Leaflet from Dr. Amir Feily’s diary of of residency and four years living in pavilion.

It was the first day of residency when I went to Emam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz, entered the dermatology division, and introduced myself. The head of the team asked me to introduce myself to the senior resident and get some guidance. I did so and met the senior resident and negotiated about dormitory, renting a house, and the course’s starting time. That senior resident recommended staying in the dermatology pavilion (residents’ restroom) for a while and then rent a house or stay in the dorm. I went to the pavilion and saw a guy living there called Dr. Mahdi Saboktakin. We made conversations and shortly became friends. Mahdi suggested staying with him in the room and not seeking houses for renting. Honestly, I was skint so I agreed and stayed in the pavilion for my residency years. The dermatology pavilion is a 20-square meter room that is divided into two sections and linked by a narrow corridor and generally assigned for the on-duty residents. It contains three beds and Mahdi and I took a couple of them and the remaining bed was used by on-duty residents on daily basis. Moreover, Pavilion is a room for the break time of all residents and eating lunch, so the door was frequently opened and closed, and we hadn’t any private moment there. However, with all of those harsh circumstances, I stayed there and started my residency. In the mornings we were in the department of dermatology and the afternoons, we were reviewing our lessons. From the beginning of the residency, I had been working in the emergency as a GP in the night shifts to have a reasonable income, then instantly going to the department for the following day. Despite the difficulties, I passed the 4 years of residency in the pavilion and now they are sweet memories that I will never forget. 

Days before the promotion test when residents get stressed, Dr. Mehri who lived with his family and has one year more experience than me, came to Mahdi and me in the pavilion one month before the exam to study together. Dr. Mehri was older than us and we loved him so much, however, we made a lot of fun with him. To do the pavilion works, such as cooking, making tea, or washing the dishes we were competing in our lessons, and the loser had to do that works.

The exams were muliple choice test and one of us was asking the rest, and who eventually failed, was the one doing the works. Mahdi and I were roommates and we were already prepared the questions and answers and told each other the right answers by signs. So, Majid was the regular loser and he always lost his spirit because he thought we were fully prepared for the exam and he was just doing the pavilion works. Every time Majid came to us, even though he was older but he had to do the works and until the day we finished the residency course, he never figured out why he was always the loser. (Dear Majid please forgive us for what we did with you). Finally, the residency, with all of those hardships, was one of the best periods in my life and I never forget the memories with my friends and professors.