Cambodia: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Hello! I am sitting here getting eaten by mosquitoes so let's make this short...I started back in the hospital this week and Monday and today (Wednesday) were fairly brief. They are both public holidays so we didn't have any surgeries scheduled. Yesterday, I was with Dr. Rasmey in the OR and observed his cholecystectomy. Today, I started my day visiting with Dr. Oukreth. He is a great man who is always smiling. He barely speaks english but is fluent in spanish so we get by pretty well speaking spanish to one another. He explained to me that he went to med school in Cuba and so that's how he learned spanish! We visited for about 45 minutes this morning and there was something in our conversation that I found to be wonderful so I wanted to share it with all of you. You see, Cambodia is a very poor country. There are also ways to make a lot of money...I saw a Rolls-Royce outside of the market the other day and everywhere I look in Phnom Penh, I see a Lexus. But, we are surrounded by a lot of poverty as well. The hospital that I work in is affordable for a lot of Cambodians but I was told during my first week working there that this is the "hospital for poor people". While talking with Dr. Oukreth, he told me that the ICU is full of patients that have complications after surgery. A lot of people experience infections or are in need of medications that the hospital can't provide. I expected these type of conditions but what really surprised me is that he explained that a lot of the problem is the nursing staff. They're underpaid (they make $100 per month) and can't afford food a lot of the time. Since they aren't getting proper nutrition, they run out of energy and this affects how well they treat their patients. I asked what a doctor makes at this hospital and he said $200 per month. I knew this couldn't be accurate because most of the doctors drive nice cars and have iphones and ipads. I asked how they afford their nice things and he explained that at this specific hospital, they make $200 per month. They work there in the mornings/early afternoons and in the evenings, they work in private clinics where they can charge more and that's where they make good money. I asked him why they work in the hospital when they are making such great money elsewhere. Dr. Oukreth sat back and smiled. He responded "Leslie, it's because we have a conscience. We need to take care of our Cambodian people. If we worked in private clinics all of the time, who would take care of the poor people here? So, I work some of the time in the private clinic to make money to pay for my family and my things and then, I work here to help my people. If they can't afford treatment or surgery, that's okay! We will do it anyways." I thought that this was a great way to start my day! We all work hard and make money to live our lives and support our families. It's well-deserved and hard-earned money! But it's also so important to take some time out of our days and reach out to the people that need a helping hand every once in awhile. In a country that has a huge gap between the wealthy people driving a Lexus and the poor who are malnourished and begging for food, it was encouraging for me to meet a lovely man that counts his blessings and uses his knowledge and skills to help those in need.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Lately

Life has been a little strange and I've been a little bit "off" lately. After I returned from Thailand, we had public holidays on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It was like a ghost town around here because everyone returns to their home province to be with their families. I was supposed to return to work the following Monday but instead, I was sick for the entire week last week! After a couple of days, I decided to get some antibiotics. This is always an interesting process in Cambodia. I went to the "pharmacy" that ended up being a small stand on the side of the road. I bought the amoxicillin from a girl that couldn't have been more than 10. For 7 days worth of medication, it was 6000 riel or $1.50. Well, I finished my meds and am still fighting the sickness so who knows what is wrong! I am feeling ten times better than last week, though, when I started crying on skype with my parents. Ha! Last Saturday I felt good enough to go to the "dirty weekend" hosted by Projects Abroad. This is an event that happens once a month and we go to an orphanage or school to paint the walls and jazz up the place. We had a great time (other than the terrible heat) playing with the kids and painting. The kids loved to help us! This morning, I went back to work even though it is a public holiday again. I assumed that people were still sick and surgeries still happen on holidays, silly me! I was there for one hour and the on-call surgeon came up to me and explained that we didn't schedule any surgeries and I should return tomorrow. Then, he returned to his bench to nap. Oh well, I tried!

I am never quite sure as to what these holidays entail and I'm so confused with things most of the time here. The King's funeral procession was on the 17th (the day after the 3-day holiday a couple of weeks back) and so everyone was back in Phnom Penh but a lot of things were closed for the funeral. Then, from what I understand, there is supposed to be 7 days of mourning and "happy" things cannot occur. Music can't be played, bars are closed, restaurants are closed and everyone wears black ribbons on their clothing. Each night, everyone gathers at the Royal Palace to mourn the death of the king. I really don't understand much of this because more than 7 days later, these things still occur. I attended the gathering at the Palace last night and although many people were praying and mourning, the people in the back were on the grass and it looked more like a social event. People were selling light-up toys and having picnics. It reminded me of a community park on the 4 of July! One day I will figure this place out...

