Charlie Wright

Growing up in Malawi has made me want to live and work abroad when I am older, and completing a placement abroad is a perfect stepping stone in order for me to do this. I also wanted to explore a new culture and learn about diseases not commonly seen in the UK.

My first impression of the hospital was organised chaos! It was really busy and a bit daunting at times, but everyone I met was very friendly and made me feel at ease. Most patients in the hospital had a lot of their families with them too, so the wards felt very different to the UK. 

Having completed my placement in a range of different labs, I was able to gain a huge amount of knowledge in lots of different areas of Biomedical Science. The time I spent in the Virology, Bacteriology and Parasitology labs was where I enjoyed it the most. Learning about the different techniques used to identify diseases like HIV, dengue fever, and TB was really insightful. 

I found it really interesting seeing certain tests like sandwich and competitive ELISA tests being completed practically in real life, where I had only learnt the theoretical knowledge before. 

I also got to attend and participate in some lectures with the biochemistry students I was with, and this was a great way to share knowledge and discuss any differences between what is taught in Nepal and the UK. 

The most memorable case was whilst I was in the Virology lab, there was a positive case of dengue fever. Cases of dengue fever are not very common in Kathmandu, but the staff in the lab were saying that because of climate change, they are finding cases more often now, so this was really interesting to see.  

Due to there sometimes being a lot of time waiting for certain tests to finish and show results, I was able to have a lot of great conversations with the laboratory staff about their work at the hospital, Nepalese culture and lots of good travelling tips too! 

Everyone I met was really friendly, and as much as I was there to learn from them, they were equally eager to learn about what the hospitals/techniques used in the UK are like. Also, going for a mid-morning masala tea or to a local place to eat lunch was a great way to get to know everyone better and share knowledge of different laboratory practices and interests within the biomedical science field. 

During the first week after placement, we visited a lot of the main sites of Kathmandu, such as Durbar Square, the monkey temple and the Buddha Stupa, and we even got to see the Kumari, which was very cool! 

At the weekend we visited Chitwan National Park (after a long, hot, bumpy journey) and went on a jungle safari and boat ride where we got to see lots of rhinos, crocodiles, elephants and sloth bears! 

Another weekend, we visited Pokhara, which was amazing! We did a sunrise cable car trip up to Sarangkot in the hope of seeing the Annapurna range; however, when we got to the top, it was in the clouds. But the cloud magically cleared, and the views were amazing! 

We got to see the snow-capped mountains of the Annapurna range and even the famous Machapuchare mountain, and this was a definite highlight for me!

The Work the World team are great at supporting you through the whole process of completing your overseas placement, meaning there is hardly anything to worry about! It is a great experience to explore a different culture, develop your knowledge in your specific course or interests, and travel as well! 

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