My trip to Arusha Tanzania
Anna Kirov (Medicine)

I really wanted to do my elective in Africa and Work the World provided a safe and organised way of doing this. I spent four weeks in Mount Meru Regional Hospital.

It was great living at the Work the World house and being able to talk to so many people and share experiences of our placements. All the meals at the house were delicious and on Thursdays there was a barbecue on the terrace with goat kebabs! On some days after hospital, we went out for lunch, shopped at the Maasai market or used the Internet café, then sunbathed back at the house! On Thursday nights we went to Via Via, which was a big outdoor club near the house.

On my first day of placement in General Medicine, I attended a meeting with all the doctors where patients were discussed. I felt immediately included in the team as I was asked to contribute my views on the diagnoses and treatments of patients. The consultant in charge also tested our knowledge of a variety of diseases, which helped refresh my memory! These meetings occurred three times a week. While at first I was a bit intimidated by being asked so many questions, I gradually gained more confidence in giving my opinion on what I thought was wrong with a patient.

On most days I attended the ward round with the doctors. I saw a wide variety of patients, and many diseases that I had never come across in the UK such as malaria, tuberculosis, viral haemorrhagic fever and stage 4 HIV. The style of history-taking was very different and many diagnoses were made without relying on investigations, but on history and examination alone. I helped the doctors by writing in patients' notes, filling in investigation forms and writing prescriptions. I also assisted in a lumbar puncture on a woman with suspected meningitis.

I then spent two weeks on the Paediatric wards, where resources were also limited and there were often two patients and their parents sharing a bed! There were some things in paediatrics I would probably never see in the UK, such as a baby with marasmus. I visited the Premature Baby Unit, which had a room heated to 36 degrees to act as a large incubator. Doing an elective in a poor country really made me appreciate the resources used in the NHS.

Going on safari to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater was amazing! I recommend taking lots of warm clothing as the second night in Ngorongoro was very cold, and a camera with a huge memory card as you will want to take lots of photos! We went with SOK safaris which was very well organised and had great food.

On my last weekend I went to Zanzibar - paradise! We booked our flights in Arusha about a week in advance. We stayed at Safina Bungalows in Nungwi in the north of the island, which we booked through Freddy, the programme manager. The snorkelling trip is definitely worth doing, as you get to see lots of coral and tropical fish. The beaches were stunning!

My elective in Tanzania was the best experience of my life and I hope I can go back one day!