Amelia Hilton, a College of Medicine student, was awarded a Center for Global Health Student & Trainee Travel Grant to pursue a global health project in Soddo, Ethiopia. Continue reading to learn more about the experience abroad. Click here to view more photos on Flickr.
I, alongside three other MUSC medical students, had the opportunity to spend four weeks in Sodo, Ethiopia, at Sodo Christian Hospital (SCH), working and learning alongside both local Ethiopian staff and long-term missionaries. I cannot even begin to put into words how impactful my time in Ethiopia was on me as both a future physician and as a person. Instead of talking about the inspiring patients, the beauty of the country, or the captivating medical diagnoses I saw, I am going to talk about what made the greatest impact on me—the people.
Day one upon arrival at the hospital grounds, where we would be staying, was only a preview of the community we would soon find ourselves in. After traveling for over 24 hours, we finally got off our van at Sodo Christian Hospital and were greeted immediately with welcoming smiles and a community that was so excited to invite us to be a part of it. From then on, I knew it takes a special type of person to dedicate their lives to mission work the way the long-term missionaries in Sodo do. Throughout our time there, we were invited with open arms to dinners, birthday parties, bonfires, Bible studies, and so much more. The people who lived on the hospital compound with us soon became like family.
It was easy, and almost natural, to feel at home surrounded by long-term missionaries who were from similar backgrounds as us. They knew what we were going to experience in making such a drastic lifestyle change for that month. However, the relationships we quickly built—and still hold on to—with the Ethiopians were ones we did not expect. From the first morning, when we joined the residents at 7 a.m. for rounds, we were immediately one of them for that month. One hour after meeting the team I would be working with for my first week on general surgery, I was invited to coffee and breakfast at the café. Fast forward to the end of our four weeks, and we were hosting Ethiopian residents for game nights, pickup basketball, and, of course, pickleball matches. The welcoming and inclusive nature of the people in Ethiopia is something I can only strive to emulate. They made us—second-year medical students from America—feel right at home and like valuable members of the team.
Lastly, there is one person who I think embodies God’s love and the inclusive culture of Ethiopia, and I am so lucky to have met her—Diana. During my time in Sodo, I worked with Dr. Michele Yates to implement a study assessing cultural barriers to the palliative care program at SCH. On our first day working on the project, I met with Dr. Yates, and she invited Diana, a friend of hers and an Ethiopian who grew up in Sodo, to join us. From that day on, Diana and I were attached at the hip. We went around the hospital day after day passing out surveys for our study.
After we finished, we would sit outside on a bench and talk about life. She took me to the market and showed me around the city she calls home. I felt so welcomed by Diana, and she showed me how beautiful life can be. On one of my last days, we walked around the city, and she insisted on buying me a gift to remember her and my time in Ethiopia. She then decided she also wanted to get something for the other three students. Her genuine desire to give and her hospitality personify the inviting culture I was blessed to experience for a month.
My time at Sodo Christian Hospital taught me a lot, but one thing I will never forget is how to love others well and welcome them with open arms.
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