What inspired you to volunteer abroad with Gap Medics in Tanzania?
Emma: When I found this program on the internet and decided to get some more information it was because I saw the trip as a way to help me decide whether I wanted to do medicine or not. After reading about the additional cultural experiences, community exploration and many other extra and exciting activities it became much more. I ended up going not only to confirm my aspirations but also the see new cultures, new environments and new people. It was no longer just work experience but more world experience, I was excited to help the locals and provide my support to improving their circumstances.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Emma: Whilst working in the hospital different departments are visited, different procedures are observed and lectures are given to gain deeper knowledge.Placements in the hospital usually involve working monday-friday from 8am to about 1pm, this left afternoons and weekends free to explore and experience. During free time there is so much to do; restaurants for a nice meal, markets for some shopping, orphanages for a visit, locals to chat too, sights to see, sun to bake in, horses to ride and stone-age sites to photograph. The town and the house are so full of things to do and see that there is no time to be bored or to miss home because every second is full of new and exciting adventures.
Ten years from now, what’s the one thing you think you’ll remember from the trip?
Emma: The people. Not only the amazing doctors and nurses in the hospital but also the patients who are so strong and resilient, the locals who are forever dancing and singing, my new friends from all around the world and most of all the staff from GapMedics who became my Tanzanian family. Although the memories and moments will stay the faces of the people in them will have the most significance, without them my time would not have been the fantastic month that it was. They are the reason why I want to return, why I want to make a difference and why I want to tell as many people as I can about just how great they really are!
How has this experience impacted your future?
Emma: This program has had a massive impact, not only upon my future career aspects but also on my personal future aspirations. It secured my dream of a medical career and gave me a further insight into the occupations available within medicine. It also gave me amazing first hand experiences that would have been impossible to achieve under an Australian hospitals regulations.
Personally it has changed my views and beliefs on the world, it opened my eyes towards poverty and Third World countries by allowing me to have a first-hand experience. I know what to make a difference for these people and others in similar situations, I want to contribute to the fight for their rights and freedoms to be recognized and I also want to give them hope that things will get better.