Painting outside of the orphanage

Playing at the school in the slums

The tribute to King Sihanouk at the Royal Palace

Kids outside of the palace showing me what to do with my candles and incense

Outside of the Royal Palace

There isn't much else going on over here but every day is a new adventure! I am seeing pictures of Husker tailgates on facebook and you all look SO COLD but of course, you're having so much fun!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

2 Week Holiday to Thailand

Hello!! We survived our two week trip through Thailand! (We decided to skip Laos because our bank accounts were depleting rapidly). I have no idea where to begin to explain everything so I will give you guys the highlights and some pictures. We flew out of Phnom Penh on September 26th. We had a layover in Bangkok before we flew to our destination in Koh Samui. I was incredibly sick this day and quite miserable on the planes...and for the next couple days in Koh Samui, I spent most of my time in the quite LUXURIOUS (not) bathrooms of Thailand. It was definitely God's way of testing my patience and tolerance of challenge. Koh Samui is a beautiful island with some great beaches but the rainy season stole a lot of our sunshine! After a few days on Koh Samui, we took a ferry over to another island called Koh Phangan. We stayed in a beautiful resort with a big, warm shower and unbelievable view! I spent most of my time walking the beach, laying in the sun and reading. We went to the "Full Moon Party" and that was a great time. I met some Americans on the ride over to the other side of the island where the party was so it was fun to talk to them! It was a little strange to be talking about Husker Football and I heard the word "Creighton" for the first time in a month! After a couple of days on the island, we took a ferry back to Koh Samui where we caught a bigger boat to the mainland. We then had a 4-hour bus ride to Phuket and we arrived fairly late at night with tired bodies and hungry stomachs. We had some McDonalds when we arrived and one may assume that I would be really excited to have some "western" food but it was quite the opposite. All of the food in Cambodia and Thailand is so fresh and "natural". It was a little bit nauseating to go back to processed foods and especially fast food. We get fruit straight from the market and one morning in Cambodia, I saw the waitress walk across the street from the restaurant to a lady with chickens to get my eggs for breakfast. It’s a little difficult to go from that back to McDonalds! In Phuket, we spent a day on a boat tour to Phiphi island and that was beautiful. We were able to go snorkeling, visit three islands and play with monkeys. After another day in Phuket, we caught a quick flight back to Bangkok where we spent our first night in a terrible hostel! We should have known since it was only about $7 a night…but since we were exhausted, we spent one night there and then changed hotels after the first night. Bangkok is basically an Asian version of any big city in America and to be honest, we were quite disappointed. We did go shopping in a few markets, found some great restaurants and I spent one day in an AMAZING spa for a massage. It was very zen and the women that work in the spa were so kind and gorgeous! After a couple of days in Bangkok, we caught a 14 hour night train to Chiang Mai and this was my favorite part of the trip! We spent time at Tiger Kingdom and took pictures with tigers. The tigers aren’t sedated and since they were fed right before we came, it’s safe to touch them and be near them. We also spent a day in the Elephant Nature Park which was by far one of the best days ever! These elephants are rescued from abusive situations or they were abandoned. This amazing woman, Lek, buys the elephants from the owners and brings them to her “Elephant Heaven”. Go to elephantnaturepark.org to learn more about this wonderful woman and place. We were able to feed them and bathe them in the river. They eat whole pumpkins and watermelon, which I find fascinating! They’re big animals but they are so gentle and happy! On our last day in Chiang Mai, we visited a temple and had one last meal before our 14-hour train to Bangkok. We arrived at about 7 am and caught a flight back to Phnom Penh and it was GREAT to be home! We were back to the world of cheap food and drinks, friendly people and familiar surroundings. I was also very excited to have some clean laundry! Monday through Wednesday of this week is a Khmer holiday so we don’t have work and most of everything is closed in Phnom Penh so it has been a little bit quiet and lonely. A lot of the volunteers in my apartment went to the beach so it’s quiet around there. I will return to the hospital on Monday and I am anxious to get back to work!