My trip to Arusha, Tanzania
Lisa Timpe (Nursing)

The eight week elective placement which can be spent almost anywhere in the world was one of the moments which I had been looking forward to throughout my nursing course at the University of Manchester. I have always loved travelling and particularly enjoyed those trips which enabled me to learn more about how people lived in other countries.

I had never been to Africa before, but had always hoped that I would be able to go one day. From previous experiences I knew that organising a placement in a country which I had never been to would be difficult. With the help of Work the World however, it could not have been easier to organise my nursing placement in Arusha/Tanzania.

My placement at Meru District Hospital was very interesting and all the staff were incredibly welcoming. My Kiswahili was improving during my stay but far from good, nevertheless, my attempts to speak it certainly provided entertainment for staff and patients at times. Despite the occasional language barrier I did feel part of the team and learnt that there are so many ways of communicating with patients and their families other than verbal communication.

At weekends I was very fortunate to be able to go away a few times. My first trip was to Zanzibar with some people from the Work the World house. Staying in a wooden hut overlooking the white beach and swimming in the warm sea during the day and then enjoying a drink and nice food in a nearby restaurant/bar in the evening was certainly a great way to spend the weekend.

Having looked at Mount Meru from the terrace of the Work the World house in Arusha every day for a few weeks, some of us decided to attempt to climb the mountain which is not quite as high as nearby Mount Kilimanjaro. Our three day trek to the top was challenging at times, but being able to see the sunrise next to Mount Kilimanjaro certainly made the climb worth the effort.

One of the things that I definitely wanted to do whilst being in Tanzania was to go and see the wildlife in one of the numerous national parks. We were able to organise a three day camping safari through one of the local tour operators to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, all of which are only a few hours drive away from Arusha. As expected, seeing all the wildlife in the national parks, which I had previously only seen in zoos or in wildlife documentaries on TV, was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

Like the majority of students who come to Arusha for their placements with Work the World, I also regularly went to Paradiso Orphanage which was always a fun and at times chaotic but overall an extremely humbling experience.

At weekends we also explored areas close to Arusha through one of the many cultural tourism tours which can be booked through the tourism office. On the one I went we were able to learn a bit more about the Maasai culture. As it also happened to be a market day we were able to have a look at all the different things that could be bought there. These ranged from the sandals made from old tyres to food produce and cattle.

It is difficult to find the right words to describe what a great time I have had in Tanzania.  I cannot thank everyone at Work the World and all the people that I have met enough for enabling me to have such a fantastic experience.