Anyone here doing CFHI?

[funshine]

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Going to South Africa w/ CFHI. yippee!! 😀

 

[funshine]

NO ONE on here is doing CFHI? 🙁 sniff 🙁

 

[dhoonlee]

.

 

[funshine]

I have, went to Mexico.

that's all you have to say?
did you like it at least?
were you pre-med or already in med school?

I've heard the South Africa program is amazing.
I sure hope so. This will be the first time traveling to a diff country alone. 😎

 

[lightnk102]

I went to South Africa, but not through CFHI. I had a hard time coughing up that much money to volunteer. To this day, it makes me bitter. Since when has volunteering been the sole province of people with wealthy parents? Something about it still rubs me the wrong way.

I ended up going through HIVSA (HIV South Africa), a S. Africa based organization, to be a volunteer camp counselor at one of the summer camps they run for HIV/AIDS affected children. I paid for my own plane fare, but I didn't have to pay to be a part of their program.

You'll have a blast. Make sure to stay a few extra weeks to see the country. South Africa's hostels are amazing (most of them have pools in the back and bars inside), and everyone is super friendly. I went on my own also, and since then - I firmly believe that every gal should make one solo trip in her lifetime. Depending on how much time you have, you can go through swaziland and then down the coast (i.e. the garden route) through durban and such. You can take the Baz Bus (a hop-on-hop-off bus) all the way down. Since its a dedicated backpacker bus, you'll meet tons of other people that way. I ended up cutting down across the country, visiting Lesotho (has a higher HIV infection rate than even south africa), and hitting Capetown.

Guide books? I'd recommend Let's Go. I lost my Let's Go guide halfway through the trip and had to buy a lonely planet and then heartiliy missed my Let's Go everyday. Lonely planet just didn't compare. Oh and, buying a guide book there will cost you an arm and a leg, so get it beforehand. Books in South Africa are expensive even after conversion to U.S. dollars.

 

[Mistress S]

funshine, I pm'd you.

 

[KiwiFruit]

I loved my experience with CFHI! BUT I went to Ecuador so I don't know if sharing my experiences would help...but basically, you have to let the local program director know what you really want to do and where you want to work...they were pretty flexible. I had so much fun traveling through the country during my spare time. Throw yourself into the culture and enjoy. Have fun and only drink clean water. =p

 

[davidus]

A friend of mine is in Ecuador at this very moment...

 

[funshine]

Did any of you get funding for it?

The plane ticket to SouthAfrica is so very expensive...like $1700 😱
(for comparison's sake, a roundtrip ticket to Hong Kong is ~$600)

I'm applying for some of my school's funds, but since I'll have graduated by the time I go, it's not their priority to help fund my expensive little good-will trip. ah well, looking forward to Capetown 🙂

 

[VeggieGal]

i, too, have moral dilemmas with paying so much to volunteer. to be honest, you probably get more out of it than you give, and i just felt like my $1000 in plane tickets could have been better spent as a donation to the organization to which i worked.

 

[funshine]

Exactly. I mean, I'm fine with the program cost and everything--because I know it's supporting the organizatoin. On the other hand, my plane ticket just seems so outrageous...

 

[lightnk102]

I flew from Philadelphia to Jo'burg roundtrip for $1200 on British Airways a few months ago (September). It came with a layover in London, so I got to hang out in London for a week on top of everything.

I think I found my fare on travelzoo.com

Best of luck!

 

[highheeledMD]

I spent a month last summer in South Africa with CFHI and it was incredible !! Over the 4 weeks I had rotations in 4 hospitals and I participated in everything from scrubbing into Ortho procedures, riding on the ambulances, and delivering a baby. It was so much fun and such a great expereince. I made the trip during the summer before my Senior year of college and it was perfect for me. Some of the third and fourth years were mildly disappointed with the level of hands on experience, but I was not. The doctors and nurses were so in need of help that they allowed us to give injections, take blood, stitch wounds, etc. Now, please understand that we were given guidance, but for the motivated and enthusiastic student, this trip was perfect! If you speak up and are willing to learn you will feel like you are really helping. Working in the government hospitals and clinics that are so bare and yet seeing the gratitutde in the patients who frequent them are amazing.
This was my second trip to South Africa and I am already planning my return. In addition to the incredible clinical experience, the trip also highlights some important cultural challenges and a community that has been through a lot. Sorry for rambling but I absolutely would recommend this program 🙂 PM me if you have any more questions.

 

[funshine]

hello,

bumping the thread.

It would be nice to find others going to SA in June. that way, we can plan to travel togeth afterwards =).

