My trip to Kandy_Sri Lanka
Katie Anderson (Nursing)

They provide a comprehensive service which caters to all needs and will tailor your placement so you can facilitate any academic targets that you may need to achieve. Throughout this whole process, I was given a lot of extremely useful information and felt supported at all times. 

I decided to travel to Sri Lanka by myself as I wanted some life experience and to also practice nursing in a country which was so diverse and exciting. I spent the first weekend in Colombo by myself before I met Nili at the train station. It was amazing... I spent most of my time trying new food, meeting the locals and relaxing by the beach. So, don’t be scared to try new things by yourself!

 After meeting Nili at the station on Sunday, we took the train to Kandy. Nili informed me of my placement, the hospital and lots of fun activities that I could participate in which comforted me greatly. The train journey is about three hours in total, but with spectacular views of the countryside, villages and tea plantations that you really do wish it would last longer.

After arriving in Kandy, Nili took me to the house to meet my new friends. The house is so beautiful, so you’re in for a real treat! The balcony in the house has the most outstanding view of Kandy, with sun sets that take your breath away. After meeting the staff and housemates we went for lunch. Nili then booked a Tuk Tuk so I could have a private tour of Kandy. All of this helped me feel part of the team and unwind.

On my first day of placement, Kavinda the Programme Manager picked me up at the house and drove me to the hospital. He took me on a tour and we visited all the children’s units that I would be working in. As well as this, Kavinda gave me a lot of valuable information on the hospital, its policies, and working hours and emphasised “keeping an open mind!”

I spent 5 weeks in total working in the general hospital. During that time I visited: Children’s Surgical Unit, Paediatric Intensive Care, Theatre, the Children’s Medical Unit, the Sick Baby Unit and the Lactation Management Centre.  As you can see, I had an extremely varied and diverse 5 weeks at the hospital - it was a huge shock initially and took time getting used to. The hospital is incredibly busy, hot and at times, a little over whelming. But the staff are fantastic and will help you along the way. My advice is that with every bad day, comes a really great one! No day is ever the same, but it is so worth it in the end.

When my fellow housemates and I had afternoons free, we explored Kandy. Kandy is a brilliant and vibrant city with lots of fun and exciting activities to do. This includes: exploring the markets and sari shops, visiting the Temple of the Tooth, lazing in the sun after a long walk to the Buddha on the hill, trying our hand at Kandyian Dancing and eating lots of delicious food!

Making the most of weekends and organising trips away was another important element of my elective. I visited Trinco, Bentota, Ella, Dambulla, Polonnurra, Unwattuna & Colombo. So, book up and enjoy exploring! Sri Lanka is such an amazing, beautiful, exotic and outstanding country. There is so much to do so don’t miss out!

Overall, I had such a life changing experience in Sri Lanka. I have met some amazing new friends and learned a lot about a developing health care system. It really has changed me as a person and I couldn’t thank Work the World enough for giving me this unforgettable experience.