How did you feel before you joined the programme? Excited but very apprehensive for travelling to such a “dangerous” continent as a lone female traveller plus in a state of disbelief that I would be able to learn another language.
How did Gap Year For Grown Ups compare you with your expectations?
Absolutely exceeded them, I felt I could always get help or information if I needed it but had exactly the right amount of freedom and autonomy I wanted to explore and find things out for myself. The “ground” staff were extremely helpful and accessible at any hour!
What was the accommodation like?
An awful lot more civilized than I expected surprisingly. Both homestays involved incredibly kind and friendly host families who encouraged me to practice my Spanish with an awful lot of patience.
What did you think of the programme? The project well and truly exceeded my expectations, I did not expect to be so involved at the clinical considering I have no formal medical training. The teaching hospital atmosphere of the place made for a great place to get stuck in and learning alongside the interns. Even joined in on a vaccination campaign for yellow fever out in the community which was absolutely exceptionally interesting and tremendous fu watching the nurses try to calm down classes of five year olds!
What was the most memorable moment of your trip?
Absolutely has to be the football match we played of the hospital staff versus the village of manglaralto, girls v girls and boys v boys followed by a lovely night of ceviches and beer watching the south American cup outside in the warm air. The hospital are more like a family than colleagues. Secondly would say that the bit of extra volunteering I asked to do in Quito at the street kid project when I had free afternoons was incredible, being there for the fiesta del nino when the nuns brought in a clown for the children. It was wonderful to watch “worldly wise” fourteen year olds, some with their own small babies already, become completely enthralled by the clown.
How have you benefited from your experience?
I am definitely more confident of my ability to learn another language and also be able top learn practical skills much quicker than I expected I could. Also, after dealing morning after morning with queues of pregnant ladies and screaming children in the heat of the clinic I reckon I can cope with the physical and psychological demands of medicine in this country a mite better than I thought I would!
What advice could you offer to someone considering this project?
Book it now and then think about funding afterwards, the money really does materialise once you make it real. If you try and save first you will put it off forever which would be incredibly sad to miss such an amazing experience.
After redundancy, Sally decided to see the world. She enjoyed our South Africa Wildlife Course so much that within 48 hours of arriving back in the UK she booked onto the Malaysia Orangutan Experience and the Thai Adventure! Read more..