 

[aumed22]

I'm going to Equador this summer with CFHI. I don't know much about it though, but I am crazy excited about going. I went to SA over Christmas and loved it, I'm sure you'll have a great time

 

[optimistique]

I'm going to Equador this summer with CFHI. I don't know much about it though, but I am crazy excited about going. I went to SA over Christmas and loved it, I'm sure you'll have a great time

Joining in... I will be going to Ecuador in August. Anyone returning from Quito have travel tips?

 

[diosa428]

I'm going to Ecuador in June! So excited. KiwiFruit - how fluent were you before you went? I'm kind of worried about communicating, b/c I haven't taken Spanish in a year. Did you have a good time/ get a lot of medical experience?

 

[KiwiFruit]

I'm so excited that you guys are going! It's definitely going to be an experience 😀 My summary is below, but feel free to PM me with specific questions. I want you guys to have a good and safe time!

I went when I was a Senior pre-med...September 2003. I totally loved my experience in Ecuador. I absolutely recommend getting Rosita Tamayo as your host mom...she is so sweet and cooks two meals a day (as covered by the program)...lunch you have to take care of by yourself and she usually hosts many students so dinner time you get to all hang out and talk...we had Tuesday pizza nights. Also, she is within walking distance of the language school and weekly meeting places with Dra. Alvear where you get to talk about your week and what you liked/didn't like/suggestions/venting, etc. One thing I didn't have to worry about...Ecuador uses U.S. dollars. I definitely recommend not carrying more than you are willing to lose--use a money belt at all times and keep cash out of pockets. And try to also carry your backpack in front of you, not behind (they slice it open)...if you can, leave bags at home. Even though the people of Ecuador are super super nice, some are experienced at stealing money in crowded places..but as long as you're careful, you'll be fine. Use the Troley as main form of transportation...cheap and goes all over Quito--stay out of south quito, especially at night...I eneded up there b/c i missed my stop after dark...I had to flag the first cab going north. Dra. Alvear is absolutely AWESOME. Just let her know your interests at the first meeting and she will definitely get you into the clinics you like. I spent 4 weeks in 4 different clinics, just places I was interested in: (1) rural medicine clinic in South Quito (not too much hands on experience here, it varies with all the sites...also, the amount of English doctors speak also vary from site to site) (2) Surgery at Hospital Militar (got to observe in the OR behind the surgeon and 'poke' around the patient..totally awesome...the anestheiologist is a fun person to talk to...he's more in charge of the OR than the surgeon) (3) Travel clinic with Dra. Alvear--usually dealing with tourists that got sick...I got to help with simple things. if you get sick, Dra. Alvear takes good care of you and if you need to go to hospital, there is one in Quito just like the ones in the US and they are CHEAP--affordable health care, who knew! =p Second half of that week: I went to Maternidad..lots of babies being born...not much hands on--I reccommend going to the other clinic if you're interested in OB (4) Emergency room rotation at Eugenio Espejo. GREAT! So much fun...Dr. Reinoso was awesome. Kinda traumatic though...he lost a patient when I was there, the woman was hit by a bus. Oh yeah, run when you cross streets...it's all about size getting the right of way. The bus system is awesome, no numbers, you have to read the hand-written sign in the front window!..you wave them down and jump off at your stop. fare = $0.25

There are sooooooooo many programs with different clinics and the schedule is totally flexible. Just let Alvear know if you want to switch, even in the middle of the week. They usually send you to site with a partner...when we (CFHI participants) weren't at the clinical sites or learning Spanish with our buddies...(they give you a placement test when you get there.,) the entire crew hangs out all the time, we got along great...we go to "gringolandia" for drinks, on weekends, we go hiking or mountain climbing (cotopaxi),bull fights, soccer games, salsa lessons, cooking lessons, shopping (markets--cheap gifts: always haggle, they speak english)--there are so many programs at the school...there is so much to do outside of clinics and language lessons. I even spent a week after rotations traveling around ecuador to the coast and jungle. Definitely take time to have fun and explore the country/culture.

Before you go, definitely get all the required shots and go to the travel clinic near you and get a perscription of CIPRO--i am in love with cipro b/c it saved me butt twice. Don't leave the country without it! ( my fault, not being careful with food/water--which reminds me, do NOT buy food from street vendors if it's not sealed or any sort of sour cream that's not cold--duh, right? I was a dork, wasn't paying attention, ended up having to get a couple IVs that night...E. coli infection.) Host moms boil drinking water...bring a nalgene...don't trust other water...drink gaterade once in awhile, to stay hydrated. Stethoscope and Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer--essential...i never used my scrubs or merck (?)index.

