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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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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The top ten…. diseases in Nepal

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

Top 10 (Inpatients)

  1. COPD  (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  2. CVA  (Cerebral vascular accident)
  3. Birth asphyxia
  4. PLWHA (People Living With HIV/AIDS)
  5. Septicemia
  6. NIDDM  (Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus)
  7. Pneumonia
  8. MI  (Myocardial infarction)
  9. ADS (Acute Death Syndrome)
  10. IHD (Ischaemic heart disease)

Top 10 (outpatients)

  1. Pneumonia
  2. GE
  3. EF
  4. Appendicitis
  5. COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  6. RTI (Respitory tract infections)
  7. Injury / Dislocation
  8. Hepatitis
  9. Pyrexia
  10. Sepsis

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What it’s like to work in Nepal…

Friday, October 21st, 2011

I worked in the Emergency Department of a a non profit International Non-Governmental Organisation teaching hospital. It was an imposing building overlooking the city of Pokhara and looks expensive (i.e beyond reach for many of the locals). The reality of the fact is that it isn’t, but not many people know that. As a result between the hours of 08:00 and 15:00 – when the regional ‘cheap’ hospitals are open – the teaching hospital ED is remarkably quiet.

In ED we saw the many similar conditions to those we see in the UK. However there was an awful lot more trauma (resulting from RTCs and falls from trees!) and an alarming number of cases of meningitis.

In Nepal, if you injure someone resulting in a disability that stops them working, you have to support them for the rest of their life. There are horror stories of people reversing to kill people that they have run over. I heard stories that it is cheaper to bribe the police when there is a dead body!

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No more disappearing behind a bush on Everest…. toilets are being installed!

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

For the last few years there has been plenty of chat about Everest base camp and the amount of litter that people leave each year. We’ve heard about highways being built to cope with the number of tourists and we’ve seen lots of footage of overly burdened gurkas carrying sack loads of tin cans back from the well trampled route. The Saving Mount Everest Clean-Up Expedition team bring over 8 tonnes of rubbish from Mount Everest and its trekking trails!

rubbish 150x150 No more disappearing behind a bush on Everest.... toilets are being installed!

Rubbish removed by Saving Mount Everest

People and rubbish = a big problem.

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Sri Lanka vs Nepal – what are the differences?

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Have you been thinking about doing your elective with Work the World in Asia, but can’t quite decide whether to chose Nepal or Sri Lanka? I completely understand your dilemma – both countries offer so much, but are so different from each other. It’s difficult to imagine what to expect or what to base your decision on.

To help you with your choice, I wanted to give you a little overview of the hospitals, the houses and what makes these destinations particularly special!

Clinical opportunities

Abby2011 7 150x150 Sri Lanka vs Nepal what are the differences?

A ward in Nepal

In Nepal we are based in Pokhara and we’ve partnered with a couple of large hospitals from both public and private sectors. The government hospital generally offers an excellent insight into basic healthcare provision for Nepal’s working class population. It’s a good option for students with an interest in primary healthcare and general fields of medicine and nursing and has proved particularly positive for general surgery, emergency and obstetrics and gynaecology.

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The weekly question – Why did you choose to do your placement in the destination you’re in?

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

We think that one of the hardest parts of organising an elective is actually deciding where to go. Whether you’re tempted by the tribes of Africa; the mountains of Asia or the flavour of South America, wherever you decide to go, your elective overseas will no doubt enrich both your professional and personal development in a safe, supported environment.

We currently work in seven locations around the world and like to talk to students in depth about each destination before they make a decision – this way they can work out which placement is most suited to them. So the question we chose to ask the houses this week is “Why did you choose to do your placement in the destination you’re in?”

Abby 2011 2 150x150 The weekly question Why did you choose to do your placement in the destination you’re in?

A Sri Lankan beach

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The Weekly Question – What is the most interesting piece of local curiosity or handicraft that you have seen and tell us a bit about it

Friday, July 15th, 2011

We know that students love to travel at the weekend and often find fantastic souvenirs or witness fascinating ceremonies. This week we are asking the students “what is the most interesting piece of local curiosity or handicraft that you have seen and tell us a bit about it.”

Alison April 10 210 150x150 The Weekly Question What is the most interesting piece of local curiosity or handicraft that you have seen and tell us a bit about it

Kandy centre

Sri Lanka is a treasure trove of exotic delights and crafts you can take home with you. Jan and Rebecca, 3rd year Midwifery students from New Zealand have packed their cases full of pashminas and tell us that the “batiks look really cool, they are great for wall hangings and cushions. But make sure you barter hard for them and buy them of the central market and not Queen’s Hotel shop. The pashminas are really beautiful and good quality. Once again barter. Pay no more than Rs.650 for the plain and Rs. 1100 for the patterned.”

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The weekly question – What is the most interesting and positive encounter you’ve had with a local outside of your placement?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

We love to hear about what students do in their spare time when you are overseas; from tea drinking between shifts with the local staff in Nepal to attending loud and lively weddings in Ghana…This week we asked the students “What is the most interesting and positive encounter you’ve had with a local outside of your placement?”

Gifts shop Arusha Maasai Market 2 150x150 The weekly question What is the most interesting and positive encounter you’ve had with a local outside of your placement?

The Maasai Market

Carol in Arusha reports that “Haggling with the locals in the Maasai market is a bit intimidating at first but great fun once you get into it.” Fiona agreed and said “it’s a good way of practicing Kiswahili too.” Louise has even made friends with some of the Maasai mama’s “Making friends with the ladies in the maasai market gets you a good bargain! They remember my name and call “Louisa” every time I go there.”

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The weekly question – what is the best mode of money to take overseas?

Monday, June 27th, 2011

One of the most common questions we still get from students in the run up to their elective is “what is the best mode of money to take overseas with me?” It used to be the case that traveller’s cheques and local currency were all you could take but times have changed and managing your money overseas is easier and safer than ever.

All of our placements are located in colourful and bustling destinations where ATMs are easily accessible. We always take you out on your first day for an extensive orientation of the local area so you know exactly where to find the banks, internet cafes and all the other travel essentials.

There is lots of information and suggestions available for each student in the downloadable info pack on My Trip, but there is nothing like getting answers firsthand from students to put the mind at ease!

So this week we asked our students overseas “What is the best mode of money to take with overseas? US dollars? travellers cheques? bank card? english money?

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