Masroor Ahmad Qamar came to Lithuania from Pakistan ten years ago without knowing a single word of Lithuanian. Today, he not only speaks Lithuanian fluently but also teaches nursing students at SMK College of Applied Sciences and works at Kauno klinikos, where every day can mean a fight for a patient’s life. Yet what still surprises people the most is not his profession, but his choice to build his life not in a big city, but in Kėdainiai — a town where, at the time, he was probably the only person from Pakistan.

In this open interview, Masroor talks about his first months in Lithuania, culture shock, patients’ reactions when they hear him speaking Lithuanian, and working in a department where just a few minutes can determine a person’s fate. The conversation includes moving stories from intensive care, honest reflections on medicine as a calling, students’ fears, and unexpected discoveries about Lithuanians, regional towns, and how a completely foreign country eventually became his home.

How did you end up in Lithuania?

I am originally from Pakistan, where I completed studies in dental technology. However, after working in the field for a year, I realised that I wanted more direct communication with people. Then one of my friends told me about Lithuania and suggested that we come here together to study. That is how, ten years ago, at the age of 25, I arrived in Lithuania.

What was your first impression of Lithuania?

At first, it was quite a shock. Where I come from, there are a lot of people — even a place with around 400,000 residents would be considered a small town. The weather also surprised me, because my home country is warm, and I arrived in Lithuania in October, when it was already quite cold.

But I adapted very quickly. After just one month, I understood that I wanted to stay here, because I liked everything: the education system, work opportunities, the environment, nature, and the possibilities to grow. I have a motorcycle, and my friends and I often travel to forests. This is my life now.

Do you already consider Lithuania your home?

Absolutely. Lithuania is my home now. I feel like a guest when I go back to Pakistan.

How did you manage to build your life here?

In Lithuania, I earned two Bachelor’s degrees — I studied Emergency Medical Care and General Practice Nursing. Later, I completed a Master’s degree in Advanced Practice Nursing, and now I am pursuing doctoral studies.

While studying, I met my wife, and together we have three children. I got a job at Kėdainiai Hospital, later at Kauno klinikos, and I also started teaching at SMK College of Applied Sciences. Step by step, my life became firmly rooted in Lithuania.

You mentioned that in Pakistan, a town of 400,000 people is considered small. But after your studies, you went to work at Kėdainiai Hospital. There were probably not many foreigners there. What was your experience like?

There are many foreigners in Vilnius or Kaunas, but in Kėdainiai I was the only person from Pakistan.

Foreigners often think that working in a region means something negative. But my experience was completely the opposite. I worked in Kėdainiai for five years, and people were very welcoming.

Imagine: a sick person comes in, feeling unwell, but then sees me and immediately becomes curious: “Oh, young man, where did you come from? What are you doing here? Why did you choose Kėdainiai?” They would say: “Well done, it is so good that you came to work here, because nobody wants to work here anymore, young people are leaving the regions, and you chose Kėdainiai.”

That really surprised me, and I liked it a lot. And when patients heard that I spoke Lithuanian fluently, they were very happy and often praised me for learning the language.

Now I tell my students not to be afraid of regional towns. Everyone who comes back from Kėdainiai, Jonava or Marijampolė is usually very satisfied. In big cities, it is harder to get practical experience because there are many students, while in the regions there are many opportunities for practice.

Foreign students are often afraid of smaller towns. They worry that people will not accept them. But this is also about psychology. I experienced it myself. When I did not speak Lithuanian, my first thought was that if people were looking at me or whispering, they must be saying something bad. I would see elderly women whispering and think they were talking about me.

But one day I walked past some older ladies and finally understood what they were saying. They said: “Oh, what handsome boys are walking by.” That was when I realised that knowing the language opens up a completely different world. It helped me a lot.

How did you learn Lithuanian?

By communicating with people. I did not have a teacher. When I came to Lithuania, I lived in a dormitory where everyone around me was Lithuanian. After a month, I was offered the chance to move in with other foreigners, but I said that I wanted to live with locals.

Because I heard Lithuanian every day, I started learning it myself — repeating words and sentences, translating them with Google, and trying to speak. That is how I learned Lithuanian.

How do patients react when you start speaking Lithuanian? They probably do not expect it.

At the very beginning, when I started working at Kėdainiai Hospital, everyone was very surprised. Patients would ask: “You speak Lithuanian?”

