When I first picked Russia for my exchange, I expected it to be a good learning experience and a lot of fun, but the reality was so much more than I expected or even hoped. I was blown away by every aspect of my regrettably short stay in Omsk.

 

     On my first day in Omsk, I was greeted by the city festival. I didn’t even know about it before I arrived, but it was a great coincidence. Everywhere I looked I was rewarded with beautiful views of greenery, flowers, great architecture and people having fun. It was a sign of the good times to come. On that day I walked for no less than 8-9 hours, just wandering around in the city. By the time I came back home I was very tired, yet satisfied and excited for the rest of the month.

     Before arriving, I only knew that my practice would be at the oncological hospital, but I didn’t have a lot of info about it, so I didn’t have any special expectations about it. Due to this, I was caught by surprise when I was first shown the hospital. It is extremely well equipped and taken care of. The equipment in the operation rooms is the most advanced I have ever seen. All members of the staff I had the pleasure of dealing with, were very professional and skilled. They were also extremely nice, helpful, and they even sometimes went out of their way to teach us something during surgery and to help us benefit the most. We were allowed, even asked, to assist many operations in different departments. It was very beneficial to me, and I’m glad I got this chance. I’m very thankful to all doctors, nurses and staff members at the hospital for being such a great help. I am especially grateful to Dr Maksim Naboka for being directly responsible for us, facilitating everything we needed and solving any problem we may have encountered at the hospital. My special thanks and gratitude also to Dr Vadim Tsvetaev for being like my mentor there and for letting me assist him in many surgeries, and for teaching me a lot during these surgeries.

     As for the social aspect of the trip, our group was a small but tight one. We were 6 incoming students, and we were always in the company of some of the Russian international team. They were constantly trying to show us the best ways to enjoy our time there, the best places to go, the best activities to do and generally how to have a good time, and we did have a great time during the whole month. I can now say I have friends from Russia, Brazil, Estonia, Serbia, Kazakhstan, and one new Egyptian friend. My thanks to Ekaterina Blauman, Milana Kitaeva, Anna Savkova, Ivan Andrusenko, Irina Shvalyova, Alexander Ereschenko and Kirill Leevigan from the international team. This wouldn’t have been possible without you.

 

Ahmed Abdalla Hassan