Back in 2009, I went to Cameroon for the first time. I was astonished to see the huge difference in term of lifestyle. As I was staying for a period of three months, I decided to volunteer in Douala to kill time; but this experience changed my perspective and shaped my desire of becoming a doctor.
After my baccalaureate, I decided to take a year off mostly to discover the real life, by facing the misery that some people could be the victims of. During my stay in Douala, I volunteered in a place for handicapped people. Wether they were in a wheelchair, blind or retarded, taking care of them every day, showering them, playing cards with them, made me realize that I wanted to significantly change these people’s life. That’s how my desire to become a doctor raised up.
Malaysia. For more than three months, I have worked in St Nicolas Home( Penang), an institute dedicated to autistic and blind people. I was an auxiliary health for them. My responsibilities were to shower them, feed them, take them for a walk, mornings and evenings. I came to know that the ‘’world’’ we are living in, is not necessary their model; they have their own pathway, their own way to approach things. I was torn between two feelings: on one hand I could understand they were happy with their condition but on the other hand I felt sad because they couldn’t experience life in all its glory. So I started questioning the medical field to consider research as possible career to really contribute to improve the condition of a blind person from birth.
I pursued my human experience in India for the next two months. I landed in