Relief work?

I worked in a third world Pacific island country for 2 years where I developed and then managed a mental health clinic. The work was rewarding but I hated living in a third world country! I had traveled extensively around the world and had done much research about the area I was going to prior to going there so I didn't think culture shock would be much of a problem but boy was I wrong!!!!

I suffered from culture shock so severly that after several months I had to start taking antidepressants to cope with my living environment. You never realize the little things you take for granted in the western world until you have to live without them. If you don't get ill from unsanitary food, water and raw sewage you will from living on the staple of spam, vienna sausages and coke. The electricity was unreliable and was sometimes out for days at a time. There was an air conditioner were I worked but none where I lived. It didn't cool night and not being able to escape the constant high heat and high humidity when outside of work was a times unbearable. Also, you will be sharing your living quarters with lizards, snakes, rats, giant frogs, cock roaches, giant spiders and anything else that wants to visit you.

Remember that you are going to be thousands of miles from home and if any problems occur you are on your own. If you have any American coworkers they may not be willing to lend support as they may have their own issues they are dealing with. I found that some of the doctors and nurses I worked with who were from the States were working in the third world because they had lost their license to practice in the US and a couple of doctors were on the run from the law. Don't expect support from your coworkers who are from the indigenous population either. They may be superficially friendly but in my experience I found that they didn't like Caucasions or Americans and if you were both they really didn't like you.

I know this sounds aweful and it was but you need to be prepared for what your life will be life so it won't come as such a shock. Again I thoroughly enjoyed my work experience and I'm glad that I had the experience of living in the third world but I sure didn't enjoy it!