Rujeko Chiteme

The MyTrip website was good. Very convenient as it was accessible pretty much anywhere with an internet connection. The WTW people in the UK office were really nice and helpful.  At the major milestones they would call/email to update us and were available for any queries.

There were no problems with the pickup, it was easy and quick and the taxi took us straight to the WTW house.

The house orientation was done by one of the staff and it was good. Ria did the local orientation and we enjoyed the food and the culture part was great. The hospital orientation was good.

All the staff are very approachable and kind and extra helpful. They go (all of them) above and beyond the line of duty to help and make this experience so good for us.

The healthcare system is the opposite of what we have in Britain but the end result/aim I'd pretty much the same. People pay for everything or have insurance here & I find it quite different to come to terms with. For most medications for example, if the family cannot afford it, then the patient doesn’t get it regardless of how crucial it is.  In addition to this, the nursing role is very different as well. The family do most of the personal care and the nurses administer meds and do other technical stuff. Although the personnel (healthcare workers) are very skilled, the lack of equipment and other supplies increases their creativity, for example, making splints from cardboard boxes). The patients also had to be manually ventilated by the family member.

For the village experience, I felt that it is an invaluable experience that I would never replace but would be unlikely to repeat in the same way. It was amazing to see how the people live their lives and see how healthcare works.

The family was lovely and so were the staff. The activities (the teaching session and weaving) were great.

Favorite destination would probably be Boracay. I felt very chilled there and get to do a few watersports which was cool. The socialising was great as well as I made loads of new friends and a few life-long friends ☺.

If you’re a shy person, no one knows you here! Embrace the culture and environment and make an effort to get to know everyone. It’s great, you could have the best time ever just by being more acceptive and out there! P.S. NO ONE JUDGES YOU.

Have fun!  ☺