Weather: Even though Quito is in South America--their winter is our summer and their July is techincally winter, but it's on the Ecuator at 9,000 ft elevation so it's pretty much Seattle weather with more sun...basically warm to hot days, chilly nights...but this was in Sept. Nothing cold and bring SUNSCREEN (my friend burned easily), it's way easier to burn, a mini alarm clock comes in handy, learn to take quick showers--hot water not so common sometimes, shampoo, etc..., Bring khakis and polo/button down shirts for rotations (look respectable) and comfy shoes! The doctors are pretty awesome, but definitely fight for what you want to do and show interest. My spanish wasn't that great and I made it, I showed up without being able to say, "hi, nice to meet you"...but brush up on vocab before hand and you'll get more out of the experience. I left understanding tons.

I hope I haven't scared you with the whole safety thing...but Quito is very poor and just keep money close. Overall, the people are sooooooooooo friendly and kind/generous.

Good Restaurants: crepes y waffles. mcDonalds, Cafe Cultural (a little expensive...~$10 for a steak if you crave american food....SUPER clean and good and they have a peacock in the front yard!) when in doubt of food, trust american fast food chains (KFC, pizza hut). Host families take you other safe food places as well.

I hope I didn't overwhelm you with all this info! I was just typing and it's getting late so I hope it all makes sense. Totally let me know if you have other questions or if something I said didn't make sense or if you have other concerns or if I left something out or anything. I really want your trip to be as awesome as mine was!! It really is a LOT of fun and an eye opening experience. I LOVED IT! Definitely remember, you get out of this experience how much interest you show the doctors.

 

[optimistique]

Thank you! That was such an informative post. Awesome! 😀 Im so looking forward to my trip.

I will PM you later with more specific questions.

 

[uptoolate]

I don't know anything about your program, but I lived in Africa for many years and I loooooooove South Africa and southern Africa in general. You'll have a great time. Make sure you take the time to travel. Great hiking, beaches, safari, WINE tasting in some of the most beautiful vineyards. You can skip the seal colony in Namibia (Cape Cross or something, mentally blocking it out- not fun and kind of traumatic if you go during mating season).

On a less touristy note- SA is an outstanding illustration of the influence of politics and social determinants on health status. Substantial food for thought (just can't keep that public health in me DOWN).

 

[Modanq]

I am going to La Paz, Bolivia. in July and August.

I really don't know what to expect, but at least I had my program fee covered by my school... They gave me 2500 $. You should try to inquire at the International Insititute at your school.

PM so we can talk more about CFHI.

 

[funshine]

I'm so excited that you guys are going! It's definitely going to be an experience 😀 My summary is below, but feel free to PM me with specific questions. I want you guys to have a good and safe time!


There are sooooooooo many programs with different clinics and the schedule is totally flexible. Just let Alvear know if you want to switch, even in the middle of the week. They usually send you to site with a partner...when we (CFHI participants) weren't at the clinical sites or learning Spanish with our buddies...(they give you a placement test when you get there.,) the entire crew hangs out all the time, we got along great...

Before you go, definitely get all the required shots and go to the travel clinic near you and get a perscription of CIPRO--i am in love with cipro b/c it saved me butt twice. Don't leave the country without it!

Haha, sounds like you had a great time. I'll PM you w/ specific questions. But really quickly, what do you mean by placement tests??
I have almost ZERO clinical experience...I don't want to get stuck making beds or taking the trash out 😱

I just called to schedule a travel/immunizations appt...wish I had done it earlier, but I'm in the middle of finals, and graduation's coming up...it's hard to stay focused 😀

 

[traveladdict]

Haha, sounds like you had a great time. I'll PM you w/ specific questions. But really quickly, what do you mean by placement tests??
I have almost ZERO clinical experience...I don't want to get stuck making beds or taking the trash out 😱

I just called to schedule a travel/immunizations appt...wish I had done it earlier, but I'm in the middle of finals, and graduation's coming up...it's hard to stay focused 😀

I think he/she meant placement tests for Spanish classes.

I went to Oaxaca, Mexico last summer and the experience was amazing. I'm not sure how much clinical experience you'll be able to get in Bolivia. Most of my experience in Mexico was pure observation. You'll definitely be able to do/understand more if you speak Spanish. Also, as comfortable as it may be to stay with a large group of travelers in a foreign country, you'll have a much better cultural experience if you branch away from the large group. It was always really funny to see this massive white (my group wasn't all too diverse), pastel-wearing cloud floating through the city when we all hung out together. I had the best times at smaller/off-the-beaten path locations where locals ate/drank. However, I only know about Oaxaca.

Oh yeah, Pepto is your friend (Cipro's a little extreme for most cases)

Enjoy!

 

[fashafosho]

anyone for 2008? 😀