Syedyshev Oleg
Syedyshev Oleg

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Humorous Essays Based on students' memories

"All have died
except for those who are alive, and those whom we remember"Confucius

Essay 76. Mistakes should be paid for!

They say: The poor are keen inventors.... Though, I would confidently paraphrase the saying: Students are keen inventors. Especially when inventiveness concerns an opportunity to skip such subject as physical training (PT). In my previous essays I wrote how we had done that in our days. We got enrolled into various sports groups and that way received passed in PT. But not to attend PT at all! That never occurred to us. I did sambo, took part in the Institute's competitions and was proud of the fact that I was allowed not to attend PT. Tolik Lopatin went to different competitions among medical universities and won prizes there. Though the students, who studied much later after us were more advanced than us and managed to absolutely avoid the so much disliked by all of us physical training classes.

In the 1990's Roman Zhuk studied at the Pediatric Department of Kemerovo Medical Institute, and lived in Kirovskiy district. Roman studied well. He was not a goldbricker and was practically always ready to answer during his classes. Of course, he gave enough of his time to other fields of student interests, but did his best that they would not interfere with his study, and he succeeded in that. And he had a good example to follow; his mother also had studied at that institute and told him a lot about its traditions and rules.

She told him about the professors and their personalities and peculiarities as well. That helped Roman a great deal. He was doing fine, except for one thing, he grudged spending that much time on trips to physical training classes, full stop. In those years the main institute's building was already moved to Leninskiy district of Kemerovo, and to its part, which was the most remote from the city center. In order to get from Kirovskiy district to the main building, where the Physical Training Department was, and the classes were held, one had to spend not less than two hours. And that was the time spent on the trip one way, but one had to go back after the classes. Totally it took four-five hours. To go by bus was costly for a student's budget. He was nothing if not able to count money and time, and he has always done that. He managed to persuade other guys that it would be cheaper for them to club together and buy a gift for the department at the end of the semester,

than to travel to PT classes several times a week. That was the financial benefit, and the advantage concerning time was of such kind, that his friends agreed with Roma without any hesitations. That was one more of special characteristics of the student Roman Zhuk - to talked persuasively, with confidence and elements of rational psychotherapy in his voice and wording, so his interlocutors practically always accepted his proposals. Well, if sometimes they did not accept them completely, then as the basis for sure.

All the company of absentees happily welcomed the idea of buying gifts and goofed the PT classes off, they even boasted about that to their peers, though as the time of tests came closer, they started having insidious thoughts: What if?.. They approached Roma with their hesitations, but Roma stood firm and did not give a chance to those who had doubts to let them grow. However if to be completely honest, Roman, too, from time to time had similar mean little thoughts: What if?.. So there came the time of tests, and everything went smoothly. The guys bought paint for some brief repair work and flowerpots, and the whole company had their student's record books signed with passed for the PT course.

So that lasted for three semesters. The guys were happy, they did not attend PT classes, and that was why they did not know the department's news. A mother of one of them called them loafers. The department's news had to do with them directly. A new instructor came to the department, and he turned to be a man of principle. So when the loafers, mentioned above, came to get another test, unpleasant news was waiting for them: the skipped classes had to be worked off, every hour of them, either way they had to participate in a skiing competition.

That was a fall semester. Yeah, that was some problem! Roma became depressed a bit. I have always said that student parties, if you are invited, should not be missed. Roman also was hesitant not for a long time, when he was invited. So at one of the parties he met a guy form a polytechnic institute, supposedly.

The guy kind of did not stand out among the other guys, but he turned to have significant achievements in skiing. Roma told him about the new PT scum-instructor, who had such a sadistic way with the students-absentees.

The party was in a full swing, everybody was in high spirits; so Semen, that was the name of the skier-guy offered Roman that he would participate in the ski competition instead of him for a bottle of brandy. Sure enough, Roma agreed. It was done as it was said. In the morning Roman brought his record book to Semen and in the evening received it back signed, and presented the bottle of brandy, like it had been agreed.

Roman was very glad, but again he made a mistake and did not ask Semen about how the competition had gone. And he should have done that for sure. That was a mistake, but as it is known, mistakes should be paid for! Several days passed, and Roman was called to the Dean's office and he was heartily greeted with a record of the institute he set during that ski competition! Well, of course, it was announced, that he would participate in a competition between all universities to uphold the honor of the medical institute. Poor Roma, he, the champion, was a sorry sight. He did not know where to look for Semen, and how to look for him. There were no cellular phones then yet. All in all, Roman had to uphold the honor of the Kemerovo State Medical Academy at the all universities ski racing competition, no matter he liked that or not. And Roma ran, and did that with all his strength, but that was what he did not have much, the strength. Roman ran the race and won the honored seventeen's place out of thirty, at least it was not the thirtieth. The bad thing was that at his won university his optimism was not shared. What was more his scheme with Semen was discovered. Roman still cannot understand how he managed to get out of the scrape without any damages. But, he together with his friends-loafers had to regularly attend physical training classes after that.

The plot was given by Elena Zhuk.

23 October, 2011

© Copyright: Oleg Syedyshev, 2012
Publishing licence #21206220665

Translated by Viktoria Potykinato content ↑


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