Tanzanian Smiles - 401 hours - Tanzania - 2018

On January 31, I arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport, but there was a 3.5 hour delay in exiting the airport, as a tourist on the plane had lost all her American dollars kept in her luggage whilst on the plane. So everyone had to go through many security checks before leaving the airport. So after i got through the exit hall to meet my pick-up driver, which i thought should be super pissed by now, I saw nothing but the widest smile from a man in his 20's, waving his hand to me, calling out, "welcome Malaysia!".  

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I was to do my 400 clinical hours at the Emergency Department of Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC). So Moshi town was my home for the next 2 months.

What stands out most during my stay at Moshi was the amount of smiles i got. Everyone had great big smiles to offer, from patients, nurses and doctors at the Emergency Department, to the security guards at the doctor's quarters, to shopkeepers, to restaurant owners, to taxi drivers and even people on the street. 

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Even when i get things wrong in the Emergency Department or amidst chaotic moments, smiles are easily provided by the locals, and because it is so contagious, other foreign students who has hard time raising their cheek muscles, often succumb after day 2.

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Thank you to all the KCMC staff for teaching me medicine and swahili, sharing your experience, food, hospitality, kindness and  treating me as family. Not forgetting your Tanzanian smiles. 


For more info of KCMC, visit:
https://www.kcmc.ac.tz/

For more info on my Remote Paramedic course, visit:
​https://corom.org/corom-remote-paramedic/


Click here for more photos in the "Albums" page under the title "Tanzanian Smiles - 401 hours - Tanzania - 2018"

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