LOOKING BACK

Famous view in Moscow (taken in red square)

As I'm approaching the end of my 5th year here in Moscow Medical academy in Moscow Russia, somehow looking back for the 5 and half years I've been studying and staying here, there are bitter sweet memories.

Studying medicine here in Moscow was a big challenge in the beginning. When i 1st came here, i can't speak a word of Russian, the people here seems to be cold and everything seems to be hair wire, there weren't many Malaysians here that time and it was quite a tough time.

Things here are so expensive and eating out here really cost a lot. i remembered last time i do not dare to go to the market because i do not know russian and i do not know how to buy food, i always end up buying things i do not want. Sometimes the shopkeeper and I do not understand each other and that causes the shopkeeper to be frustrated and i remembered i got so much yelling from them. This is 'sloika' it's a bun with different kinda of stuffing in it. I used to eat it
almost everyday as it was one of the cheapest food or snack for lunch.

This is kotlet, it's actually meat with different stuffing (cheese,
spinach, mushroom sauce, sour cream etc.) weird but delicious one of my favourite.

This is one of the russian soup that i like 'borsh' it's healthy and yum yum

But somehow, as years goes by, things get better. I'm now attending a international church where there are many Russians that can speak english and i got to learn the language from them, as i begin to learn and speak their language, things got so much easier in communication, My lessons are mostly in English and the more i learned the more i found out that this country has a very deep base and history in medicine. And i actually find it interesting an did not regret coming here to study. This is a pic of my main university (dean office mainly) but my classes are usually
in other hospital which are located all around moscow.

Many Malaysia's doctor do comment that students studying in Russia are terrible, i do not know about other universities but in my uni, it's nothing like that. The lecturers do their best to teach us students what they know and many times it's us students ourselves who does not have the initiative to learn. Many times we complain that this lecturer does not teach well, i don understand what they are saying etc, But come on we're all Universities student, we ourselves should take the initiative to learn and read up on certain topics or disease and if we really don understand that's when our lecturers come in, instead of expecting our lecturers to spoon feed us.

Living and studying here had really been a great experience for me, beside studying, i know a bunch of good friends, group mates, room mates and block mates. I also learn how to deal with problems, stress, loneliness, depression (of course with God's help). I also learn to look at things or situation with a different perspective.

It's definitely not easy to leave home and come to a strange land, it really takes lots o courage. For those who are like me being so far away will understand how much it takes to go through all these for 6 years or more. (Dealing with home sick, missing food back home, dealing with different types of people in group and even the room or block really do gives us a different kind of experience) and i believe that once we can go through all this with the right attitude and character, we are made ready for the future awaiting for us.