EVP Bucharest 2011

“ The study stay in Romania?! Are you serious…?” That was the reaction of everybody who had heard where I was actually going in November. Yes, four adventurous dental students keened on exploring new things, included me, chose from two countries – Romania and Bulgaria – the first one. Taking part in EVP (European Visiting Programme) in the capital city called also Small Paris or Paris of The East – in Bucharest. Imprudence? Courage? Adventure? Experience? Prejudice? Various things ran through my mind, but there was nothing to stop me in desire to fulfill my dream – go abroad, see the running of a foreign clinic, get to know new people and bring home a lot of experiences.
Friday in the morning. The Slovak expedition full of mixed feelings from the unknown has just flown in on the Romanian ground. The raw weather and the grey clouds hanging over the horizon intensify a mild tension. Mara – the contact person is awaiting us at the airport. Fine, we are not lost. The transport provided – another plus. We are observing the city on the way to the hotel. Obviously, the architecture of the outskirts and the extended centre is strikingly similar to ours. Remarking drily that the whole Eastern Bloc had the same architect we are feeling like at home for a while. In the evening Mara is acquainting us with the programme. There is the reason for looking forward to! On the second day we are moving to the hall of residence where we are going to stay at till the end of our visit. The accommodation is paid and thanks to  our sponsor CAMOSCI Slovakia, s. r. o. it will be the same for  the Romanian students when they are in Slovakia reciprocally. During the weekend we are spending our free time getting to know the Romanian students and visiting the museums.
The new week has started. Our colleague, the third former, has his own timetable and we, the fourth formers, are taking part in practices from Dentoalveolar Surgery, Pedostomatology and Prosthetic Dentistry. The boxes for dental chairs on the Surgical Ward  look quiet cramped. The second room is overcrowded and one patient is being watched by 15 pairs of eyes. We are being informed that there are about 300 students in every year and so we are no longer wondering about the amount of students at one practice. But another surprise is that there are 10 Faculties of Stomatology  and that dentists spring up like mushrooms in Romania. What about filling the shortage of dentists in our country by support from Romania…? The practices from Pedostomatology are the pleasant surprise. There is no lack of patients and every student is working hard. In the course of the week we are attending the practices from Prosthetic Dentistry as well. That’s only a big plus that the teaching doctors can speak English, so we are involved in the teaching process actively and can watch the students working.
Apart from the duties, we’ve got also a bit of free time for wandering in the wonderful park, the trip to Transylvania to the legendary Dracula’s Castle and taking a walk in the magical city centre. The majestic buildings are followed by the smaller ones with the beautifully decorated facade. We are finding lots of well-preserved historic buildings and although we’ve come across some ruins, we have to admit that we are amazed by the centre. A language barrier? Not at all. Most of waiters in cafés and restaurants can speak English. A helpful woman at the Information, a sightseeing bus where you can make yourself understood in English and pay by card, reconstructions of streets – this is the evidence that although the signs of the dictatorship are deep, the city is recovering and wants to utilize its potential.  In my opinion the city will be the popular European capital in the further years and there will be a lot to offer to tourists.
Taking part in an exchange stay abroad opens eyes, broadens man’s horizons. We’ve got rid of any prejudice, we’ve seen the running of the clinic and the teaching process in another country, we’ve got to know the kind, hearty and active students, who cared to make us feel comfortable as much as possible in their country. And I have to admit that they succeeded. I find the stay successful and enriching. My colleagues and me are as early as now looking forward to the new term and the states where the next EVP will be possible!
Kristína Václavová