Such a great experience!

Doing my month long medical volunteer program in Tanzania was something I will never forget. I was only 19 but I still got to assist in surgery, go on rounds with doctors, fill prescriptions, do lab work, and work on diagnosing and treating patients myself. This level of hands on experience was something I could never get in the U.S., which is why doing this program greatly helped when I applied to Physician Assistant school. Plus I have so many interesting stories and memories from this trip that people are fascinated by. My host family was so caring and I was able to learn a lot about the Tanzanian culture. Going on safari was one of the coolest things I've ever done! However, there were a few drawbacks. I lived outside of the main town and it wasn't really safe to travel at night, so there wasn't much of a social scene. Luckily I went with a friend, so it was fine. Also, there are definitely some hard times and some cultural things to get used to, like riding public transportation where you have absolutely no personal space, getting used to cold showers, and being called out as a white person while you walk through town. Although the trip was challenging, I'm very glad I went!