Registered Today, Beginning My Second University Career

Dear readers and fellow patients:

I have completed registration today and officially begun the second university career of my life. Tomorrow (Monday) classes begin normally. Over the next few years I will no longer be a free agent but a full-time university student. I am currently studying clinical medicine at a medical school in the north, but please understand that I cannot disclose the school's name; it is a matter of personal privacy, and I hope you will not ask. I hope to spend the next few years completing a systematic medical education without too much disturbance.

For the next six years I will be primarily in school, and all my work can only be handled on holidays. But old friends need not worry: about half of university life is vacation. In this first semester, weekends, statutory holidays, and winter and summer vacations add up to 98 days off, with only about eighty-plus days of class, so I still have enough time and energy to handle my affairs.

During classes and rest hours I cannot reply to anyone's messages; please understand. I also hope that when you consult me you will prepare your questions in advance rather than chatting loosely, which would take up too much of my time.

I should still be able to write daily; however busy my studies, I can always find time each day for a study note, which I will share as always once written.

Actually, for me life after term begins is not much different from before; I have merely moved elsewhere to keep reading and writing. The only hard part is leaving my family, but I will try to overcome it and quietly study on campus for a few years. Each evening I can also learn an instrument at school. On weekends and holidays I will go home to handle personal and work matters, and the two long vacations will be spent mostly at home, so these years of university will not be too hard.

I am not yet expert in Western medicine or in TCM acupuncture and tuina; in future I hope to spend some effort on both. Once I have done so I will have a comprehensive grasp of Chinese and Western medicine, which will not only improve my clinical skill but also let my future research go deeper. Medicine is a lifelong calling and need not be rushed. This is a very quiet transition; I hope you will view it as calmly as I do. We will still meet every day through my articles, as we have for more than a decade.

Finally, thank you all so much for your constant support and encouragement; I wish every reader well.