She is a Joy to be with

I was on the medicine project for 5 weeks in total, which included an extra week on top of my original month long placement. The fact that I extended says all you need to know: my host family were welcoming and supportive, the hospital placement was incredible and I learnt so so much, and there was a brilliant group of other volunteers who I'd see most nights. Despite being on my own for nearly 2 weeks of my placement and in my host family, I never felt lonely; Errol was brilliant company at the hospital and worked so hard to keep me included with the other Filipino nurses, and the socials put on by PA and other volunteers ensure its easy to be included in the PA community. The hospital itself was generally as basic as I was expecting; some things shocked me (eg the lack of defibrillator at the hospital, and the patients sharing hospital beds) but other things exceeded my expectations, such as the lab equipment and ventilators. I was given a huge insight into the daily routines of nurses, which as a medical student I haven't had before, which makes me appreciate how varied their work is. I also had the opportunity to carry out a lot of practical procedures, some of which I had learnt at my university (on mannequins) but some which I'm not even due to learn for another year or two. In the UK, nursing students don't even insert a cannula and IV drip into patients until they've graduated from uni, but I was taught to do it (and did, successfully!). I also learnt to suture, take blood and practiced my different injection techniques. Evidently it was an invaluable experience and will help me in my medical studies immensely, but it has also given me more perspective on the problems that we complain about within the NHS. Outside the hospital, my host family were so warm and their three children adopted me as their "ate" (big sister); the home was not luxurious but was clean, and whilst the food was very heavy on the meat and rice and lacked vegetables, I guess it was a true taste of the Philippines. Overall I would recommend this to anyone (who doesn't faint at blood) and encourage them to go into it with eyes and mind open; ask lots of questions and just throw yourself into it. Do as much as you possibly can because 5 weeks flies by. And travel the beautiful Philippines at the weekend, and after placement if possible!!

Major Life Goals

I am so lucky to be a part of such an amazing organization. With Projects Abroad, I am able to be a part of completing someone's life goals. I have seen/heard it a lot of times. I have seen volunteers smiling from ear to ear as they are ticking one of their life goals.

I have learned that you only achieve your goals when you are out of your comfort zone. The same with life, it only begins when you go out there, we call it experience. Seeing and being a part of someone giving birth is truly an amazing experience.

Mix Pix

Carina Sola from Norway

I look so chaka here.

I can't believe 6 weeks is already over and that I'm going back home again today. It's been some interesting, tough, sad but amazing weeks where I've learned a lot about myself, other cultures, languages and of course medical related things. I've gone from saying congratulations to the mom after giving birth to give my condolences to another dad because his premature baby didn't survive. I've lived with and been a part of an amazing family that I'm going to miss a lot, I've eaten multiple kilos of rice and fried food and I've gotten used to having the rooster outside the window as my alarm in the morning. I've swam with whalesharks, seen dolphins out in the free, fed monkeys, done zip lining, snorkeling and so much more. I've gone outside my comfort zone more that once and I'm 100% sure that I'm coming home as a better person that I was before I left. I've seen some sad and frustrating situations that I'm never gonna forget but they have also put things into perspective and I guess that's a good thing - to see how the world actually is. It's easy to say that people around the world are struggling more than we do, but it's something else when you actually see it with your own eyes. It made me realize more than ever that Norwegians and people from well developed countries in general are a bunch of bitter, selfish and spoiled humans that takes a lot for granted. It's depressing to know that experiences like this is what it takes to learn appreciating how amazing Norway actually is and how lucky we are.

This experience and these 6 weeks has been the best time of my life and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to do it. I wish I had everything on tape to show everyone every aspects of the trip and not only the paradise everyone associate with the Philippines. I've spent the last weekend the best way possible with some amazing people at Bohol where we without doubt saw paradise around virgin island. I'm already looking forward to our reunion(s) and I recommend everyone I know to do a similar trip that we've done. It doesn't take a lot and the smallest things like buying lacking equipment to the hospital or just giving input to new ideas does make a big difference. Sometimes it's enough to just be present, and knowing that you're making someone's life better is a feeling that I'm sure never gets old. Thank you to everyone who made this trip unforgettable, you are amazing each and every one of you and I'm very lucky and happy that I got to know you. See you all in December!

