We wanted to be a part of Africa in other ways than through tourism and when we got a chance to have an exchange in pharmacology we took it! Our first impression was that we were very welcomed and well taken care of. Our accommodation near the university had everything we needed and we appreciated it a lot. Although our four weeks have passed quickly we have managed to experience a lot.
Our first week we spend the mornings at Hopital Central at the Pediatrics, in Malnutrition and Emergency, and it was very different from Swedish health care. Both the diseases and how the system is organized differ from home, but it was very educational to be a part of it. The economical limits are something that we hope will improve and that health care will be equal to everyone.
At the university we had lectures with Dr. Valentine Ndikum in Pharmacology and learned about pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, antimalarial and other antiprotozoal drugs. Dr. Ndikum was very pedagogic and the message from the lectures was easy to understand. We especially found the lectures about anti-malarial drugs useful since this disease doesn´t get that much attention it deserves in Sweden, although it is one of the biggest world health problems. That’s why we decided to do a report about it as a part of our exam in Sweden.
We also had the opportunity to be a part of The Youth Day here in Yaoundé and the evening the Medical faculty had organized. There we enjoyed the different cultures in Cameroon which were represented with food, dances and traditions.
We were also a part of an organization that inform youth about puberty and sexual transmitted diseases. This organization is formed by Dr. Léonie Dapi Nzefa under the name “Sweden Cameroon Association”. We travelled out to different schools around Yaoundé and answered all kind of questions that the children were wondering about. The children were fantastic; they took a lot of energy but gave a whole lot more!
When we decided that we were going to do this exchange, we read that Cameroon is like a miniature of Africa. During our weekends here we travelled around this country and realized that it might be true. We saw the white beaches of Kribi, the black beaches and the green Limbe, the magnificent north and of course the capital. In the north we were on a safari and saw both giraffes and lions and we also spent a night in Rhumsiki, close to the Nigerian boarder. We were amazed by the hilly landscape. It was really a bumpy road trip and a lot of hours in a car but it gave us the opportunity to see parts of Cameroon we otherwise would have missed.
We leave this country with the feeling of warmth, welcoming people and horning taxis. Cameroon is really a beautiful country and an experience for life. We are really recommending other students in Umeå University to take the change to do an exchange here.
Thanks for this time, merci, TACK!
Elin, Linda och Josefin, Umeå Universitet.
Originally published April 3, 2012 by admin.