What inspired you to go abroad?
I was initially inspired to go abroad after hearing from other clinicians about how beneficial their time was.
I was on the lookout for programs that would allow not only for helping those in underserved communities, but also provide ample teaching opportunities to further my experience as a healthcare provider.
Why did you choose International Medical Aid?
I first discovered International Medical Aid (IMA) via an advertisement online. It seemed too good to be true, so I did my due diligence in researching the organization to ensure that it wasn't. After seeing many testimonials, third-party specifically, I applied for an informational meeting before sending my application.
After that, I learned it was in fact all I was looking for and more. I sent my application and attended the interview, after which I got an email a few weeks later with my acceptance.
What was your favorite part of Mombasa?
Mombasa at night
I thoroughly enjoyed Mombasa, Kenya. I spent a little time in Nairobi and the surrounding urban areas as well, and have nothing but good things to say. I think the people were the best part about Mombasa.
Everyone was very welcoming and understanding of foreigners, which I think is a sentiment we could benefit from here in the US. While there are bad people everywhere, I think Nyali is deficient in that department, fortunately. I met some amazing people outside of healthcare during my time there, who, despite their economic hardships, are just as kind, if not more so, than many of my close friends.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
Again, the people. While the country is beautiful and the experience I gained for my career is priceless, it all pales in comparison to the people I met, both other interns and locals. The friendships I formed with the interns I lived with are lifelong, and I still get the occasional text about an inside joke or an experience from our time together.
While we live far apart, we have plans to see each other again. One of my friends I made from the internship is even coming to shadow me at work (911 ambulance) as he was inspired to go to EMT school, and I've been helping him with it. The locals are the same story, although it's more difficult to keep in contact. I'll get the occasional text on WhatsApp from a student doctor from CGTRH checking in, and it makes me feel as though my time spent in Kenya had a lasting impact on more than just myself.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
The local IMA staff were integral in my experience in Mombasa. They were able to answer questions, be emergency contacts, teach us about the culture, and even, in some instances, be our friends or, at the very least, acquaintances.
While I felt a bit spoiled coming home every day to a cleaned room, I tried my best to let the staff know how much I appreciate them every step of the way. The culinary staff was also amazing, and I have nothing but good things to say. I'm a vegetarian, so I often can't eat everything being prepared, and on the first day, I had to request something for dinner as it was all meat-based. Not only did they make something wonderful, but also whenever they made all meat in the future, the chef would see me come downstairs and bring out something vegetarian.
It was hospitality that went above and beyond, and I'm still grateful to all the staff. Also, Erastus, the pastry chef, was the best, and if anyone reading this has the power, you should give him a raise immediately.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I wish I cared a little less about money, as I think not only does the dollar go further over there, but also it's good to support their economy by spending money.
I wish I spent more time within the Nyali neighborhood outside of IMA events, as I met some really great people just on the street outside. While IMA didn't recommend walking around too much, I honestly felt very safe and wish I had done it more. I've walked in places I knew I was in danger in, and Nyali, Mombasa, was not one of them.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
I'd wake up around 07:00, shower, and get changed into scrubs. I had my bag packed the night before, the knapsack they give you at the start of the program, as well as the items I needed for my pockets, laid out in their respective place. Come downstairs, see my friends, if it were the beginning of the week, I'd see who's on my rotation that week.
A&E as seen from the hallway from OBGYN.
The bus comes at its designated time and arrives at CGTRH. Go to my respective department, which I was guided to if it was the first or second day of being there. The exact features of my clinical time differed, as in the emergency room, I'd join the doctors in rounds and then go around to every bed and ensure their vitals are recent, they feel seen, and their IVs/other devices are secure.
Internally, I'd find the student doctors doing pre-rounds, and they'd happily explain the topic of the day to me before grand rounds. For my week in internal, specifically, we did a lot of endocrinology, so I learned a lot there from doctor Pharuk. If I couldn't get an afternoon shift, I'd go home when the bus comes, usually around 1200-1400, depending on arrival time, or alternatively 1600 for the afternoon.
