Academic Work

I was invited by a neurologist friend of ours to lecture in a Neuroscience conference in Damascus. Of course I thought the opportunity a very good public display, and would keep me in touch with academic work and medicine.
The lecture took place at the Assad University Hospital two days ago. But before that, I also got my first REAL palliative medicine consult as a home visit.
I had a hard time dealing with the patient. I think Middle Eastern patients like to be good patients in front of their doctors. Nothing is important and all is trivial. It is after family intervention and detailed questioning that I was able to get an idea of what is going on. Needless to say, the patient plays the doctor too, especially if s/he has a medical background. So if you ask whether a leg is hurting, you hear theories about why and how the Uric Acid is doing all that, and most importantly that it isn't hurting.
That is one thing I didn't understand yet, why does every single lab work (including CBC, Chem profile and others) contain a sed rate and a uric acid level. Everyone is so obsessed with uric acid to the point I believe half the population is on allopurinol.
Back to the lecture; I was supposed to start at 6:15. But after the usual delays, and everyone taking more than the allotted time, I started at 6:50 and what's more… I was told to rush and stick to time!!!! Where is the fairness in that?
Anyway, I think I did well. The lecture was about "principles of cancer pain management". Although is felt like basic information to me, but I think it contained lots of new information. I would like to do more lectures in the future.
I don't what the feedback was! Some who saw me afterwards with the inviting friend thanked me for the lecture, and one said that I speak English very well (and how is that going to help me? This wasn't a lecture in reciting or reading).
Wael has with his the conference brochure as a factual evidence of this. Too bad I didn't see anyone I know in the auditorium, but that was ok.