My trip to Mwanza_Tanzania
Marie Sharkey (Dentistry)

Early the next morning I took a short internal flight to Mwanza, the scenery was amazing and the views of Kilimanjaro from the plane were breath taking and given that the summit was higher than the aeroplane I was glad that I'd decided not to climb Kilimanjaro, as Lake Victoria and the rock city came into view I couldn't wait to get on the ground and start exploring.

Mwanza airport was very small and missing a few of the fixtures and fittings we're accustomed to in Europe, one being the absence of the luggage carousel but the airport staff were very efficient and I was quickly reunited with my bags. As I made my way towards the exit I received a very warm welcome from James, it was nice to see a friendly face, on the journey back to the Work the World House James got me up to speed with local information. Although I'd seen pictures of the Work the World House I was amazed when we arrived, the house was really nice and the views from the house of Mwanza and Lake Victoria were amazing. I was greeted by the other people living in the house, they were all very friendly and welcoming and understood that it took a few days to learn everyone's name, the other elective students were great sources of information which made adapting to life in Mwanza a lot easier.

My first day in the teaching hospital of Mwanza was an experience, it was very different to any hospital in the UK, the dental department was quite small, three dentists work in the department, two nurses and one technician although the lad hasn't been completed for the technician to date. All the staff were very friendly and although I had a few Swahili lesson in the Work the World house the staff could speak English so communication wasn't a problem, the Dentist's were very keen to learn how we treat patients in the UK and what my opinion was on their treatment plans. I was given the opportunity to be as involved as I wanted to be in the treatment of patients, I provided some routine restorations and extracted some teeth, numerous patients presented with mandibular fractures on a daily basis, I was inexperienced in treating mandibular fractures, I did not feel pressured to treat these patients, I was allowed to observe the treatment of these cases, it was interesting to compare how they were treated in Mwanza in comparison to Newcastle.

Although there were difficult days in the hospital there were many positive days where I felt I made a real difference, within the Work the World house there was a great support network, there were always people there to listen and offer advice when you had a difficult and day and equally there were people to share the success stories with. I had a fantastic time living in the house, some of my most treasured memories are from the barbeque nights, this was the one time in the week when we all had dinner with the staff, as well as preparing wonderful food Diana would demonstrated some traditional tribal dancing, all of the staff in the Work the World house were very kind  and friendly and they made my stay in Mwanza very enjoyable.

As well as the dentistry I had time to have some fun in Tanzania, I went on safari one weekend with some other people from the work the world house, it was an amazing experience. We also spent some time at a local orphanage which was very rewarding and I'd strongly recommend spending some time in the orphanage while you are in Mwanza. After my elective I spent a week in Zanzibar which was wonderful. My time in Tanzania was wonderful, I encountered some fantastic people and I would return to Mwanza tomorrow if it was possible (but I'm stuck in Newcastle as I've got finals to prepare for!) My elective was an experience that I'll never forget.