My belated father was a dentist, a dedicated clinician who would always strive to deliver dentistry to the highest standards. Soon after graduating, he was presented with the opportunity to practice dentistry in Iceland. He invested into a mobile dental unit and travelled by Jeep across Iceland to provide dental care to the most remote mountain villages on the country's East Coast on a regular basis. Despite the daily challenges of battling with the weather conditions such as the extreme climate, scarce daylight for months and the mountainous terrain, the experience as a whole was very rewarding as he was able to provide much needed dental care to a whole region deprived of regular dental services and he felt that he was making a difference to people's health and wellbeing.
Studying dentistry abroad was a path less commonly taken during my time. As the doors were closing within my home country I decided to explore other options elsewhere and came across dentistry offered in English within the Balkan region. I was attracted to go to Bulgaria as it was home to three well renowned dental schools. A country I knew very little about and was intrigued to find out more of this destination that would allow me to chase my dreams. I decided to apply to dental school in Varna, a beautiful seaside coast town alongside the Black Sea. I was excited to embrace a new culture and was ready for the challenges that would come with it. From learning a new language to adapting to new mannerisms and customs to adopting a frame of mind that is open, these are all key to surviving in a new country.
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