What inspired you to go abroad?
I was inspired to go abroad firstly because I love to travel. Growing up in a diverse and multicultural city, I feel great joy when appreciating other cultures in their truest form. When I travel, I’m able to fully immerse myself in a new culture rather than reading articles about it.
This immersion is a little uncomfortable in the moment, but every single time I look back on a travel experience, I see how it made me the person I am today.
Why did you choose International Medical Aid?
I chose International Medical Aid because it gave me the opportunity to travel, learn, and help others all at the same time. My university does not offer study abroad programs for my major and requires us to stay on campus to take major-specific courses.
IMA let me study abroad during the summertime without interfering with my coursework. IMA is also more than just a study abroad program. They host community health clinics and make essential donations to the local hospital.
Taken after a health education clinic at an elementary school.
What was your favorite part about Mombasa?
The food I ate in Mombasa, Kenya, was like nothing I have ever eaten before.
Mombasa is uniquely located on the Indian Ocean, south of the Middle East, and in the heart of East Africa. Trade routes connecting these locations made for some mind-blowing culinary experiences.
I ate shawarma served with peri-peri fries, ugali with butter chicken, and, most deliciously, some classic Mombasa Biryani.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
My time in Mombasa was extraordinary in so many ways, but the part that rose above the others was the compassion and understanding I gained while there.
I worked at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital alongside local healthcare professionals and witnessed the stark differences between the American and Kenyan healthcare systems.
Despite the lack of equipment, scarcity of medication, and massive patient load, professionals somehow managed to treat every patient with compassion. Every time I talk to a patient now, I am inspired by the CGTRH staff never to settle and give my all every time.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
The IMA staff was so amazing throughout my internship. We had a skilled kitchen staff who made three delicious meals every day for us.
I made friends with the pastry chef who cooked in my apartment’s kitchen and often baked with him. The program mentors helped me so much during my time in Mombasa. They made sure we were in the correct hospital department, we got to where we needed to be on time, and they also became our friends.
In addition to beating us in card games, they were there to support us when we saw something rough in the hospital.
Playing soccer on the beach nearby the residence.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I wish I had spent more time exploring the region. Although I explored more than most of my fellow interns, I still left without seeing everything I wanted to.
There were a few local parks I didn’t get to visit, some restaurants I only smelled, and sights I heard about, but didn’t see. What made my longing to explore worse was my weekend safari.
After going across the country, I was dissatisfied with the time I spent in Nairobi, the capital. One rushed afternoon of sightseeing made me wonder what more the city had to offer.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
My typical day at IMA started at 7 AM with breakfast at the residence before departing for the hospital.
We would arrive at the hospital around 8 am and go to our respective assigned departments. We would be picked up around 2 PM if we did not sign up for an afternoon shift and go to the residence for lunch.
In the afternoons, we would usually have an activity planned, like going to a local attraction or community health outreach, such as hosting an educational session at an elementary school on basic health practices.
We would return for dinner and relax to prepare for the next day.
What did you enjoy doing during your free time abroad?
My favorite thing to do during my free time in Mombasa was to play soccer with the locals and other interns at Nyali Beach. After a quick Uber to the beach, we were never short of opponents. Other interns would come with us to the beach and go to the beach resorts to hang out by the pool and enjoy the sun.
Another thing my friends and I loved to do was explore the local cuisine by trying as many nearby restaurants as possible.
The medical director of IMA giving me my certificate during my final day at the hospital.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
The IMA residence was a hotel that had been converted to host us interns. There was a communal dining area and a common room with a TV and couches. The men’s apartment was above this area, and the girls’ dorms were in a separate building next door. We also had a nice garden on the property.
The best part about the residence was the pool. I spent countless hours messing around in the pool with other interns, relaxing after a hospital rotation.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
Be prepared to see incredibly distressing things in the hospital and around the city.
Although my experience was largely positive, I was presented with things I had never seen before, like extreme poverty, malnutrition, illness, and violence. The patients who came to the emergency department at the hospital often had gory wounds or frightening conditions.
Before I came, I made sure to mentally prepare myself for anything I might see while at the hospital.
The Kenyan flag flying over Fort Jesus.
Would you recommend International Medical Aid to others? Why?
I would definitely recommend IMA to others. I learned so much with IMA, ranging from the best spices for a stew to how to suture open wounds.
As far as healthcare programs go, this one does it all. Not only did I gain invaluable clinical experience, but I also deepened my understanding of culturally sensitive care.
I gained all of these things that add to my skills as a clinician, and I also explored a new culture and made friends I intend to keep forever.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
Healthcare programs abroad offer the unique benefit of exploring global health as a phenomenon.
In our American education, we mostly learn about American problems, but IMA opened the door to a new patient population faced with different problems.
In my future practice, I want to give the highest quality care to every single patient I see, and IMA helped me do this by showing how different cultures receive healthcare.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
I think about my time abroad nearly every day.
When I’m hungry, I daydream about flavorful meals, and when I’m lonely, I reminisce about the friends I made. Most importantly, when I’m in my clinical rotations or at my job at an assisted living facility, I think of the patients I saw in Mombasa. I think about how lucky I am that my patients have clean private rooms and that the pharmacy can deliver medications within an hour.
I’m able to see a piece of every patient in every new face I see, reminding me that people are complicated and multifaceted, and that the care they receive must reflect that.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel doesn’t mean going to an all-inclusive resort to lounge around or going to fancy clubs to party the night away.
It means going somewhere with an identifiable purpose and with the intention to leave the place better than you found it. Meaningful travel is also meant to instill changes in the traveler. It should bring a deep connection to the destination and build genuine relationships with the people there.
