Omar Al-Obaidi, a student at the School of Medicine in English of the JU MC Faculty of Medicine and winner of the INTERSTUDENT 2017 competition in two categories, talks about his path to the Jagiellonian University, his opinion on Kraków and his future plans.

Bartosz Zawiślak, JU Press Office: In your short bio you mentioned that your studying at the Jagiellonian University started out as a coincidence. Could you elaborate on that?

Omar Al-Obaidi: I wanted to study in Eastern Europe, so I did a little research on all countries that have dentistry programmes in English. I found out that Poland was one of the best countries for that. Then I applied to four or five universities in Poland and got accepted into almost all of them. I chose Kraków because I had friends here who recommended it, but also because I had visited the city before and liked it a lot. So I thought the Jagiellonian University and Kraków would be the best combination. And it is!

Is there something particular about Kraków that you think is impossible to find elsewhere?

I don’t think there’s one specific thing that is impossible to find anywhere else, but I think the combination of having everything in one city is impossible to find elsewhere. Everything from the history of the city, to the beautiful cafeterias and restaurants in the Main Square and Kazimierz, to the affordable prices of living, to good universities and amazing student life.

As I understand, you are of Iraqi descent, but you were raised in Sweden. That gives you a very unique perspective, because you’ve had first-hand experience with both the culture of the West and the Middle East. How does it compare to Poland? Was it easy for you to blend in?

Actually, I was born in Iraq, then I moved to Syria for several months when I was seven years old. After that, I moved to Dubai and lived there for three years, and then to Jordan for one year. Then I went back to Dubai for two years, moved to Iraq once again and lived there for a while until I finally got to Sweden at the age of thirteen. After living there for about six years, in 2013 I decided to come to Poland. All this moving and travelling has shaped the personality that I have today. It wasn’t easy. In fact, adjusting to living in different countries was pretty hard. But it was also a very unique experience that many would love to have, at least to some extent.

As far as blending in is concerned, when it comes to things like culture, society, architecture and so on, in some ways, Poland reminds me of Sweden, in others – the Middle East. That’s also quite exceptional, since it makes me feel like I’m home and evokes all kinds of pleasant memories.

Do you feel that the Jagiellonian University is a welcoming place for foreign students?

I do believe that the Jagiellonian University is very welcoming for foreign students. There are international students from all over the world, which makes it easy to learn all about other cultures and find new friends.

Are you interested in medical research, or just the practical aspects of dental medicine? If so, could you tell us a little about your interests?

Well, maybe I am more interested in the practical aspects of dentistry, but I would absolutely love to do some research and write some academic papers in the future too! I have already started  conducting research on the aesthetics of teeth and fillings colour at the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics. I’m also working on a publication on bioethics in intercultural integration. I’d love to do more research, both to learn how to do it well, in order to improve myself, but also because you learn a lot through the process of researching.

So yes, definitely, I would like to embrace both the practical and the research aspects when it comes to dentistry. I think that is the best way to becoming a good dentist. So, if any professor is reading this, I just want to let you know that I would be honoured to learn from you if you let me take part in your research projects.

What are your plans for the future? Are you fully committed to the idea of establishing dental centres in Sweden, Poland and Dubai, or do you have some sort of an alternative plan?

I usually don’t like to plan too far ahead, because my life is always full of surprises. It’s very unpredictable. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have anything figured out. In the near future, I’d like to, obviously, finish my studies at the Jagiellonian University, go back to Sweden and work there for two years, until I decide what exactly I want to specialise in. Then I’d see where I could study to gain my specialisation and focus on that. Maybe I’ll invest more time into research. Maybe I’ll even decide to apply for a PhD programme.

Now in the long run, I’d love to have medical centres in different countries in the world, but most preferably in Sweden, Iraq, Dubai and Poland. That’s my dream, and I know it won’t be easy to achieve, but I believe nothing is impossible. I’d also like to volunteer to go to Iraq from time to time to provide less fortunate people, such as war survivors, with whatever help they may need. But before that, I have to gain a lot of experience and financial support. But that’s the future. For now, I have to focus on more pressing matters, like my Polish classes tomorrow.

A report from the INTERSTUDENT 2017 gala is available here.
Photographs from the gala: Anna Wojnar.