DentaltownUK Winter 2017 - 26

The Mongol Rally thunders 10,000 miles across the mountains, desert
and steppe of Europe and Asia each summer. There's no backup,
no support and no set route; just you, your fellow adventurists
and a tiny 1000cc car you bought from a scrapyard for £11.50.
It takes around two months to complete,
and it's not for the faint-hearted or for those
who like their creature comforts. You have
to face armed border guards and incredible
heat , and that doesn't even include the
problems that occur if your car breaks
down! Doesn't sound easy, does it?
Despite this, dentist Chris Shorrock
and his partner, Rico Pena, thought it was
the ideal adventure for them.
"I'm going to be honest, I was first
attracted to dentistry because it is a stable
career with good pay," Shorrock said. "I
always wanted to travel, and I knew dentistry
would provide me with the funds. Once
I looked into it more and did some work
experience, I realised it was a perfect fit.
"I love the practical, hands-on, nature
of the job mixed with the human element.
Seeing so many different people in one day
always keeps work interesting."
Shorrock and Pena both love exploring
different countries and, in fact, met while
they were working and volunteering in
Swaziland, Africa. They started dating
not long after.
Shorrock says his work in Swaziland
helped him become a more independent
dentist: "I moved to Swaziland straight
after my DF1 year. It was a baptism by fire,
going from a five-surgery practice where
there was always someone to ask for help
to three one-surgery practices in Swaziland

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WINTER 2017 // dentaltownuk.com

with no one to ask for help and no referral
options. There were cultural differences
to deal with and the practices were very
disorganized.
"I put in place systems to organize the
practices and gradually got the staff onboard,
which was no easy task. After a difficult few
months, to begin with, I ended up staying
over two years. The experience made me
realize I can really do anything I put my
mind to. Clinically, with no referral options,
I had to do treatments I would usually refer
in the UK and it made me a much more
confident and independent dentist."
Shorrock then moved back to Wales
and Pena continued on with his master's
degree in Swaziland. They decided to take
part in the Mongol Rally together before
following their plans to move across the
world to New Zealand to start a new life
together.
Although Shorrock admitted that he had
been too busy during the rally to linger on
thoughts of his clinic back home, he did say
that when he left for the rally, "I sadly had
to say goodbye to all my patients. It's always
sad saying goodbye to your patients and
work colleagues, but it was especially hard
leaving my last practice, in Builth Wells,
Mid Wales. It was one of those places with
the perfect team and a great set of friendly
patients. It was somewhere, if I was ready
to settle down, I would've loved to stay."
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK Winter 2017
