By next Friday....

Peadiatrics had always been my favourite subject. It's less stressful and enjoyable because u're dealing with cute little children. We have our Peaditarics class at the second hospital probably known in Russian as 'Dietskaya Balnitsa'(Children Hospital). If I'm not mistaken there are three children hospitals in Simferopol, and i've already been in two of them.

Our class start every Friday at 8 o'clock in the morning and end at approximately 10.30, but usually our teacher will dismiss us earlier. We learn about the development of children physical and mental, some congenital or acquired pathological conditions in children, and how to deal with them. Sometimes we get the chance to meet the patient which is of course the children, and inspect them or rather just observing them.

There is of course, much to learn.

At about 9 o'clock, we will have a break between class, the time where we stretch our legs and arms and go for a short walk around the hospital or maybe have some breakfast downstair. Me, I'm just looking around. In the middle, there is a medium-sized hall compact with long tables and benches, where we usually seat and prepare the topic for our class.

I would have said that all the children in this hospital are happy and well taken care of in spite of some illness they have, but i would have been wrong too....

It's the usual break we have one day, and i decided to take a look around and maybe have a chat with several children who're having their playtime in the middle hall. There were several chess sets, dam sets, millionaire and some other games i never saw before. One boy was doing some drawing at the back of the hall. Owh, i forgot to mention that the wall of the hall were full with drawings and paintings by the children. It's a very nice view, really. Some of my friends have already started a chess game with some of the children. Me, i'm just looking around.

There is one nurse taking care of all the game sets and watch the children during their playtime. She was busy helping the children with their games, sort of explaining how to play and not to break anything. Me, i'm just looking around. I knew the children were having their best of time in this hospital, until...

The old nurse somehow called me and two of my freinds while we're trying to help some small boys played their Millionaire game. Without hesitation, we just followed her to a small corner and were asked to have a sit.

She started to talk in Russian which is too fast for us to catch up and at first, we didn't understood at all what she wanted to tell us. Our Russian is not that good, we can understand simple words but she's probably talking in some deep Russian that we couldn't even make out what's the meaning. Finally, she saw our shrinking eyes and open mouthed, and started to slow down her 'speach' and talk in the Russian we could understand. Yeah, so she talked about the children and why they are here, who she is, what she's doing with the children, how she take care of them, and a one shocking news to me, those children are orphans either having no parents at all or having a divorce parents. So, yeah i thought they come with their parents here, having a check up and go home.

She called one boy who was standing not very far from us. She took out some old cloth from under the table and told the child to take it. It was a black old pant. Then, she took out some hot bun from the cabinet and hand them down to that paled looking boy. Then she did the same with one little girl who look as pale as the first boy. As if we didn't believe what she's doing, she brought out some very small toy cars which look as if it needs some 'washing and repainting'. She said, this is all we have for those children to play. The toy cars couldn't even move. Oh, God! How misearable...





We got the point. Help them. But we have no idea, classes are pack, exams waiting in line, and on weekend we'll be having our reworking day, there's no times!! So okay, we just said that we'll try to make some donation, and by next friday, we'll hand her those money we collect. In my mind, i have a lotta idea, but i dunno if it'll work or not.

But....

Next friday, it was our university 75th anniversary (it means holiday), and the next friday it's Deepavali (it means holiday too) and today, we went to class as usual....

When it's time to go back, we walk accross the middle hall where the children were playing and i saw that old nurse standing by that little corner. I know that she had been waiting for us with some hope, but we can't help it, its holiday, so she must have been waiting for almost two weeks. And with us forgotting almost everything, we couldn't say anything but sorry. Yeah, we're sorry for those children and every little things they can't have in their young lives.

I make a promise to myself that i'll try to help them with anything i can do and by next friday, i hope, well at least they never have to play with some rotten toy cars anymore.

Me, I'm just looking around....