We left early on a Tuesday morning in June and traveled through three US airports before finally boarding our overnight flight. Our destination was Dakar, Senegal for a medical mission trip with many of my classmates, a few nurses, and several physicians. Once we arrived in Dakar and exited the airport, all I saw was sand. Everywhere. There were no buildings in sight! The first thing I learned about African culture was “Africa time”, as we waited two hours for our transportation to arrive at the airport to pick us up.
In Senegal, everything happens when it happens, so there is no point in even checking your watch. Finally, our bus arrived, and although there was only one tiny bus (when there should have been two for our 20+ people), the hilarious picture I got of our luggage piled on top was worth it.
We drove two hours to a small village in western Senegal where we stayed inside a seminary compound with some of the pastors and their families. In true fashion, I immediately made a beeline for the cutest kids I’d ever seen who went to school in a one room building there. It was so cool to watch us learn to communicate with each other despite the giant language barrier we shared. The sweet people of our little compound made every meal for us, and dinner was “community style”, which is a huge part of their culture. Community style means they bring out a giant metal bowl full of the meal (usually rice or noodles, potatoes, veggies, and a meat – all roasted over a fire), and ~5 people gather around each bowl to eat out of it together. There was no electricity or running water where we stayed, so the shower and bathrooms were an EXPERIENCE to say the least. Worst bathroom on this planet? Yep, I’ve experienced it. Bucket showers? Check. I think living so primitively was one of the reasons that our classmates really bonded on this trip.
Our clinic site was a 45-minute bus ride away. To get there, we traveled across a paved road, a red clay road, and a sand road – all with the breeze through the open windows of our 1970’s bus serving as our “AC”. Clinic was set up in a little 4-room building where we assembled triage, medicine, pharmacy, vision, physical therapy, and laboratory stations. We utilized translators to communicate with patients, and the students got lots of one-on-one time working with physicians to coordinate patient care. I even diagnosed a little girl with a heart murmur on my own! All of the Senegalese people were so thankful and loving. Their sense of community is purposefully so strong. They actively strive to know and care for their neighbors because they have seen how easily other countries are divided based on differences such as religion, race, ethnicity, etc.
We traveled to Senegal with a local Christian organization. Senegal, however, is a predominately Muslim country, but its people were so receptive when we asked if we could pray with them when they were very sick. It was amazing to see our different religions intertwining and loving one another. I wish we could all experience more of this kind of acceptance in our daily lives. This trip really broadened my perspective of the world, particularly what global healthcare can become. I learned how to treat patients with limited resources. I learned how to show love to others despite a giant language barrier. Most importantly, I learned how to better incorporate service into my everyday life and my future career. I left Senegal so thankful and with the fullest heart!
P.S. We got to stop in Paris for a 24 hour layover on the journey home! I walked 10+ miles in one day and was so exhausted I thought my body was going into rhabdomyolysis. Thankfully, all I needed was a few hours of sleep to be just fine!
