Libby Halford

When starting my medical degree, I always knew that I would be able to do an overseas elective in my final year, so it was an experience. For a long time, I’ve looked forward to the opportunity to spend six weeks in another country learning about its culture and healthcare system, and it was unlikely to come about again, so I have embraced every moment.

Living in the Work the World house was fantastic! It had a great communal area to watch TV with everyone and to eat dinner. The bedroom was arranged for two to six people, all with AC. The balcony is huge and is lovely for sitting and chatting, sharing experiences with housemates.

Thursday nights were BBQ nights. Incredible food, African dancing and barbecues, plus it’s big enough for dancing on Thursdays too.

The swimming pool in the Dar es Salaam house is massive. It was so relaxing to be able to read and hang out there after placement.

Living in the house was also a great way to meet new healthcare students and professionals from all over the world.

Learning about their degrees and experiencing the culture of Tanzania with them, as everyone stays for a different length of time, means that you meet lots of different people and get top tips from those who have been there longer. Someone is always heading out to do something new, so there’s always an opportunity to join lots of activities.

The whole team is fantastic and is great at answering any queries.

Mo, the programme manager, has been a magician and always welcomes us into his office. He kindly helped with top tips  and advice for our families who were in the process of organising their holiday in Tanzania.

You always feel you have support here while in-country. No one will leave you to figure it out on your own. They always say mambo. We were even kindly guided around the biggest market in Tanzania. I can’t forget to mention Sadiq, an absolute legend who gave us the most incredible village week.

The greatest difference between Tanzania and the UK, in relation to healthcare, is the lack of resources. This is understandable as it is a developing country. It means all of the hospital team members are brilliant at improvising to still provide effective life-saving care. Cultural differences play a big part in how healthcare is offered. My supervisors explained a lot of this, but it was also really beneficial to have the Work the World team, who are all local, as they really brought to life and explained the cultural differences.

One weekend we went to Zanzibar — it was stunning. We went on a dolphin safari and went to Stone Town. There are lots of markets to visit. The sea is crystal clear, great hikes. It was muddy but fantastic. Bomba!

I think there will be so many things that I will take with me, as this trip is like no other. I did do the village week, and it was something I’ll never forget. I felt fully immersed in the culture. My mornings in the clinic were really eye-opening, and it was a total contrast to my city-based placement. 

Work the World made the logistics and planning of my elective a stress-free experience. I could tell them exactly what I wanted to see, and the placement was well organised for me.

This was super helpful as it took away extra tasks during my finals. The provision of accommodation, food, airport transfer, and the opportunity to meet so many other international students made using Work the World an invaluable experience.