Madilynn’s South Africa Experience

What task on your project did you most enjoy?

The part of my internship that I enjoyed the most was being able to read X-rays and hypothesize diagnoses with the help and guidance of the doctor I worked with. The immense pride I felt in myself but also the doctor felt for me when I correctly identified something on an X-ray was such an amazing feeling.

What was your greatest achievement?

We had a young patient who was visibly scared to see the dentist. He was crying and refusing to open his mouth for the dentist to see anything, he wouldn’t even listen to his mom. I was able to talk to him and get him to stop crying. After a minute or so, he had calmed down and the doctor was able to do what he needed to. The whole time he was in the room, the little boy held my hand and squeezed it. He gave me the biggest simile on the way out.

Did you feel you made a difference?

YES!! Even if I didn’t make a huge difference and ‘change the world’ so to speak, I know I made a difference in the daily lives of the staff and patients that I worked with. Patients whose hands I held during their shots, or the little boy I was able to comfort; I made a difference in their day. Additionally, one of the days at work, we were short a dental assistant. I was able to step into this role and assist the doctor; I made a difference in his life and everyone that day as the patients were able to be seen as normal, even when the clinic was short staffed.

What advice would you give future participants?

Cape Town can be/seem scary at times, but don’t let this stop you from experiencing as much as you can! There are so many safety things to implement to make sure you get the most out of your trip safely!

Please tell others why you think they should sign up for a program with Kaya.

Kaya was awesome! I was able to customize my internship and have it be exactly where and what I was dreaming of. They were very responsive in making sure all my questions got answered, and super helpful overall.