For normal shifts, I'd get home, eat lunch, and my friends and I would walk to the gym in the mall, about a 25-minute walk away. Then we'd probably go to CJs, a restaurant nearby, before coming home. The next step would change depending on the day. On Mondays, we'd have clinical debriefings, Tuesdays, typically lectures on culture, Wednesdays, many of us who are of age went to Moonshine, which was a beach karaoke bar, and after that, the weekly community outreach events to schools. Thursdays were community outreach, and Fridays were clinical debriefs at CGTRH.
After whatever was planned by either IMA or the interns was done for the evening, we'd all get to bed and wake up to do it the next day.
What did you enjoy doing during your free time abroad?
Photo from safari in Nairobi National park
Since there's so much, I'll skip the narrative format and just give a list
- Beach (some resorts were relatively inexpensive and were a great place to have as a home base on weekends)
- Gym (Nyali Crossfit Gym was my favorite, I befriended all of the staff and their equipment was surprisingly high quality)
- Bars/restaurants (money went further than it does in the US, making eating out and going out more affordable)
- Walks around the neighborhood
- IMA sponsored community outreach
- Go-Kart/Paintball/Mini Golf place
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
IMA's accommodations were pretty nice. A large building/complex with 24/7 security. A pool, two residential buildings, a large community room, a full kitchen, IMA offices, and a pool house.
I thoroughly enjoyed my room and made very good friends with my roommates during my time there. While the water wasn't actually warm for most of the trip, it got warm the last week, which was splendid.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
They are pretty serious, don't drink the water. Bring pills for GI discomfort. Get your laundry done at a local place. IMA doesn't wash your personal clothes, only your scrubs. I had mine picked up from the compound, washed, folded, and delivered back for about 900 KES plus tip. If you're a female, always bring at least one man with you when Ubering or walking in public; it's unfortunately part of the experience that you're inherently less safe alone. Go to bed early, there are way more cool things to do in the morning than at night.
Talk to your patients, talk to the locals, talk to everyone you can. Pertaining to the clinical side, this experience is valuable for several reasons. I think it's not only good to learn how to provide care for patients through a LL (language line), but also to see diseases that you wouldn't normally see, and not only learn the diagnostic process, but relearn how to care for these people. Sure, tuberculosis was covered in school, but most clinicians don't remember every single test for the disease that's been eradicated in the developed world for decades.
Finally, I think seeing people in abject poverty and caring for them as much as you can provides a lot of benefit to your empathy. Before leaving, I tried my best to be empathetic, but felt it had to be forced sometimes, even as a provider. After my experience at CGTRH, I think humanity is restored in how I think of healthcare.
Would you recommend International Medical Aid to others? Why?
Great Rift Valley
Absolutely. I think IMA is genuinely a positive force within the community that you go to in their East Africa program. It is pretty expensive, but once you see the community clinics, the outreaches in the schools, and the physicians who give up their time to help you, the program fees all make sense.
Also, you can add safaris/trips to the experience, which, while I was hesitant at first to leave the clinical setting to go on a safari, was certainly worth it.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
I think the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is letting go of everything you keep in your routine to make you feel normal and embracing the new way of living fully and without judgment.
It would've been very easy to only go to places with air conditioning, keep quiet at the hospital, not go outside unless I have to, shelter myself in my room, but instead, my experience was unforgettable because I embraced doing things outside my comfort zone, and I think that's a lesson I can translate to the rest of my life. I've traveled abroad before, but never in this context, and I think it's the best way to do it.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
Certainly positively. I've talked about the friends I've made, the experiences I've had, the things I've learned, but ultimately, how this trip has impacted me is that it's made me a more confident person.
More confident that I can make friends with people I've only just met. More confident as a provider that I can make the right choices for my patient. More confident as a man that I can walk through places that might not have the safest reputation, and nonetheless have a great time.
However corny it may sound, I think the memories far outweigh the physical takeaways from this trip.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
I think any travel can be meaningful; it just depends on how you frame it. Distance from home is irrelevant.
If I drive 40 minutes to a town I've never been to and learn something I never knew or do something I've never done, it can be more meaningful than a trip where I go to Paris and just stay within my comfort zone the entire time.
Meaningful travel means it's less about how you're changing locations, but how the locations are shaping you.
