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A new SEP-year is approaching, new students are sent out to explore pharmacy and culture in different countries. And each of them has their own story to tell. Here are some stories from students who had their special and unforgettable Student Exchange last year

My SEP adventure started in 2007 when I went to India. I spent five months in an Indian community pharmacy in Goa. Staying in India allowed me to have a better understanding of the pharmacy issues in India and an appreciation of Indian culture .I was involved in several pharmaceutical tasks such as writing patient leaflets, project work, a literature study about Ayurveda, patient interviews, and visits to several pharmacy colleges. I published my work about Ayurveda in a Dutch scientific magazine. This proves how beneficial my SEP was in terms of my learning progress in pharmacy. During my time in India I formed a lot of friendships. In particular, there was one Indian girl named Rita with whom I became close the very first moment that we met. We were soulmates and shared all our secrets. We spent all lunch breaks together gossiping about other people in the pharmacy program or simply just having fun. From her I learnt that Indian girls are not as free as western girls. For instance, Indian parents are stricter with their daughters than I was expecting. I was the first foreigner that visited Rita’s house to celebrate the Hindu feast Diwali with her family .

My accommodation during my SEP was a very simple hostel for student girls. The surroundings around my hostel were beautiful; I could see the sea and sunset from my balcony. Living standards were quite poor. Nevertheless, this brought me close to people living in the hostel. For example, a Goan family was given the duty to look after the girls of the hostel (apart from having their own jobs and family responsibilities). They were really helpful and friendly. I was welcome at all times at their place. They even invited me to spend Christmas with them. It was the most beautiful Christmas I have experienced my life. They have shown me that luxury is not a requirement for happiness.

Apart from enjoying life in Goa, I travelled a lot through other states in India. I visited the beautiful Taj Mahal and saw the Hindu rituals of worshiping the Ganges River in Varanasi. My travelling also brought me to the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, which was held, coincidently, in Varanasi. I attended this congress and had a great time, partly because I met a lot of ambitious pharmacy students from various states of India. To my surprise, the only other person from Holland at the congress turned out to be my lecturer from my university. He could not believe his eyes when he saw one of his Dutch pharmacy students, wearing salwar-kameez (Indian clothes for girls), mixed with a great number of friendly Indian students.

I have come back from India full of love and admiration for the country. There has not been a single day that I have not thought of this inspiring country. It seems like India will never leave my thoughts because wherever I go I think of all of the friendly Indian people I met. Soon, I will travel to Australia for a seven-month research project where my supervisor in Australia is, of all people, Indian .

But most of all, India has brought me to the love of my life, who is a wonderful and handsome Indian man studying in The Netherlands. It looks like my Indian adventure will never end …

Emilia Sawicki, The Netherlands

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IPSF SEP may be simple acronyms for someone else, but for me they stand for the opportunity to discover a world that I had never dreamt possible. First, the chance to travel to a different country with new people, new culture and religion, and a new language was in itself very exciting. Before I knew it, I was in Alexandria, Egypt. As I walked out of the airport I encountered one of the kindest individuals I have ever met in my life, Mohamed Sultan, our Student Exchange Officer for my one month visit. I was taken to a beautifully furnished apartment. The first colleague I met was a Canadian named Vincent. We immediately began sharing information about our respective countries. In the next few days the SEO arranged several local trips in Alexandria to help us get better acquainted with the Pearl of Mediterranean. Soon, our other fellow colleagues from France, Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania joined us in the program .

Then, the actual training started in one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Egypt named Medizen Pharmaceutical Industries. The working assistant was extremely kind and friendly to us. The training schedule covered all the aspects of the business, and every week we switched our departments to obtain an overall knowledge of the day-to-day operations of the business in extreme detail. The departments included Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Planning, and Development and Production.

Every evening the SEO had planned an event and made sure that we enjoyed every minute of our program while in Alexandria. During the weekends, they arranged small trips to places around Alexandria, like Cairo, Marsa Mathrau, Marina, etc. to give us a chance to discover the beautiful country of Egypt. We saw the Pyramids, the Nile, The National Museum, and the Mummies. Marina has one of the best beaches on the mediterranean coast. Alexandria was so beautiful and relaxing that we were all energetic and enthusiastic before our training. The Library of Alexandria was an amazing piece of art. Later we tried the local, traditional Egyptian food called fulafuls, fuls, chickbeans, rice and, for the non-vegetarians, the sea food was to die for. In the blink of an eye, my month in Eygpt was over.

That month taught me so much about life, apart from the pharmaceutical trends in different countries, including Egypt. Sharing views on culture, religion, and ideas with people from all over the world was so much fun and informative. It gave me an idea about how my country is different from other countries. I hope I can extract the best out of my experience and use it for my own and my country's growth. I hope many students become aware of this program so that they are aware of the opportunity to explore the world.

Ayush Agarwal, India

SEP Grant holder 2007-08

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That is what the sign said as I walked into the arrivals area of the Kotoka airport in Accra, Ghana. I would find out later that Akwaaba means, “Welcome ”. I left the terminal and met Joseph, my host student, and we headed for the house. There was a lot of traffic along the main road from the airport, and I quickly learned that just about anything is sold along the streets, from souvenirs to clothing to toilet paper. We wove our way through busy streets, many which were not paved and riddled with potholes. We arrived at the house and I was introduced to the rest of the family. The Amoako family was very generous. They made space in their home not only for me but for two other exchange students even though all eight children were home for summer break .

The first week I was in Ghana, the SEO, Francis, arranged for all 16 exchange students to visit Cape Coast and Kumasi to see some of the tourist sites. The castles in Cape Coast and Elmina served as reminders that Ghana was a major site of the slave trade in colonial times. Kakum National Park provides quite a view with its canopy walk high above the forest floor. Kintampo Falls is just amazing to behold and the monkey sanctuary was a tad bizarre with the village having a cemetery just for monkeys! My second week in Ghana, I started work at Achimota Hospital. The hospital was originally built to serve the local high school but now services the whole rural community. The hospital mainly treats patients that have malaria, hypertension, diabetes, and a wide range of infections. Nine out of ten prescriptions filled at the pharmacy were malaria medications .

The first week at the hospital my main job in the pharmacy was to fill prescriptions; I was able to spend some time counselling patients on medications .My second week at the hospital, I spent some time on one of the wards. It was interesting to see how medications were kept and how patients received them. There are very few medications kept on the ward and those that are, are for emergency situations. After my two weeks at the hospital I participated in Drug Safety Week, which was organized by the Ghana Pharmacy Students Association. It was held in the Eastern Region (regions are like provinces). One hundred seventy pharmacy students from all ages gathered to educate the people of the region on the Rational Use of Drugs .

We went to the city of Koforidua, where we visited churches, primary and secondary schools, government buildings, and market places . Most Ghanaians speak English, but Twi and Ga, two of the tribal languages, are used more frequently. Communicating was a challenge with young children who were just beginning to learn English in school and with adults who never had the opportunity to go to school. The food in Ghana is far different from food in Canada. Plantains, yams and other tubers are a staple. The favourite dish is called Fufu, a combination of cassava and either plantain or yam. These are boiled and then mashed into a doughy ball that is then put in a bowl of soup. Most Ghanaian dishes, even soup, are eaten using one’s hand .

I look forward to another visit to Ghana to experience more of its people and culture. To anyone thinking of visiting Africa, I would highly recommend starting with Ghana. It is a safe and stable country, and Ghanaians are a generous and hospitable people.

Carrie Roth, Canada.

My Host student, Joseph, and I

Drug Safety group 2008, Koforidua, Ghana

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