But after about six months, the whole Kėdainiai district already knew that there was a man from Pakistan working at the hospital who spoke Lithuanian. Kėdainiai is not a big place.

That is what I like about regional towns — people talk to each other, and there is a real sense of community. After three years in Kaunas, I can really feel the difference. In Kėdainiai, I knew all my neighbours. Everyone knew how others were doing, when someone’s children were born, and which kindergarten they attended. Not only because it is a smaller town, but because people actually talk to each other.

Sometimes one person would tell another in the street: “Did you know there is a boy from Pakistan working at the hospital?” Later, a patient would come in and say: “I have already heard about you because my neighbour was here a few months ago and told me about you.” The community there is very strong.

Speaking about your work — you mentioned that you no longer work in Kėdainiai and now work at Kauno klinikos. What is the hardest part of your job that people rarely talk about?

Every part of my work is difficult because it is cardiac surgery and intensive care. We deal with heart, chest and vascular surgeries. There is a lot of stress, pressure and 24-hour shifts. You have to react quickly to every situation. Sometimes, if your attention shifts in the wrong direction for just a few minutes, a patient may not survive.

But at the same time, this work is incredibly meaningful. When a patient who was in a coma wakes up, the feeling is impossible to describe. I remember one patient who was in a coma with us for three or four months and later recovered. Patients like that become part of us. They live with us, and we live with them. We start communicating almost like family members. Sometimes you come to a patient and they ask: “Where have you been? Why haven’t I seen you all week?”

So even though the pressure is very high, seeing a seriously ill patient recover brings joy and motivation to keep working and learning.

What is the biggest myth about your work?

People often think that more patients die in our department than recover. But the reality is different. In almost a year and a half, I have had maybe one or two deaths.
We see many patients who arrive intubated, connected to machines, unable to breathe on their own — it seems like things cannot get worse. But then they start to recover. And that is when you understand that you are helping someone and that your work truly matters.

For me, the most important thing is to help as much as I can. And when, after everything, a patient’s relatives come and say just one word — “thank you” — that is completely enough for me.

Is there a story you still remember?

Recently, we had a patient who stayed with us for about four months. It was not clear whether he would recover. All the indicators showed that the situation was extremely complicated. But we always try to do everything we can.

The patient was intubated and could not move his arms or legs. But little by little, he started to recover. He managed to lift his arms and legs. Every day, his mother came to see him and massaged him. Eventually, we transferred him from our department, and he recovered.

In addition to this demanding work, you also teach at SMK College of Applied Sciences. What is the most important thing you try to pass on to your students?

Most of all, I try to encourage them. I tell them: if I can do it, you can do it too. I share my own story — how I completed my studies in Lithuania, how I learned Lithuanian. I tell them that if I can work here, they can too.

Many international students think learning Lithuanian or building a life here will be too hard. But already three of my nursing students are working, and I am very proud of that.

One of my students recently called me and said: “I just want to thank you. Your life story motivated me to learn Lithuanian, and I got a job as a nursing assistant.”

So motivating students is very important to you?

Yes. Motivation is very important. But it is just as important that students understand what this diploma really means. Medicine is not just an ordinary job. It cannot be a job only for money. You have to want to help people.

Another very important thing is integration into Lithuania. Students need to learn Lithuanian, start working, communicate with Lithuanian people, and understand Lithuanian culture. That is why I constantly remind them: you came to Lithuania, so you need to go out, communicate, introduce yourself, and say that you came here to live and work.

Students often say: “Nobody talks to me.” They are used to their countries, where people greet each other, make connections easily, and communication feels warmer. But these are cultural differences. Lithuanians are also very warm people — they just need to get to know you first. And when Lithuanians open up, they become friends for life. I have Lithuanian friends whom I have known for ten years, since the day I came to Lithuania.

What expectations do students usually have, and what is the reality?

Social media often creates the impression that everything is beautiful and easy — everyone recovers. But during practice, students see the real reality. It is difficult work full of responsibility. Still, what I really like is that after practice, they often come back even more motivated.

When do you see that a student has changed and started thinking like a real professional?

I think it happens after their first practice placement. That is when they see real life for the first time. Around 90 percent of students then understand what awaits them and what this profession truly means. The remaining 10 percent choose a different path. And that is also good, because this profession requires a calling and great dedication.