My trip to Arusha_Tanzania
Charlotte Reilly (Medicine)

The house was wonderful and a great opportunity to meet healthcare professionals from all over the world. Over the space of five weeks I made friends for life! The balcony has the most amazing views of Mount Meru. Don't go expecting to lose weight- Witness's wonderful cooking means you have no chance. Thursday night BBQ's are the definite highlight of the week. They give you a chance to dress up, eat different foods including goat, and head out to Via Via; an outdoor nightclub and sing some karaoke.

WTW offer an induction day which was a great help, Freddy took us around Arusha to help us gain our bearings. They also helped us to but SIM cards and set up phones to work over there (this helped to keep my Mum happy knowing she could get in contact if needed), you get treated to a delicious lunch at the Police Officers Mess and you will also get your first taste of the Massai market where you will spend all your spare money over the course of your elective. The endless rows of jewellery, bags, scarves, beaded goods are just too tempting. You'll probably get good at bartering just before it is time to leave!

I spend the first three weeks of my placement in paediatrics; at first I was a little bit overwhelmed but everyone was so friendly that I soon felt part of the team. On a day to day basis I would help the intern doctor on the ward round. There was lots of opportunity to practise examination skills and throw out ideas about differential diagnoses. The doctors were very keen to teach on diseases such as malaria which was very useful. One of the great things about the placement was that everyone was happy for you to move between teams this gave me the opportunity to gain experience in malnutrition in children and to spend some time in neonatology. I spend the second half of my elective in casualty which was a real eye opener. As my Swahili was progressing I was able to interact more with patients. I also had the opportunity to improve my confidence in gaining i.v access.

The most moving experience was visiting the orphanage; the house has a link set up and a group of students tend to go most afternoons. The children are the happiest I have ever met yet have so little. They loved colouring, playing games and using you as a human climbing frame. Remember to take a bag to sneak home the japati's which are cooked for you-far too many to eat there and then!

The weekends offer the opportunity to get out and explore Tanzania. Safari is a real must, we took a three day package to Ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti with SOKO (they offer really good prices if you can get a big group of you). The 5.30am starts were definitely worth it - we saw all the big 5. We had a lion walk down the side of our jeep which was surreal! We also managed to see a lioness kill a gazelle! Camping can be a little scary especially when a elephant walks straight through the camp however the guides assured as we were very safe.

I also spent a long weekend in Zanzibar which has a very different feel to Arusha. Although we went in Ramadan which made finding food in the day fairly hard we still had an amazing time. The narrow streets are full of shops waiting to be explored. Mr Mitu's Spice tour is fascinating - I never knew pineapples grew on a plant on the ground. Prison island is another un-miss able trip, there is the opportunity to feed the giant tortoises and to go snorkelling. For a few days at the beach I recommend Kendwa. We stayed at Kendwa rocks in a beach bungalow, it was paradise!!

Other worthwhile trips whilst in Arusha include a trip to Kilimanjaro national park, the coffee plantation and the snake park where there is the chance to ride a camel (not something I will be repeating in a hurry!) Freddy has lots of contacts so organising all these trips is really easy.

I would really recommend an elective through WTW, it gives the opportunity to experience a third world environment but with the peace of mind that there is a team of locals to support you. There is no hassle writing to lots of hospitals, arranging visas, accommodation. My one regret is that I wish I could have stayed longer!