Things that books can't teach

May 2005

Monash students have won the Victorian Rhodes Scholarship for the past four years. The 2005 winner, Farnaz Sabet, talks about what it means to her.

A passionate life: Ms Farnaz Sabet with Bedouin children in Jordan.

I was asked during a Rhodes Scholarship interview to name three people I admired, and I kicked myself afterwards thinking of the answers I wished I had given.

I forgot to mention Tahirih, a Persian heroine of the 1850s whose story all Baha'i children read with awe. As I am a sixth-generation member of the Baha'i Faith -- an independent religion that began in Iran in the 19th century -- her story has always inspired me.

Born in a country and era that stifled the lives of women, Tahirih displayed a passion for learning and later became the first woman to join the Baha'i Faith.

I was born in Iran in 1980 during a tumultuous period -- the resurgence of its religious fundamentalism -- that brought increased persecution of the Baha'is, the largest religious minority in that country.

My family fled to Australia, via India and Zambia. I grew up in small towns where there was not only racial prejudice but also intellectual prejudice. However, this was overshadowed by Australia's general atmosphere of inclusiveness and opportunity.

I believe that what gives a person honour and distinction is not wealth or status but their capacity to do social good and the strength of their character. This belief is so firm within me that I took a year off after Year 12 to volunteer in communities throughout Japan, Korea and Zambia.

I returned to Monash, where I had a wonderful time studying medicine. I often think the experience changed my outlook in many ways.

It is a privilege to study medicine. Even as a student, you gain access to the personal details of your patients' lives and are in a position to provide them with comfort when they are most vulnerable.

Medicine challenges you on all fronts -- intellectually, socially, personally and, for some, spiritually. It demands of you not only a high standard of knowledge, but of behaviour, ethics, communication and dedication. These qualities, however, cannot come from a course alone.

An element of many people's lives is a desire to help others. After serving in communities in Zambia, Tanzania, and outback Australia, I became almost addicted to it. I clearly enjoy learning from books, but learning from people has been the highlight of my education.

Although I did well in my Year 12 studies, an entire village of Zambian women would smile and laugh each time I attempted to get water out of the well. And it took me forever to learn how to grind peanuts!

Opportunities arose to visit other places. A lecture on Aboriginal health prompted me to spend five weeks in Kintore, one of Australia's most remote Aboriginal communities.

I have never experienced such great community spirit. On New Year's Eve, everyone came up to the health workers, picking us up, twirling us around and wishing us a good year.

Another summer was spent at Bugando, a hospital in Tanzania, where I could use the skills learned during my tertiary education.

At times some of the injustices in the world are overwhelming. Yet there was a special quality I admired in some of the workers at Bugando -- they maintained compassion without sentimentality.

Overall, I have gained more from the people I have met in my travels than I have given to them and am somewhat embarrassed that people may see it as the opposite.