The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

2020 • 10 14 eature where patients needed to make an appointment prior to consultation, and she neither needed to work on weekends nor be on call 24 hours a day. It was a much desirable job in the healthcare sector, with a bright future. However, those patients she came across in the UK were, if compared to those in Mozambique, coming from a totally different world. In the UK, a kid would visit the doctor for blisters on his or her feet from mountain climbing. Another girl had a knife-cut on her hand, which sounded very serious over the phone, but as it turned out, it was just a centimetre scab wound. A man in his 40s came to see the doctor as he had no one to talk to about his problems at work. These situations gradually made Karmen’s sense of accomplishment turned into frustration. “Having been a physician in the UK for five years, I thought about it and felt that it’d be alright for another doctor to take over the patients. It wouldn’t make a difference even if I wasn’t practising there.” In fact, Karmen dreamed of becoming a Doctor Without Borders as early as 16 years old, inspired by the Hong Kong drama, “The Last Breakthrough”. She said, “What I remember very well was the cool scene where the doctor was carrying an African child. But, I didn’t know much about Africa at that time.” Karmen was introduced to Tzu Chi Despite living a very good life in the UK, Long Karmen did not find a sense of achievement in her work. She would travel around during weekends to fill the void in her heart. [Photograph courtesy of Long Karmen]