out place athome….a meal at the Pagoda is always a KL treat.Probably the best thing about living in a small town, however, is thepeople. Whether it’s a hello when you’re walking to work, or someoneyou think won’t remember you from when you were a kid asking: “how’sschool, you’re in pharmacy right?”, the friendliness of Kirkland Lakersis unmistakable. The only thing that tops KLers friendliness, however, istheir generosity. This has been shown time and time again, when rallyingtogether to help fundraise for a family in need, or volunteering, as theyhave done countless times to raise money for everything from schoolplaygrounds to the development of a new medical clinic. No matterwho you are in Kirkland Lake, it is inevitable that you benefited fromsomeone’s good will.I decided to write an article about this, not because I felt the urge topublish an exposé about my life (don’t worry, that will be available fromyour local Chapters/Indigo in the 90% off pile shortly), but becausethere are a lot of pharmacy jobs available in small towns. These towns,facing shortages of health care professionals of every kind could reallybenefit from your intelligence and expert DRP solving skills (and no, notonly about assessing the need for gonorrhea and Chlamydia treatmentas was alluded to in the last therapeutics exam). So next time you playthat game, “Where will I be in 5 years?”, I’m just asking you not to ruleout practicing in a small town, because living in one definitely has itsbenefits.(Art) ---Mavra Zvenigorodskaya, (C.L.) (1T0)12SingingThe Monograph February / March 2007Mountain