OPPORTUNITY FUNDS-BULGARIA 

For High School Juniors and Seniors

Vladimir Markov

Dimcho Debelyanov 134th High School, Sofia

Dickinson College, PA, USA

AY 2017-2021

College Application Essay

“You’re a doctor ?”

It was a dim afternoon; the rain poured onto the streets, making impassable puddles, as I rushed to return home from school. Out of the blue, a vague, slender figure crossed my path.

He was an elderly man. He was neatly dressed, as though headed for a gala,yet something peculiar about him caught my eye - he was wearing flip-flops. He approached me and asked,

“Young man, how do I get to the Military unit? I’ve been called in for duty.”

“That facility has been closed for years,” I replied with frustration.

“I need to get there; I have to serve my country,” he tearfully added, “What will I do?”

That was the moment I realized that his duty to serve was only in his mind. I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t leave the old man to wander around in the rain.

Standing there dumbstruck, I came to a decision. I had to act fast and help the bewildered soldier. Sadly, the man lived far away from where we were. I asked him if he could give me contact information for any relative of his. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled, aged wallet. It was empty, but for a single piece of paper, on which My son was written with nearly faded ink, along with a telephone number. Relief washed over me when I saw it. “That’s it!” I told myself, “That’s the solution.”

Dialing the phone number with shaking hands, I reached his son. Luckily, he picked up. I explained the situation to him. Worried, he immediately asked where I was. After telling him my address and giving him directions, I reassured him that the old man would be safe and sound. We hid from the rain at the entrance to my house, as he didn’t want to go inside.

“What do you do, young man?” he asked, shivering.

“I’m still a student,” I answered.

“You’re a doctor?” he exclaimed with astonishment, having misheard me.

A rush of excitement came over me. I have dreams of becoming one, but I had never been called a doctor. I explained to him, a little louder, that I’m an ordinary student.

“Oh, no, my boy, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t have been here, helping me.”

Those words warmed my heart.

Minutes passed and the man’s son arrived. At first, it was hard to read his facial expression. Joy was intertwined with sadness. “He has lost his sanity,” he explained, getting his father inside the car.

“Thank God he came across you. What can I do in return?”

“Nothing. Take care of him” said I.

He was insistent, though: “I cannot offer you nothing.” He rushed to the nearest store and bought some candy.  I took it. He thanked me again, and so did the old man. “We will never forget what you did for our family.” And they disappeared into the mist.

At first, it didn't seem as though anything significant had happened. But then I started to understand that, in fact, this small act on my part was maybe everything for that man and his family. I had felt satisfaction before in my life, but the one feeling I got that day was a rare one. I was happy to know that I had helped someone who desperately needed it. I kept asking myself, “Could there have been anybody else to help the poor man, or I was destined to do it?” Maybe indeed I was, and I am happy that I did.

This event was an affirmation of my dream of being a doctor. Seldom before had I felt more contented. I learned that the world can be a cruel place for some people, but that you can make it a happier place for them with just a small difference.

Disclaimer

The text is published in its original and unedited version.