Program Reviews

I was able to secure a month long internship in Rwanda as a medical elective during the month of April. This month was really special to me not only in developing professionally by exploring the psychiatric topics in depth and practicing my psychiatric interviewing skills, but also due to the timing of April being the national commemoration month. I feel GEI was able to excellently accomodate all my objectives within the limited time I had with the program. I learned about a different culture, while working in the field of psychiatry. The local GEI team also helped me coordinate weekend trips to nearby cities (Nyungwe Forest, Gisenyi- a beautiful town on Lake Kivu), which allowed me to explore other parts of Rwanda.

I truly enjoyed all the time I spent with everyone, from the hospital professionals to my host family. On one of my very first weekends in Rwanda, my host cousins accompanied me to Amohoro stadium to attend the national commemoration event and even translated word for word what the speaker and witnesses were saying. My experience there could not have been more powerful. I highly recommend going if you're there during the event. GEI did a wonderful job with my homestay placement and I strongly encourage future interns to stay with a local Rwandese family.

I will be a psychiatry resident in a couple of months and this experience has only made me more excited and enthusiastic about the direction of the field.

Tips:
-Most people speak Kinyarwanda, just like with any culture, they really appreciate your efforts in learning their language! (French is also commonly spoken)
-Travel the local way-especially visiting other cities. I've met many friendly Rwandans who went out of their way to help me and sometimes taking the scenic route is the best way to explore!
-Try the small fried fish (Isambaza) in Gisenyi, a local favorite and one of my favorites!

In early 2018, I luckily took part in a Consulting Abroad Program, organized by GEI. It was such an incredible and amazing experience for me.

During the program, participants were given real challenges faced by a Vietnamese company in the technology field. Even though it turned out to be very complex in comparison with student abilities, we tried our best to brainstorm and find where the inner problem lies. Because of the difficulty, we were pushed to learn as much as we can. We were fuelled with informative and interactive series of lectures that were very helpful to our proposed project. For example, we had a session on Big Data and its impact in the Vietnamese digital sphere. This gave us the opportunity to better understand and visualize business opportunities for our tech-company.

Besides this technical knowledge, the program gave me a precious chance to build relationships with cool friends and enhance my soft skills. With honesty, openness and respect, we quickly got to know each other and grow friendship. Every day we worked closely in teams, constantly researching, discussing and trying our utmost to come up with feasible solutions for the company. Each member was a critical thinker so I had to persuade them, sell my ideas and also listen to others’ opinion. I was really impressed by the way my international friends respond to (cultural) differences with respect and simplicity.

I know that communicating effectively in a multicultural environment is a key to success for global future leaders. With this in mind, I always tried to keep my mind open so that I could discover new insights and perspectives. As a result, I could feel that my mindset and communication skills were gradually progressing.

Furthermore, we had many fun activities to relax, get to know each other and share valuable time together. We exchanged a lot about our culture, tried to speak each other’s language and gently pointed out differences between typical Western versus Eastern behaviours. Hence, we became more understanding and respectful of diversity.

Overall, the time flew so quickly by but the experience has helped me to become more aware of the world’s diversity and thus be more open-minded, able to adapt to various environments and to meet great and interesting people. Most importantly, I learned to step out of my comfort zone and enjoy it. I have the feeling that this was a turning point of my life. I am so thankful to GEI and my international friends for giving me such a great chance to broaden my horizons and create unforgettable memories.

GEI’s Consulting Abroad Program in Vietnam was a life-changing experience. Our assignment to do market research for an IT company was much more than just a project. GEI enabled us to study and practice “design thinking”, a comprehensive and creative approach to identifying and solving business challenges. Working on real problems of a real company helped us to improve many skills, including problem-solving and working in a team. I particularly also enjoyed the social interaction with our new international friends. We were also able to share our culture, food and history, explored temples, museums and flea markets together, and even celebrated the new champions of Vietnamese football. I strongly recommend joining this program!

The HBB program delivery in Vietnam with the GEI team(Patty Kelly and Vivian) was an excellent experience. It was very well organized and the program delivery method worked well for the targeted audience who participated. Team members on the delegation all worked well together delivering the program cohesively and professionally. It was a truly unique and inspiring experience to work with the local providers in the centers we visited. Watching the local participants as they progressed through the course and absorbed the HBB info was transforming! I would do another trip with GEI in a heartbeat!! Well done!

The Global Mental Health Summer School/ Conference was a fantastic way to consolidate knowledge gained from an MSc in Global Mental Health. It was a way to learn about challenges and successes in mental health care in Rwanda and the wider regions from those in country and be able to compare and contrast with the literature that is available, bridging the gap between our academic knowledge and evidence and our lack of practical or lived experience in the field.

The information was presented in a way that was easy to understand but having a background knowledge in the area allowed a more effective and critical look at the information and reflecting on the similarities and differences with whats presented in literature to the experience on the ground.

The presenters were inspiring and showed a high level of expertise that was invaluable. However, being able to share experiences with other students and mental health professionals also attending the conference from Rwanda and other places around the world meant that you not only learnt about current initiatives but also how they translate on the ground. Additionally, it meant being able to share and compare our different cultures, values and the way our countries promote mental health and prevent mental ill-health, reflecting how we can incorporate newly learnt initiatives back home.

A wonderful week full of reflection, friendships and learning.

There is a real difference between looking and seeing. Just as there is between listening and hearing.

My internship in a psychiatric centre in Rwanda really let me explore these differences. We can look at mental health care without seeing what it achieves, what is gained, or what is being missed. We can listen to peoples stories without hearing the deeper meaning for that individual. By allowing myself to be immersed in the environment at the centre, in their values, practice and looking and listening beyond the surface to the reasons behind practices and procedures meant I could not only make the most of my learning but also allowed any suggestions or concerns to come from an informed, reflective and ultimately respectful and helpful place.

Equally, I felt that the staff and patients truly saw and heard me. This mutual respect led to an open, collaborative and mutually beneficial learning and practicing environment as well as to friendships that will last a lifetime.

In terms of the GEI team, they always saw if we needed extra support and heard any concerns or feedback we had and worked conscientiously and effectively to resolve any concerns.

Thank you Rwanda, for giving me the opportunity to see and hear all you have to offer during my internship and for opening my eyes and ears to new ways to approach mental health care.