Global Connectoin - New England to England
Posted by Gilda Rodrigues
on Feb 03, 2016
Every moment in London is an adventure. I am grateful for every step of the way. Ever since I stepped into the grounds of London I could not have been more grateful than I am of the hospitality of the Rotarians from Orpington Crofton Rotary, especially Brenda Parsons and Frances McGarry. They have helped me every step of the way. On my first day in London Brenda and Frances made a new world feel like home. They picked me up from the airport, brought me to my new stay and made sure everything was safe and provided me with all the assistance I needed. My favorite part was when we had a tour of my accommodation and they asked every question they could to make sure it was the right place for me. It was mind blowing to be in a new country and not knowing anyone and to have these two amazing people who I met briefly to take care of me in the way they did.
After being in London for a day, I packed my bags for weekend trip to Stafford for Rotary Link Weekend. I was welcomed to Stafford by an astonishing host family who are also Rotarians. They inform me about the rich history of Strafford and took me on a journey to Stafford Castle and the Museum of the Staffordshire Yeomanry. They were truly amazing. During this weekend I was also able to meet other Rotary scholars from all over the world. It was great to hear their stories and the amazing things that they have done. We Rotary Scholars also took a trip to Warwick Castle, which was beautiful. During this weekend, Rotarians spoke to us and it was uplifting to hear their stories and to hear all the amazing things Rotary is doing all over the world. One of the messages that the Rotarians reminded me and I will always remember is the saying of, “doing good in the world.” Every time I now do something good for the world, I will always think of Rotary!
Being a family of the Rotary has opened so many opportunities and has enabled me to know just remarkable people who are making amazing changes in the world.
I was invited to many Rotary events including, the Rotary Club of Orpington Crofton for their anniversary dinner, Rotary Club of Orpington Crofton Christmas Party and many other events.
I went to a few museums with the Rotarians such as Royal Academy of Art, Apsley House, Royal Albert Hall and was also hosted by a few of the Rotarians to their homes.
London has been an amazing experience. I have taken many wonderful classes, many were difficult, but it has been a truly fascinating learning experience. I love all the classes I have and are taking. The classes that I took were Basic Statistics, Extended Epidemiology, Introduction to Disease Agents and Their Control, Health Policy, Process and Power. Currently I just started taking Designing Disease Control Programs in Developing Countries and Qualitative Methodologies. In the next five weeks I will be taking Epidemiology and Control of Communicable Diseases, Medical Anthropology and Public Health and AIDS.
Currently in my Designing Disease Control Programs in Developing Countries my group and I are tackling Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) Control and prevention in South Sudan. The aim of the class is to identify and create a suitable control program for a specific disease problem in a specific setting and it is set up to replicate a real life situation, which has been quite fascinating.
As a child I was always amazed by diseases and was curious were they originated from, symptoms, treatment and how people got them. My Master Program in Control of Infectious Disease has opened another door for me to learn about this passion that I have and find ways to help people. Learning about different methods to control and how prevent disease is leading me through this wonderful path. Thank you Rotary for making my dreams come alive!