This is Iris! Iris is a cardiology resident from Italy who is staying with THO for three weeks. To give you an idea of what life at THO looks like, Iris has agreed to let us follow her for a day. From sunrise to sunset, this is a day in the life of a THO volunteer.
8 a.m.:
Wake up!
8:15 a.m.:
Delicious breakfast at the homestay. Today was toast, avocado, crepes, and local donuts with half a dozen spreads.
9 a.m.:
Tuktuk (bajaji) to the hospital to start work for the day.
9:20 a.m.:
Arrive at hospital, drop off bags in the break room, and sign in for the day.
9:30 a.m.:
Internal medicine rounds in the women’s ward.
10 a.m.:
Catch the end of internal medicine rounds in the men’s ward.
10:15 a.m.:
Quick photography break in between seeing patients! Volunteers are welcome to photograph the hospital and procedures as long as they avoid capturing patients’ faces.
10:30 a.m.:
Check in on ICU patients for status updates.
11 a.m.:
Visit the emergency room. Two patients needed casts put on, so Iris observed one and then helped to do the second.
Iris says, “I was excited to learn a new skill…In Italy I never had the option to cast or suture and here I’m learning everything on the field to be useful directly.”
Noon:
Chat with the local staff in the break room and learn about their experience in the hospital.
12:30 p.m.:
Take a tuktuk to lunch.
1:20 p.m.:
Enjoy lunch at Kukurico, a grillhouse down the street from the volunteer homestay. Burgers, chips, and salad is on the menu today.
2 p.m.:
Back to the homestay to enjoy a lovely shower and a much-needed nap.
4:45 p.m.:
Take a tuktuk to the nearby beach for volleyball. Then make friends with the locals, who join in!
6:45 p.m.:
Head back to the volunteer house to chill.
7:15 p.m.:
Dinner at the volunteer house with the whole crew. Our volunteers get delicious, traditional Tanzanian food each evening, like rice, coconut beans, noodles, chapati, chicken or beef makange, and sautéed greens.
8:30 p.m.:
Post-dinner tea and chat under the tea lights.
10 p.m.:
Head back to the room to relax before bed.
11:30 p.m.:
Goodnight!
Want to learn more?
Want more information on what volunteering might look like for you? Reach out to us at info@thopportunities.org! Or check out our Worldpackers page, where dozens of former volunteers have left verifiable, public reviews.
