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Testimonial ++ Volunteer ++ Ghana
Maria to Ghana : a Medical Volunteer's Story
Bridging the gap between her Bachelor to Master's degree, Maria decided to do voluntary work abroad; Ghana is where she landed her feet on.
Having 6-months-gap after finishing my Bachelor's degree, I wanted to go abroad for several months before continuing my Master's study. Though the plan was quite spontaneous, I managed to get things settled with the help of StudentsGoAbroad.
Within the first contact, almost everything was pretty much settled. Soon enough I would be in Ghana for three months, working as a volunteer in a hospital.
Visa, flight, vaccination and all you need for a journey to Africa was organized very unproblematically and before I realized, I was already on a plane to Africa.
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My coordinator from Studentsgoabroad in Ghana picked me up from the airport and took me to my accommodation which I shared with Austrian and American volunteers. I got along with my roommates very well and did not have any problems with cultural shock, the climate, or homesickness. In the evenings, we cooked together and exchanged our experiences of the day. There were always volunteers around who helped me with any new situations such as the first time washing my clothes with my hands, going on the market and bargain or meeting the neighborhood families. We spend a lot of time together, played games at night, had some drinks together or watched the live stream of the German football games.
I had to walk about 10 minutes to the hospital I worked at. The main part of my time, I was working in the laboratory, because I had some experiences from my studies and could apply them, as well as learn something new. The reason why I liked my work in the hospital so much is mainly the staff that was so kind to me. I learned a lot about diseases and methods of analyzing and simultaneously I made friends for life. From the beginning to the end I felt very integrated into the team and not as the “white volunteer”.
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In the last weeks, I worked in the center of diabetes where I could experience the work with patients. There, I was welcomed very warmly as well and I enjoyed going to work every day.
When I wasn't working in the hospital, there were always things to do. Either swimming in the pool of the local hotel for a cooling-down, or going to the market and talked with the market-women or I visited one of the endless places of interest.
I would definitely be up for a stay abroad in Ghana again. Interpersonal, cultural and professional I broadened my horizon and made friends from all over the world.
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