Around the World in 365 Days

Around the World in 365 Days

by Deleted user -
Number of replies: 1

I'd probably start by working intensely for a while to finance going to these places. I'd love to work in a hospital in Zimbabwe, but first I'd need some kind of helpful skillset, so I might start by getting a phlebotomy certificate and learning to perform basic lab tests. Ideally, I'd complete this before graduating so I could jump right in.

If I were staying in one place, this could be a mission trip, but with so much moving around, it's difficult to contribute much. One way to solve this problem would be to do HIV education/basic health education in rural villages. I'd need a translator for most of these places, but if I could find hospitals with someone to spare, this would work well. I would start by spending time traveling around Africa, starting in Zimbabwe, spending a bit of time in Harare, Gweru, and Bulawayo (my mom and grandparents spent time in all of these places). I'd also probably travel around rural Zimbabwe a fair amount, and spend some time in Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya. If I could scrape up the money, I'd also love to travel to Brussels, Italy, and the U.K. But I'd much rather travel with someone else for these; it's better to have an awesome experience with someone else if the trip itself doesn't have a purpose. Anyplace that has internet, I could tutor to help pay for transport, but airline fare would be pretty expensive and probably not affordable by this plan. I love traveling, but moving around for a year would make it hard to develop relationships and I think it would get lonely. If there were a way to fund it, I would go, but given the choice, I might wait. Traveling is a wonderful thing to do if you can, so if I got this opportunity, I don't think I would regret it. Understanding different cultures and meeting different people is an exciting and enriching experience.

Really though, I'd love to do something like this after I graduate from residency or fellowship because there would be more I could learn and more help I could provide. Working in a hospital with fewer resources provides a totally different perspective on healthcare, global health, and diagnosis, and I would love to be useful. Maybe before I retire I'll be a cruise ship doctor for a year or two (if cruises survive this fiasco) or work for Samaritan's Purse/ Doctors with Borders.



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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Around the World in 365 Days

by Deleted user -
Hi Claire!
I think you have a very well thought out plan here, you could totally go through with this if you wanted. Though, like you said, maybe it would be more fruitful if you visited all these places after your residency or fellowship. I also think it is so cool that your mom and your grandparents have been to a lot of these cities, it would be really interesting to finally go to a place that had been described to you by your family. I sincerely hope you get to someday go to all of these cities and countries and experience all they have to offer.

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