How to Use the Incubators

The Pink Unicorns

The Lecture on How to Use the Incubators

One more achievement for the team. It was done last Thursday. The hospital had some machines that we barely even know how to operate. Darius, Carina, and Yurika held a lecture on how to use it. It was even attended not just by the staff and volunteers but also with the Chief Nurse and the Chief of Hospital. Now we can put them to use. 

Japanese Ingenuity

One way to reduce trash is to reuse plastic bottles as needle bins. 

At The Socials

Spring Rolls making (Lumpia)

Then weaving of Coconut leaf for Pusò (hanging rice)

Role Playing

First Aid Training with Lesley Hong

The training was conducted by Lesley Hong, a paramedic from Australia. Public Health and Medical Volunteers all made an effort to learn from the training.

Mid-Week Burnt Out

Stressed from the days' work and you feel like you just want to go somewhere and chill? Well I've got the best place for you. This place is called Hagnaya Beach Resort. The perfect place to have an alone time and just relax. Just 30 minutes from Bogo City so you can just sneak right back in a snap.

CTT's with Hannah

Hannah Naisser from Wales, assisting our Surgeon in inserting a Chest Thoracotomy Tube. The Tube is used as drainage if there's a lot of fluid in the pleural space.

Right of Passage

It has been a painful week for us. A lot of poking needles to our bodies. We have been practicing how to properly give medications to the following routes IM ID AND SUBCU. Hans (Philippines) and Hikari (Singapore) were doing it on each other. I taught it to them that way because that's how I learned it when I was in UNI. It also better to practice on each other so that they could relate to pain the patient will feel if we do an injection. 

No pain No gain as what they say!

The Weekend Getaways

Of course, everyone is looking forward to the weekend. It is the time where the magic happens. I have tallied down the best places to spend the weekend.

5. Cebu City- The Queen City of the South. There's a lot of activities you can do here. One of them is walking around a skyscraper.

The Great Exchange

Hannah (Wales) anxious about what's gonna happen. Lucas (France) more than excited. Hugo (Canada) the pressure is on you..

I am the most difficult patient you will ever encounter.

Hugo is teaching Hannah how to properly suture.

We may lack technology here in the Philippines but I am very sure that our skills are sharper than anyone else. I taught them how to do different routes of giving medications and in return Hugo taught us how to suture a laceration.

I just want to give a big shoutout to all the Lefties out there. Yep, we are lefities and we do things differently.

I believe that knowledge is infinite. There is no limit into how much you can learn. I am also learning from you guys.

Summer Shindig

It's summer here in the Philippines. What we usually mean by summer is that school is out. We don't really use the word summer as a season because we are a tropical country which means that we get summer all year round.

With that being said, it means a lot of beach times on weekends. All work and no play makes one sad pony. 

So here's Lucas on one of the weekends here in the Philippines. 

The sunset is always the best!

French Connection

Lucas Soetaert, French guy who loves to cuddle babies and spends most of his time in the NICU. 

Bidding Goodbye to the Swedish Girls

As your days of traveling in the Philippines almost come to an end, allow me to thank you for the month of experience being with you guys. It has been an amazing journey. From our little chitchats in the hospital to our endless talks at barbecue plaza. Have a safe flight back home. Hope to see you soon. @sanneswahn and @kaisasorensen 

Swedish Invasion

Sanne and Kaisa both from Sweden. We assigned them in the Emergency Room and Delivery Room. Kaisa experienced handling a delivery here. I am so glad to be a part of her journey. 

Margot from Netherlands

Margot assisting Tantan in extracting a foreign body. Sorry about the image but it could be very graphic to some so I have to capture it in a very weird angle.

And of course this is a must