Christmas in Tanzania

Friday, January 27th, 2012

This must be one of the first Christmases where I haven’t woken up super early to see what was under the tree.

IMG 3534 1 150x150 Christmas in Tanzania

party hats!

What we have had today though is lots of laughs, fun, food and generally a lot of lazing about in the heat with drinks in hand. All in all it’s been a fantastic day. We made a big breakfast spread this morning, moved the Christmas tree out into the yard and basically set up camp in the cabana for the rest of the day. The girls then moved to the kitchen to make a cake for Emmanuel’s birthday which is also today. After ruining the package cake mix with a rotten egg we had to start from scratch with no recipe and only basic ingredients. It wasn’t the worst cake in the world but that’s about all the praise I can give it. It did look good though. Pimms and lemonade and a BBQ finished of the afternoon and now it’s beers and scrabble as the afternoon cools off and the sun starts to set on Xmas 2011.

I asked everyone what was the best Xmas gift they had ever received. Funnily enough no one could really come up with one. I think what really makes a great Xmas is the people you spend it with and the experiences you share. While I am certainly sad that I am not with family today this had certainly been a unique Christmas and one I am not likely to forget in a hurry.

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Arriving in Tanzania

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

I have made it to Tanzania safe and sound!

P1000970 150x150 Arriving in Tanzania

Emmanuele and my new home!

I had my first taste of the Arusha town centre yesterday and today was my first day in the hospital.I have so much to say but I’m not sure where to start. I’m still so overwhelmed and struggling to adjust.

By African standards, I will be living in absolute luxury for the next 8 weeks. The house is in a relatively posh area of town with giant houses surrounded by large fences.

The hospital where I will be spending most of my time is a referral hospital for the region but is still quite basic.  The entrance is always quite crowded – it’s a gauntlet of ‘Mambos’, ‘Jambos’ and ‘Taxi?’…. everyone wants to talk to the mzungus! Our Swahili is definitely getting better but I’m sure no-one is fooled. We are still tourists to them.

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Top 10 … reasons why our Intensive Spanish Course is the best!

Monday, January 23rd, 2012
1. From basic to proficient in one week – our course starts with the basics and progresses to include medical terminology. This will really help you in a hospital environment.

DSC05324 150x150 Top 10 ... reasons why our Intensive Spanish Course is the best!

Learning Spanish helps you translate menus

2. Focus on your discipline – We make sure our teachers in Mendoza and Arequipa know each student’s clinical interests before you even fly out to your destination. By the time you start, they will have developed specific material that will help you learn the terminology needed for your placement.

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SCOR winners = two very excited Tasha’s!

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

We’ve been talking to the Society of Radiographers prize winners about how they felt when they found out that they had won the opportunity of a lifetime, and what they hope to achieve during their time away…

“I am so excited about this opportunity.  I never thought I would win with all the other highly talented students out there so I am honoured.  Today I got the call from Simon to start discussing what country I would be interested in going to – very distracting when I am studying for my exams next week!  Work the World offers a variety of countries so I am looking forward to sitting down after my exams and going through each destination in detail to see which one appeals the most.  A reward after the hours of revising and sitting exams.  From first impressions I would like to travel to Peru or Ghana, but I need to do more research before I decide.  I would like to experience a more rural hospital to see how radiography is applied there compared to the UK.  While abroad I hope to spend time in the community and experience local customs and traditional meals.” Tasha Kirby

“On hearing that I was a winner of the competition I was ecstatic! It was the best Christmas present ever and for days it felt like a dream. It was so surreal – to go work in Africa has always been an aspiration and to think I was chosen makes it extremely rewarding.  I have been in touch with Work the World, so it already feels like my journey has begun. Each time I speak with the team I get more excited – if that’s possible! I’m planning my trip for June time, which won’t come soon enough, but will be so satisfying after exams! I cant wait to go and experience the vast differences in culture, religion and ultimately healthcare. Meeting new people is something I love and although their healthcare systems may not be as privileged as ours today, I know there will be so much to learn from them and it will be a life changing experience.’ Tasha Jevdett

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Pigeon Island – travelling in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

As everyone knows, Sri Lanka is an island. But there are few more other small islands around Sri Lanka that are not so well known.

“Pigeon Island” is in Trincomalee, in the the north part of Sri Lanka, a 5 hours journey by bus. It’s long journey but the trick is to travel on a Friday after placement so you save time travelling and have the following day on the beach.

