The first week of Echocardiography training

Here I am. I arrived home (LEIF's) and met SHALOY Penrose his wife. She is a lovely mum. Then I went to bed, Leif told me that I can stay home if I feel tired, of course I was tired but also curious to discover the GNTC and my new colleagues. Early in the morning 6:45 am (GMT-8) we left home; it is 1h15' from home to GNTC.
The climate is too different... it too cold, the time change influence comes in it is lunch time in Kigali, but as good traveller I have to maintain my stable base.
DAY 1:
At GNTC I finally dicover the place we enter the class it is an introductory day for junior sonographers. Me I am not junior neither senior, I am a special student who will share Introduction to Echocardiography+Electrophysiology and cardiac anatomy with juniors; and Pediatric echocardiography with seniors.
LEIF introduces himself and every one has to stand up, mentioning her/his name where she/he is coming from, the program she/he pursuing and a short story about her/him self ... There are 12 students of DMS (Diagnostic Medical Sonography), 13 students of VS (Vascular Sonography) and 13 students of ECHO (Echocardiography).
We started from the left by a big tall man called JOE..., and after the third person there should be someone to say the already presented people before the next introduce her/himself.
I was the pre last one so I had to say the minus Debbie McCormack who was the last.
There were two Megans and Sarahs and no Male in DMS program
The students were excited after telling them my short sonography's story.
Then we read the rules and regulations guide book, the student had to sign some statments.
The first day was over.
The students wanted to know in details my journey and what they can help for the sake of the trainig.
My first impression is that my colleagues are very welcoming people it gave a feeling of interest in my training it is very encouraging to have such kind of compagny when you are newcomer.
Then me and LEIF we had to look for uniforms, background check and immunisation.
The first day was over we had to go back home.
This time the climate was too hot for me, my skin was burning.
Back home we found SHALOY at home it was around 7:00 pm (GMT-8).
Suprising it is another kind of food, I am used to african food (rice, potateos, beans,...) and for me it seems to be earlier because in Rwanda the sun goes down aroud 6:00 pm (GMT+2) and here the sun goes down around 8:30 pm (GMT-8).

DAY2:
The second day I did not had so much to do, but one thing is sure I don't like to stay home. I went with LEIF at GNTC and he had a lecture to give and me I had to watch a pediatric ultrasound cassette in the libraly in the morning and afternoon we went back for background check, to at&t to see if we can get a sim card or a plan for my mobile phone tha I brought from kigali, the man in at&t didn't even look at phone and he just said we it can't work.
We went back home same temperature and same direction.
DAY3:
It is my first day of class for junior echocardiography students and we have to start a new module (Introduction to Echocardiography) with a new teacher.
Her name is Irwin Dawn, it is time to introduction. Every one has to introduce her/himself and tell a story to the class about, at my round I told them my sonographer's journey from Radiology tecnologist to Sonographer, my training in Uganda with 10 hours bus travel twice a week to work in Kigali and studying in Kampala... How in Rwanda we only have two Sonographers, NDAYIZEYE M. Pascal and myself. We started the introduction to the new module and we went through the necessary things to do and they needed knowledge after the module.
After me and LEIF went for the injrctions and the Chest x-ray, suprisingly the chest x-ray costs more than 100 $ with almost 8 chest x-rays in Kigali.
Then Leif advised to create a blog of my training with which people may help in covering the living expensies, the tuition and other training expensies.
I created it and it is now working. I will be updating it as the course goes on and maybe after the course ends, to follow how the ultrasound program is evoluatin g in Rwanda.
DAY 4:
This day we had CPR (CardioPulmonaryRescisutation), by entering the class, the teacher came in and he started by presentation and introduction.
Unfortunately he had a sudden accent and I spent like five to ten minutes without understanding what he was saying. But after sometimes I came to understand and at the end it was fine for me. I could understand and follow the training.

The travel

My travel started on the 22nd August 2011 at 1:05 am Kigali (GMT+2) time at Kigali International Airport with Kenya Airways, we went to Bujumbura and headed to Nairobi and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport around 6:00 am Nairobi time (GMT+1), there I stayed in the Airport around 1 hour and a half to hear someone to call our round to go in ticketing places to be checked. Around 7h30 Nairobi time the check up started and I was the second to pass and sitting in the waiting seats for more 35 minutes. We left Nairobi 8:35 am Nairobi time. From Nairobi to Amsterdam it was around 9hours, it there and then I started to realise how much the trip was serious, I was tired and unfamiliar with such kind of travels. This reminded me how I did my Bachelor's degree progrma where I was studying in Kampala (ECUREI) and working in Kigali (KFH).

I entered an KLM airplane at 4:50 pm Amterdam time, heading to Atlanta once again a trip of around 8h30', we landed in Atlanta at 8:42 pm Atlanta time (GMT-8).

Tired in a new country, new people, big aiport and where everyone is busy on her/his omn business I was done. Fortunately there are pannels everywhere.

Around 9:30 pm Atlanta time I was on the exit stairs where I heard a voice familiar to me calling my name Said..., Said..., Said.... Oh my GOD it was LEIF my friend. A feeling of being in saving hands came too fast because I was affraid of getting lost.

I went through the process to get out and

My echocardiography course

I am a sonographer from Rwanda and work at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali (KFH).

Recommended by Cardiologists and Radiologists of KFH and the Medical Imaging Department of KHI. I have beneficieted a special course in Echocardiography course at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC).

Supported by LEIF PENROSE and KFH, I started my training on 08/24/2011 at 8:00 am Atlanta time.