Dr. Gordon Wong on his epic volunteer trip to Senegal

“The good thing was that our new clinic location felt much cooler because of better airflow, and the sick students had recovered, so they could join us in the clinic, making the days feel more relaxed. After three days at the second clinic location, the team travelled back to Dakar for some rest and relaxation – surfing in the amazingly warm ocean water, before saying goodbye to Senegal.

“We experienced such a different culture in Senegal: Islam is the dominant religion, so we made sure to dress modestly, covering up our legs, etc. French is the official language, so we had to revive some of our high-school French!

“The patients were friendly and appreciative of the prescription glasses, sunglasses, and artificial tears we could provide. We sacrificed our time, money, and health to help as many people as we could, but it was a shame to have to turn away patients who had had horrible cataract surgery outcomes, end-stage glaucoma, and unique prescriptions for which we didn’t have suitable glasses.

“The weather was draining, securing drinkable water was daily priority, and illness was often – but we succeeded in getting out of our comfort zones and emerged from the experience changed for the better, feeling resilient, grateful and appreciative.”