““ I saw how the local surgeons managed with fewer resources than we have in New Zealand, and how communication skills and interactions with patients and their families differed to back home. Culturally it was an enriching experience, being invited to local ceremonies and living amongst people with a completely different way of life. I have learnt to appreciate many more things back home and have gained more exposure to how people around the world live. I was also able to spend some time in the Himalayas, walking amongst huge snow-capped mountains and learning about acute mountain sickness. This experience was enriching and will impact me for a long time to come.” ”

“Reflecting on the experience, it was on a short break lying down in a dentist chair in the clinic on the second night that I was beginning to question what I had got myself into - working day and night only stopping briefly for meals, with blistering feet and an aching back and legs. To get into the clinic for a break however, I walked past the patients and their families who were waiting outside for their procedures, some of whom had been waiting patiently all day. This made me reflect on where I was and what I was doing. I realised it was a trade-off of a few sleepless nights and long hours on our feet for these people getting operations that they otherwise would have had to wait months for, or not been able to have at all due to financial and geographical reasons. The rest of the time on the mission was still physically challenging but mentally much easier following this reaffirmation.”

“Alongside the difficulties were hugely rewarding experiences. The children brought immeasurable joy to our days. The warmth of people everywhere ensured we felt welcome and safe. The opportunities to simply be a part of both the arrival of new life and the passing on of it were humbling. The stunning landscape and natural resources created awesome adventures.”

“The drive to romanticize rural Africa is tempting and seems to come almost instinctively given the vast beauty all around. In reality, the challenges were plentiful and at times overwhelming – and for me these need to be acknowledged. The access and economic barriers to health services and education ensure late presentation of disease more often than not. In the face of such severe illness, and tethered by significant restrictions in resource availability, you can imagine the impact on the attitudes and motivation of the local healthcare professionals who are immersed in this environment year after year. ”

“My first impression of Guatemala was a good one. It is a beautiful country; it is mountainous, with terraced hills, numerous looming volcanoes, and diverse forests. Traffic is busy and chaotic, people are everywhere and food stalls; notably fruit, line the roadside. Churches stand tall in every town, Catholicism being the main religion here.

And of course, a town is not complete without a football field, even if it does consist of a dirt patch with makeshift goals at times. The small football I carry with me everywhere when I travel became one of my greatest assets.”

“It had been a long-standing goal of mine to undertake my final year elective in a developing world hospital. With help from the Jacob Beck Jaffurs Scholarship I was able to achieve this goal in January 2018, when I spent two months studying at Teule Hospital (also known as St. Augustine’s Hospital) in Muheza, Tanzania. The experience proved to be utterly incredibly and completely exceeded my expectations. I gained a wealth of knowledge and perspective, and feel privileged to have worked alongside the many doctors and clinical staff there. ”

“My elective in Muheza, Tanzania was a truly life-changing and eye-opening experience. I faced the many challenges of working in Teule hospital, and left with a greater appreciation and understanding of not just medicine, but the developing world, poverty, and culture. ”

“I spent my elective at Tamakoshi Hospital a community-run hospital in Manthali, Nepal. It was a 15 bed E.D/ Primary Care/ Dental Unit/ Pharmacy combined into one, with an ethos of community involvement, primary prevention and outreach. As part of my time there, we spent a week on a rural outreach camp into Northern Ramechapp, visiting remote villages who had never had a medical team visit before. It was a chance to experience the trials and highlights of working within a developing country’s health system, within the context of an incredibly welcoming local team.

We drank lots of tea, ate a lot of dhal bhat and made great friends.

I can not write this report without acknowledging the enormity of the event that happened on the 25th of April. Nepal was rocked by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake and we were in the middle of central Kathmandu at the time. We had luck on our side that day, when so many had not. It will remain the defining moment in my elective- for better or worse.”