My trip to Arusha, Tanzania
Laura Butler (Nursing)

I came across Work the World on the internet and booking a placement with them seemed like the perfect option for me, as I have never done any travelling outside of Europe and they were able to provide loads of advice about organising my trip.

On arrival in Arusha we were met at the airport by Freddie, the Programme Manager of the Work the World in Arusha, and taken out for lunch before being driven back to the house to meet the rest of the staff and our new housemates. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and the staff were always on hand to give advice about everything from booking trips to getting the most out of your placement. On the first full day in Arusha we were taken out for an induction, which covered all the basics such as where to get internet access, phone credit and change money. We were also introduced to the dala dalas, the local form of public transport, which was definitely a unique experience!

The following day was our first day of placement, so we were taken to the hospital and shown around by the matron, Sister Kupaza, who introduced us to literally every member of staff there! Sister Kupaza is really friendly and although she does not directly supervise students she always takes an interest in what everyone is doing, and is keen to help people make the most of their time in the hospital. I spent most of my placement on the female ward, and during my time I dealt with patients with a wide variety of health problems including malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and surgical cases. All the nurses on the ward were very welcoming and allowed me to be actively involved in patient care. One piece of advice I would give to anyone doing a placement here is to be proactive and show that you are willing to work and learn, then you will earn the trust and respect of the staff and they will be happy to involve you in things.

During my time in the hospital I visited several other departments, including major theatre, minor theatre and the Counselling and Treatment Centre (CTC), which is the out-patient department that provides care for people with HIV and AIDS. I found this particularly interesting as I was keen to learn about HIV and AIDS during my placement. The doctors in the CTC spent time taking to me about the treatments they provide and I was allowed to sit in on some of the consultations. Despite my (very!) limited knowledge of Swahili I still found this useful, as the doctors kindly explained things to me in English as they were going along. I also spent a week on the labour ward, which was amazing as I have never had the opportunity to do this at home.

There were plenty of things to keep us amused in our spare time in Arusha. The Maasai market is lots of fun as long as you are willing to haggle and there is a variety of bars and restaurants and a few clubs as well - Via Via on a Thursday night is particularly good! No trip to Tanzania would be complete without a safari, and we spent three days in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara watching the wildlife. I was amazed at just how many animals we saw and how close we got to them, it was definitely my favourite part of the trip!

I really enjoyed my time in Arusha and met loads of great people during my stay. The staff out there were really helpful and supportive, since I have been back I have especially missed Witness, the housekeeper, and her amazing cooking! After eight weeks we were sad to leave, but enjoyed four days relaxing on the beaches of Zanzibar before flying back home. I would definitely recommend a placement with Work the World to anyone looking to do something different and challenging on their elective, it is a brilliant experience and looks good on your CV too! I would like to thank all the staff in Arusha and the UK for helping me have a fantastic elective.