The African Doctor.

I have not cried in a long time, but this ONE made me cry!

I just watched "Bienvenue a Marly-Gomont" (available on Netflix with English subtitles under the title "The African Doctor" ). It is a French comedy-drama film that chronicles the life of a Congolese doctor in the 70's; who after graduating from medical school declined a job he linked to corruption in his native country to build roots in a village North of France for himself and his family.

Let me preface this by saying; you do not have to be African to relate to this.

This movie quickly reminded of the variety of my experiences from Cameroon to Curacao to the United States. Experiences that when sometimes shared raise either joy or offense, depending on who is on the receiving end -- such as passing a major test or getting rejected for additional financial aid or a study visa. My life in training before now was an undulating sequence of rigorously seeking acceptance by trying to fit into new cultures, to gracefully receiving rejection and moving on whenever things didn't work. In retrospect these moments helped me build resilience and confidence. If my life was a movie, the seasons of success will receive 5 stars while the seasons of silent failures were plagued with nervousness and angst that crippled me during such times.

Through it all, the fiercely courageous inspirational woman I am today had to experience all of that to get to this place. For that, I am thankful.

I am in the process of working in a medically underserved area as part of the Conrad 30 program. It has been an enriching process and definitely the best phase of all the preceding years. Through it all I have always refrained from negatively experiencing my story of migration- which is why I loved the comedic scenes in this movie. I too, moved for the love of medicine, family, wealth, purpose and above all for the people (all kinds). My perspective of unpleasant/unjust/threatening experiences certainly pale in comparison to the odds of what could have been elsewhere (coughs). The joy and reward I get from what I do with the practice of medicine makes the journey worth it.

I agree this article is all over the place and I was wimpy tonight simply because this movie allowed these emotions of contentment to surface. It was good for me.

Ever watched a movie that reminded you about certain parts of your life?