The Weekly Question – Were you nervous about travelling overseas for your placement? How did you conquer your fears and what advice can you give to future students?

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Students are often slightly anxious about travelling overseas for their placements, particularly on their own.  So this week we’re asking the students in Africa, Asia and South America, “Were you nervous about travelling overseas for your placement? How did you conquer your fears and what advice can you give to future students?”

drinking blood1 150x150 The Weekly Question Were you nervous about travelling overseas for your placement? How did you conquer your fears and what advice can you give to future students?

Preparing the goat!

Arryl travelled to Arusha all the way from Canada “Before leaving for my elective, my circulating thoughts covered every emotion: excitement, fear, concern, and yearning. I was about to travel eighteen hours to the continent Africa. Needless to say, I settled in so quickly! The only advice I wish to leave you with is to go with an open (and un-judgemental mind) and literally jump, leap, and bound to these amazing opportunities that await you. This is more than a medical placement; this is a life changing opportunity and one that can forever impact your future. Do anything and everything you can, from climbing a mountain, to eating raw goat kidney. Your Tanzanian life awaits you. Have fun, play safe. And remember, this is Africa.”

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Elephant census in Sri Lanka

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Sri Lanka has started the first nationwide survey of its elephant population, as reported in the Guardian today.

The survey, which started late on Thursday, lasts until Saturday evening and the results will be published in a few weeks. They are classifying the animals by age and sex, and trying to get an idea of their movements and distribution.

Taking advantage of the dry season, some 3,500 people are counting the elephants from watchtowers at 1,500 watering holes and ancient irrigation lakes. Because the elephants are thirsty they are expected to travel to the water in great numbers.

There is some concern from conservationists over the purpose of the census. Elephants are revered by many in Sri Lanka and there is suggestion the count up is a way of finding strong young elephants to be captured and donated to temples. This has been strongly denied.

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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 – 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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Controversy over Sri Lankan land development

Friday, July 29th, 2011

Wanderlust have released an article that highlights the concern in Sri Lanka over the development of Kalpitiya.

Tourism has raised it’s ugly head again and the endless drive to develop hotels and theme parks is threatening local communities, habitats and wildlife.

News controversy over sri lankan land development 150x150 Controversy over Sri Lankan land development

Wanderlust reports on land development

Kalpitiya is a peninsula on the west coast of Sri Lanka and a popular destination for travellers. Sri Lankan and international campaigning groups, including Tourism Concern and the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, have called for an immediate halt to the development, claiming that it will, “destroy livelihoods, threaten food security, and wreak havoc on the environment.”

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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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Ayurveda – Nili invites you to join her.

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

Our Assistant Programme Manager in Sri Lanka, Nili, accompanies the students who sign up for the Ayurvedic Medicine Experience. Here she tells us a bit about why Ayurveda is an important form of treatment in her home country.

“Representing the 30th generation, we work with Dr. Shantha, an orthopedic specialist. His medical knowledge has been passed down to him by his ancestors who practiced it over 3000 years, and now he is willing to teach Work the World students this traditional medicine.

Abby 2011 16 150x150 Ayurveda Nili invites you to join her.

The medical cabinet

Dr. Shantha’s little hospital is set on a rural village called Horiwila, 20 minutes away from Habarana town. His hospital is comprised of the wards, “the clinic”, “the surgical theater” and “the pharmacy”. Patients from as far away as 200 KM travel to Horiwila to get treated by the doctor as he is well know all over the country as a gifted healer. He does not charge his patients, but they make small donations for the treatments they get. Some patients come to Horiwila when they think the “western medicine” is not helping them with a fast recovery. Others do not even consider “western medicine” as an option for their medical conditions because they have much more faith in traditional medicine. This is partly because only the organic substances are used in all the oils, pastes and decoctions.

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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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Northern Sri Lanka opens up for visitors.

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

The BBC reported today that many foreigners will now be allowed to freely visit northern Sri Lanka.

The north was severely affected by a civil war between the army and the Tamil Tiger rebels who fought for a separate homeland in the north for 26 years. The Tamil Tigers were defeated two years ago, but until now permission was needed for journalists to travel in that direction.

The director general of the government media centre for national security, Lakshman Hulugalle, told the BBC’s Sinhala service that restrictions imposed for travelling to the north for journalists were withdrawn at the end of May and the defence ministry has decided to remove similar restrictions on everybody else.

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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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