The weekly question – What is the public transport like?

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
028 150x150 The weekly question What is the public transport like?

Safari

The majority of our students use public transport to get into town or to travel to their placement. In fact joining the hoards on a busy bus can sometimes be the best way to integrate yourself into local life. Trips to work can also provide some of the funniest travel experiences of your time away. We asked our students “ what is the public transport like in your area” in the hope we might hear about some of these funny and typical travel experiences. We had some fantastic responses from each of our destinations, with real insight into each country.

Starting in Africa;

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The weekly question – What tips can you give for making the most out of your clinical experience?

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

We always try to prepare students as much as possible before they head overseas for their placement. Past experience has shown us that the more committed, enthusiastic and pro-active they are, the more likely it is that they will get some fantastic hands-on experience.  This week we have decided to ask the students in each destination “What tips can you give for making the most out of your clinical experience?”

SDC14889 150x150 The weekly question What tips can you give for making the most out of your clinical experience?

Paediatrics in Argentina

When we asked the students in Mendoza they all agreed on one thing: don’t be afraid to ask questions! “Even if you don’t master the language, leave your shyness at home and ask everything you need to know” also, “make sure that you explain from the very beginning what you are capable of doing, what you want to do and the things that you are interested in seeing” said Kimberly.

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The weekly question – Are you enjoying the local music and is there a type of music or song that has defined your stay?

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Students are always talking about the great Busy Bees cover bands in Pokhara and last week some of our students in Mwanza ended up going to the Serengeti Fiesta where they got to see Shaggy as well as a whole host of local bands. This week we have decided to ask the houses “Are you enjoying the local music, does it get you dancing and is there a type of music or song that has defined your stay?”

Paradiso 2 150x150 The weekly question Are you enjoying the local music and is there a type of music or song that has defined your stay?

Dancing at the orphanage

The most popular style of music in Tanzania is Bongo Flava which is the nickname for Tanzanian hip-hop music.  Jennifer in Arusha was quick to jump in with “I definitely like the local music – it’s the thing that brings everyone together from all backgrounds and encourages them to dance. It was great seeing the children at the orphanage dance. It can be a way to communicate, the language of music automatically lights up everyone’s faces!”

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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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Tanzania: A Medical Elective by Ben Casey

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

For my elective I decided to travel to Tanzania. It is a country I’ve visited before as a tourist and I loved it so much I wanted to go back and see it from another perspective. I arranged a placement with Work the World as they promised to take all of the hassle out of arranging it. It paid off.

Mount Meru Regional Hospital 150x150 Tanzania: A Medical Elective by Ben Casey

Mount Meru Regional Hospital

My elective was based at Mount Meru Regional Hospital in Arusha. The hospital has some 450 in-patient beds (although this might better represent the number of patients rather than actual beds as described later) and sees 600 out-patients daily. It serves a large population and provides a wide variety of services: A&E, obstetrics and gynaecology, TB and leprosy wards, general surgery including orthopaedics, psychiatry, and physiotherapy among some other departments. It was and is a very busy hospital and is staffed by very few doctors who are assisted by over 180 nurses.

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The weekly question – How has tourism affected your destination?

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Katherine Parsons 30 150x150 The weekly question How has tourism affected your destination?

Piled into a daladala

Some of our destinations (such as Arusha) are quite touristy and some (like Mwanza) are a bit more off-the-beaten-track.  This week we asked how tourism has affected the destination in which our students work and how do they ensure that they still have an authentic cultural experience?

Emily in Arusha found that “the tourism adds to the variety of people I have met. People travel for many reasons and it’s interesting to hear their stories. I try to eat as much local food, take the daladala and ask as many questions as possible. I have also found that not travelling in a large group leads to more meaningful and interesting interactions.”

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The weekly question – What is your favourite in-country fact?

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Natalie Wood Arusha 3 150x150 The weekly question What is your favourite in country fact?

Students on safari

As much as we try and prepare you for your time overseas, there are some things that you simply won’t know until you get there.  As well as the immediate contrast in clinical practice, each destination we offer provides a fascinating cultural experience so this week we asked the students what they have learnt.  We asked them “What is your favourite in-country fact?!”

In Arusha, Lucy learnt that “Fluoride in the water here causes the yellow stains on the teeth.  Before coming to Africa I thought this was caused by tobacco”

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Preparing for your time overseas

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

This month sees the return of the weekly question that we pose to our students overseas. It’s always fantastic to get some advice and feedback from people in-country and we understand that travelling to the other side of the world, particularly to a developing country can be quite a culture shock. This week we decided to ask “How can we better prepare you for this?”

IMG 0724 150x150 Preparing for your time overseas

Experience village culture

As usual, Freddy in Arusha came back to us first.

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What are the biggest cultural challenges…

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Now that the houses are getting busy again and our new programme managers in Ghana, Nepal and Dar & Zanzibar are settled in, we’re getting lots of stories back about student experiences living and working overseas. Although in some ways there are many similarities to living and working in a developing country regardless of the destination you are in, there are also some fascinating differences triggered by the culture of each country. To highlight these differences and help anyone out who is still trying to decide which destination suits them best, each week I send the same question to each of our programme managers to discuss with the students at dinner. The responses are always hugely varied and regularly make fascinating reading….

This weeks big question was “What are the biggest cultural challenges you have found living overseas?”

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Elective student Karen talks to Joe about cultural challenges in Ghana

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Abby Sept 09 40 150x150 Elective student Karen talks to Joe about cultural challenges in Ghana

Ghana has some beautiful beaches

Not long a ago if I had asked Karen if she had thought of going to Ghana before, her response would have been no. Like many of the students she imagined Ghana as a bit dangerous, with tribal cultures that she didn’t understand. As soon as she arrived though, this pre-conception of Ghana disappeared. “Right from the big smile or hug of Prince at the arrival hall to the journey from Accra through the countryside to the Oil city, Takoradi, I was already thinking that I loved Ghana. Now that I have been lived here for a while and seen how lovely and hospitable the people are; every one saying good morning to you even when you have not met before; as well as done some amazing travelling, I want to come back to Ghana next year!”

It hasn’t all been easy though. Adjusting to the food, language, weather, attitude and culture of the people takes getting used to and the students often tell me that it can really depend on an individual’s personality. Some fit in really easily, love the food and chat easily to locals. Others take a few days to settle in. Karen’s first meal, jollof rice- rice mixed with tomato sauce and spices – was her favourite within the three days of her stay in Ghana. On the other hand Evelyn, another of our students who has been in Ghana for over a month, still hasn’t found a Ghanaian dish she particularly likes. And although Karen loves the food, she has found it harder to get used to the pace of life. Coming from New York-where everything is fast paced, busy and tough, she sometimes finds Ghana a bit slow. Everyone does things in their own way, own pace, with a more relaxed manner, which was hard for her to get used to.

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