I am a last year midwifery student from Tampere, and I am in Uganda to do some of my last traineeships. This first month has flown by so fast! First we had an orientation week when we were introduced to the possible placements, and now the first placement period is behind.
I was in a nearby public health center, where I worked both in antenatal ward and labour ward. I really enjoyed my time there and will miss the midwives and other personnel we got to know to.
But now it is time for new adventures, as we are heading to a village near Kampala, where we are going to do our next placement.
Learning here has been so much fun and I have already learned so much! Midwives and nurses here are true professionals. Their studies last longer than ours, varying between 4-8 years depending on the level of studies. They are also very talented in improvising with the limited resources they have – for example the umbilical cord of the baby is clamped with the rubber edge of a glove.
One of the most rewarding things has been the role I’ve had as a midwife in the delivery ward here. Since mothers give birth without any pain relief, supporting them through the pain has been a different kind of a challenge here – but a good one! There’s no better feeling than when you have stood by the mother’s side through the pain (many mothers say it feels like they are between life and death), then helped the baby to be born, and in the end you see the relief and gratitude of the mother. Those are moments you never forget and it’s a huge privilege to be a part of them.
There’s altogether seven of us students here in Uganda, so during our free time we spend time together, play games, visit the city and just relax after workdays, sometimes at the nearby pool. We like to do walks in our neighborhood and we’ve already become quite known around here – seven mzungus (white people) are hard to hide.
Food is very tasty and all the fresh fruits and vegetables are amazing. I will for sure miss our two avocado trees when I’m back in Finland!
We were already able to do a safari during one weekend, and it was an amazing experience we will never forget! Magnificent animals and so beautiful landscapes all around!
People here are so friendly and hospitable. I have tried to learn some of the language, Luganda, here as well. In Uganda, there is over 50 different languages, so luckily most of the people speak also English. However, people appreciate it so much when you greet or thank them in their language, showing that you really want to learn from them and be part of their life here.
Even though life looks very different here (the famous “African-time”, heat, crazy traffic, packed health centers and hospitals…) it has already become so normal to live here and I know that I will treasure these moments for the rest of my life. I’m going to miss the evening walks while the sun is setting and air is cooling down, the bumpy and dusty roads, kids shouting for mzungus and just all the sounds of life all around.
But for now – I will fully enjoy all of this, and I’m so excited for all the things I will still learn while I’m here and all the memories we’ll make!
(All pictures taken by Jessica Niemelä)
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