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 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 – 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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Esala Perahera- my favourite time of year!

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

Kandy Esala Perahera is a magnificent procession with dancers, elephants, drummers, musicians and yes, more elephants, parading through the streets of Kandy. It is the most colourful and elegant Buddhist festival that takes place in the month of July or August every year for 10 days to conclude on the night of the full moon of August.

Flickr user Wildlife Kosmos 150x150 Esala Perahera my favourite time of year!

The festival in Kandy - image by Wildlife Kosmos, Flickr

Originated in 4th century as an annual ritual, enacted for Gods’ blessing for rain, fertility and health, the modern perahera has been joined by the Devale Perahera , which was dedicated to the four guardian deities, Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama, and Pattini in the 18th century.

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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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Top 10…. vaccinations to get before you go!

Monday, June 27th, 2011
Heading overseas is an amazing opportunity to see the world. But whilst  excitement and adventure await you, there are also plenty of nasty diseases that you need to protect yourself from. The bulk of these are through vaccination before you leave and this top ten will hopefully encourage you to get down to the doctors in plenty of time!
  1. Diphtheria – most UK students will have been had this at school as a child, but check with parents to make sure. The disease is transmitted by respiratory droplets or contaminated food and drink. The bacteria most commonly infects the nose and throat and causes a gray to black, tough, fiber-like covering, which can block the airways. In some cases, diphtheria may first infect the skin, producing skin lesions.
  2. Tick Borne Encephalitis – UK students can get a vaccine, US students need to get a shot when they arrive in country. Main tick hosts are small rodents and although you may want to avoid rodents on your trip, it’s not worth the risk. Tick Borne Encephalitis is a viral infectious disease involving the central nervous system and most often manifests as meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis.
  3. Hepatitis A & B -Hep A – transmitted through contaminated food and water , Hep B through bodily fluids like blood, semen or saliva. Initial features are of nonspecific flu-like symptoms, malaise, muscle and joint aches, fever, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. A small proportion of people with acute hepatitis progress to acute liver failure.
  4. Japanese Encephalitis – spread by mosquitos. In a small number of cases (about 1 in 200 infected people) the illness can be serious. Infection may start with fever, tiredness, headache, vomiting, and sometimes confusion and agitation. This may progress to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and this can cause permanent brain damage and is fatal in some cases.
  5. Meningococcal Meningitis – transmitted by respiratory droplets. Infection results in swelling and irritation (inflammation) of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
  6. Rabies- contracted through a bite from an infected animal. For a human rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.
  7. Tetanus – caused by bacteria living in soil, so if anything dirty pierces your skin you could be at risk. Tetanus bacteria produce a toxin that affects your brain and nervous system. This toxin causes your muscles to repeatedly contract and go into spasm.
  8. Typhoid – shed in faeces and spread through contaminated food and water, a risk prevalent in restaurants etc if waiters do not wash their hands. Typhoid ranges from being a mild illness to causing death. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, constipation or diarrhoea.
  9. Typhus – transmitted by lice and fleas. Typhus is any of several similar diseases caused by Rickettsiae. The name comes from the Greek typhos meaning smoky or hazy, describing the state of mind of those affected. Along with the fuzziness, abdominal pain, backache, rash, fever, headaches and joint pain are common.
  10. Yellow Fever – mosquito borne. In mild cases the symptoms are similar to influenza, but serious cases develop a high temperature and may have a series of after effects, such as internal bleeding, kidney failure and meningitis.

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The top 10….. Ayurvedic myths!!!!

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

1) Ayurveda only uses herbs and oils  – FALSE. Ayurveda uses milk, ghee, butter, honey, molasses, salt, minerals and alcohol in many of the treatments. Animal products such as milk, gallstones and bones are sometimes used.

Abby 2011 2 150x150 The top 10….. Ayurvedic myths!!!!

Ancient Ayurveda Scrolls

2) Treatments mean instant cures – FALSE – Some treatments can be fast acting, but because Ayurveda treats the root of the disease / ill and aims to rid the body of it entirely, it can be quite a slow process.

3) Ayurveda treatments are harmless – FALSE – Some of the medicines use herbs that can contain harmful toxins and molecules. Only the right mixtures will have the desired effects. In short, don’t try this at home!

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The 2011 conference….and not a delegate to be seen!

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

It’s that time again…… the Work the World yearly conference is here!

The key reason for the conference is to discuss the programmes achievements (loads) and failings (barely any!) as well as talk about plans for the future.  And though the days are filled with seminars and meetings, bringing everyone together naturally brings benefit to each member of the team. We get to learn more about what each person does, what challenges  they face and how we can best support the rest of the group.

Last year the UK office and Jay from India headed out to Tanzania for the conference. For those of you that were following the blog, you’ll remember we had an amazing time visiting our programmes in Dar, Arusha and Lake Victoria.  At each destination we enjoyed the hospitality of the house teams, with barbecues and dancing, visits to the local sights and tours of the hospitals we had heard so much about. It cemented mine and the rest of the sales and marketing teams understanding of the Tanzania programmes and now when we discuss Tanzania with students, it is with real passion for the destination.

This year it was our turn to host the conference and all seven programme managers were invited to Brighton for a week of fun, frolics and a few meetings. It’s amazing to go abroad, but we were really excited about welcoming the guys (and girl – sorry Nat!) to the UK as many had never been before. A few of the managers had never even left their home country, so Brighton was going to be a huge change for them. Nic put loads of work  into finding the perfect house for them, Ali and Rob planned amazing days out in London to show them the sights and Faye slaved over her agenda to make sure we all got time with each programme manager. Simon had the camera on standby and Abby and Amy amalgamated hundreds of student queries about each destination ready to grill the managers. Flights were booked and sandwiches ordered, we were ready to go……

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