The Trincomalee beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka – white sand with blue water. There are no waves, so you can walk in to the sea for about 500m and still the water will be up to your waist. In ”Nilaveli”, which is about 10KM from Trincomalee, you have the amazing “Pigeon Island” and the best parts of the beach.

In Pigeon Island you can scuba Dive and do snorkeling – it is like the Discovery Channel in front of your eyes, only this time it’s for real…..

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Want to take something with you? Kayleigh has some tips!

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

The most important thing I brought with me on my midwifery placement to Tanzania was equipment donations for the hospital. My friend and I managed to take out alcohol gel, goggles, plastic aprons, gloves, baby clothes and sterile needles and syringes. We also left the staff our scrubs and theatre clogs when we left. Giving the staff our donations on our last day really was the best part of our trip; they were so grateful and got so excited as they delved into the bags! They also insisted on dressing up every baby on the ward in a western baby grow. I have such lovely photos of that moment and the memories of it will stay with me forever, it was such a small thing for us but such a help to them, as they are very underfunded. I really would recommend bringing your own scrubs with you anyways, as the hospital did not have a lot of them. Plus it is safer for you and the patients if you are not transporting germs to and from the hospital- just as it is in England.

Joanna Sillince 2 150x150 Want to take something with you? Kayleigh has some tips!

Newborn babies

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Sigiriya – one of the wonders of the world

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

“Sigiriya” is one of the most recommended places to visit in srilanka.It used to be one of the 7 wonders in the world. It’s a fortress of a king who used to live in Sri Lanka in early days. Most of our students go to visit Sigiriya on a weekday since this can be done during a day. So they can save weekends for more beach time. It’s a 2 and a half hour drive from Kandy. And it’s a 45 minutes climb. If you go in an evening you can witness the Sunset.

Plus you can take some lovely pictures from up there. Even maybe some New Profile Pictures…..

Sigira 150x150 Sigiriya one of the wonders of the world

Sigiriya

On top of Sigiriya 150x150 Sigiriya one of the wonders of the world

On top of Sigiriya

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Elective fundraising tips – how to write a press release for newspaper and radio

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

One great way to raise funds for your placement is to increase awareness of your elective in the community in which you live or study. It can lead to huge public interest and in some cases, sponsorship from locals or businesses. The most interesting one we’ve heard so far is a student who managed to get the local amateur dramatic group to donate two nights worth of takings towards his placement!

The best way to get your story to lots of people quickly is to send it to radio stations and newspapers, that way all the publicity is done for you. The problem is that you are one of hundreds of elective students appealing for sponsorship in a pile of millions of potentially newsworthy stories. Why would they pick yours to publish? Well they won’t if you don’t put in a bit of effort and follow the correct procedures! The good news is that we’re here to guide you through the process of dealing with the media and give you the best possible chance of reaching the eyes and ears of your local community.

Who should I approach?

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NHS midwifery skills fade …. can we learn from Tanzania’s delivery rooms?

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

When I embarked on my midwifery elective to Dar Es Salaam, I was unsure as to how it would apply to my current practice within the NHS in England. What I was sure of was that it would be an eye-opening experience. In fact when I stepped into the hospital on the first day I realised that even this was a huge understatement – it was under resourced, struggling with funding and had huge cultural differences.

Abby 2009 4 150x150 NHS midwifery skills fade .... can we learn from Tanzanias delivery rooms?

Maternity practices are very different

Southampton, the city in which I am a studying,  has a growing population of ethnic minorities and I’ve found that we are caring for more and more  African women within the maternity service. I was keen to learn more about the cultural practices around pregnancy and childbirth so that I could feel more prepared to care for them.

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Winner of SCOR comp shares her Sri Lankan experience

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

When I applied for the World the World competition, I was thinking what a unique experience to learn a different culture’s way of working and living. When I won, I knew it would be the shaping of me as a radiographer and as a person.

Alison April 10 51 150x150 Winner of SCOR comp shares her Sri Lankan experience

Life in Sri Lanka

Work the World provided such great support, both in the UK and in the host country. Whilst in Sri Lanka Kavinda (programme manager) and Nili(assistant manager) became my friends and family – they were vital to the success of my placement. For example, Kavinda ensures that the departments are content with the individual students participating in their hospitals.

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