Dear future exchange students,

If anyone of you asks me whether you should go to Serbia for an exchange practice, I definitely say ˝yes, yes, yes, go, go, go˝. I have to say that, with only 4-week there, I have ˝fell in love˝ with Serbia and its people and had so much memorable moments with not only amazing local people but other students from different countries: Italy, Greece, and Egypt. To be honest, it will take many hours for me to explain to you why you should choose Serbia as your exchange practice.  Within this summary, I would like to share you three main reasons.

First of all, the Department of Neuro-Surgery in the Clincal Center of Serbia, Belgrade is a perfect place for our primary goal: an exchange clinical practice. It is the largest Neurosurgical hospital among Balkan areas which plays as a tertiary hospital admits all complicated neurological cases from other local hospitals. Therefore, just within a month, I had opportunity to observe various brain tumor, and lumbar disc herniation operations for the first time ever in my life. Moreover, thanks to a perfect English of the medical staffs, I was able to follow the operations and getting more clinical knowledge after outpatient hours like symptoms, treatment plans, and prognosis of particular cases. One case about a neglect Schwannoma in a middle aged female patient impressed me most. She got her unexplained unilateral hearing loss for more than eight years but none of the physicians she met had thought about a Schwanoma. Just until she got headache and ataxia, her tumor was diagnosed by a simple head CT scan. The reason why I was so impressed is because I had the topic Schwanoma for my Otolaryngology just before my exchange and my examiner told me exactly the same thing what I saw from this case.

Operational Room

Amazing people whom I met during my exchange are the second reason. All the hospital staffs are very friendly and kind to me. I was instructed not only by my amazing tutor, Dr. Rosa  but also other residents and anesthesiologists. One amazing anesthesiologist guided me how to do an intubation step by step which I feel so grateful for it. Moreover, the hospitality and enthusiasm of local students cheered us up. They took us to many interesting places such as: Adae River, Tesla Museum,Botanical Garen etc. and give many great suggestions about how to explore Serbia as a local. On our last night in Belgrade, we had an unforgettable dinner at the local restaurant with tasty meat in a atmostphere full of local music sung by singers with their instruments.

Dr. Danica – the Head of Neurosurgery – the best surgeons in whole Balkan areas.

Last but not least, the nature and sightseeing of Serbia such as Uvac River or Novi Sac City stole my heart. After five hours driving ourselves, we immersed in breathtaking natural scenes with full of hills and mountains. We were able to explore local towns and try domestic coffee with only 50 Euro cents for one cup. We were also able to stay on top of the mountain to observe flying eagles and challenged ourselves by tracking a 10 kilometers hiking trail. For a person who love being surrounded by nature like me, it was such an invaluable memory that I will never forget.

In conclusion, I totally agree with a description about Serbia in the famous traveling website “Lonely Planet. “Serbia is a cultural fusion and a wild party. Serbia is sylvan hills and rugged gorges. Serbia is serene echoes of bygone glory.”  It is a beautifully mysterious country which definitely worth to be explore.

Ps: 10 of us were staying at City Break Hostel – whose owner was Vojkan – an super friendly host.