And.. We're back

Sooo sorry that I have been out of the loop for the past few days but I have had an incredible time. A brief continuation from my last blog, I was sitting at the bar in my hostel all alone as Brent and Lori had abandoned me for greener pastures when who of all people should walk in but the girl (Chan pronounced 'Jan') I met on the bus up to Chiang Mai! She was excited to run into me when I got back and wanted to know if I wanted to go dancing with her and some of her friends. I had nothing better to do so I got dressed and went. It was a blast! Her friends were other foreigners from NGOs French, English, Australian, and of course Cambodians. We all partied and danced and swapped traveling/working stories and I didn't get home till 4am. I was up and running for surgery 4 hours later. I knew that it was going to be a slow day because we had 4 WWAMI students, 5 Hong Kong students, 2 UK students, and now 6 French surgeons. While everyone sat in frustration in the OR fighting for space I went out and visited with my "patients". My Kamer has really gotten impressive and I can hold and very brief conversation and tell a joke or two. The mood has completely changed for me with regards to the clinic. Dr. Jim is back and he alone has transformed the clinic into a dreadful experience. He barks at everyone, pushes people around, and is a general **shole. Plus there is no way to get near the table with all of these people here and the Cambodian docters/nurses feel bad because I have really built great relationships with all of them and there is nothing any of us can do. So I have cut my days in half and spent the afternoons and nights with Chan. She and I drive around on her scooter (I suck at it) and visit all of Phnom Phen as she introduces me to everyone. We eat at GREAT places, drink the best coffee, and our nights are filled with dancing and more people. She seems to know everyone in this city. She helps me with my Kamer and we discuss Cambodian culture as we sample "Apeen" or fried tarantula. She works for the a national magazine and through her connections with various businesses we continue to eat and drink some of the best Cambodia has to offer. Everyone at the clinic was very sad to see me go on my last day and I hope to come back for a 4th rotation here because this experience has been so incredible.

Saturday Chan and one of her close friends took me out to a rural village were some of her friend's relatives lived. It was Peace Corps all over again. They lived in an extremely poor area but were still SUPER kind and I had an opportunity to sit and chat with two very nice translators. We all laughed and I sampled every home-made...thing that was offered to me. I even got to use the first-aid kit in the car to clean some wounds from a worker who had cut himself out in the field. We all laughed at my attempts to speak Kamer and they all wished me safe travels when I left. I really like the two handed bow here. It is a simple gesture that provokes deep respect. The whole experience was surreal. Tonight was my last night, Chan took me out to get Kabobs and take care of some last minute shopping. We managed to get me to the airport with ALL of my luggage on her scooter which I have to say, she is a CRAZY driver and I am thanking my lucky stars that I will leave Cambodia in tacked. There was a tearful good-bye and I know Chan will be a friend of mine for years to come. So here I sit in the Cambodian International Airport waiting to take my 48 hour trip back to the US. What a BLAST! I have to keep asking myself; can life get any better? I can't wait to see you all and share more of my experiences with you. See you soon!

Return to Phnom Phen

Well I can say beyond a doubt that our trip back, via plane, was much less eventful/stressful. The total time it took us to get back was less than one of our delays via train/bus. Brent and Lori were happy. I must say that I miss my travel buddies, Ben and Matt because they would find the joy and adventure in the process rather than the inconvenience. But we weren't totally without incident. On our way back we arrived in PP and took a tuk tuk to the hostel. It was rush hour and never in my life have I witnessed such chaos. Stop lights here are merely suggestions and right of way in an estranged concept. Anyways, we were going up this hill and our tuk tuk didn't look like it was going to make it. We were laughing about our weight when the torque of the motor scooter acted against it and flipped the driver up into the roof of the front of the tuk tuk and we started a free fall backwards down the hill into on coming traffic. Lori and Brent jumped out and tried to slow the run-away tuk tuk while the driver and I were stuck inside. Luckily we careened into a wall and no one was hurt but we could not stop laughing. This and while we were watching a movie in Chiang Mai the projector wasn't switched over in the middle so the screen went black and we could here the tap-tap-tap of the film in free spin for 5 minutes. It were at those moments when we were reminded to that this is no-where close to the US. Now I am all alone at the hostel. Brent and Lori can afford to stay somewhere nice and so we said good bye and here I am... Stay tuned!

Night Bazaars Jungle Canopies

Last night I went out and came across a HUGE market. Supposedly it was the famous Chiang Mai Weekend night bazaar, there were at least two miles of booths/stands selling all sorts of unique items. There was a stand for eatable bugs, paintings, nicknack's, and much more. I am REALLY low on funds so I only bought one thing all night; it was a hand drawn self portrait. I liked it quiet a bit and it was ridiculously cheap. I had so much fun weaving in and around hordes of people haggling loudly in the street. The air seemed electric with excitement over all of the new and wondrous things from all over the country. I walked for 5 hours and still did not see all of the bazaar.

This morning was a rough wake up. My legs ached a bit from walking all night. We were picked up at our place and driven to the Flight of the Jungle site. It was a very long, and very windy road which had we gone much further I would have lost my breakfast. The canopy course was incredible. I hope the videos come out. The course had 34 platforms 22 ziplines, and 4 drops. The longest zip was 300m and nearly 150m high. It was a thrill. They scariest part was the 40m straight down drop they let us free fall for most of it. It was awesome. Great day!

Elephants and Whitewater rafting

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Well, today was just another amazing day. I awoke from my food coma as the result of last night's amazing feast that we prepared. I made red curry with curry paste that I crushed myself, coconut soup, chicken Pad Thai, and fried banana spring rolls dipped in sweetened condensed milk. It was a blast cooking. Our teacher had the most hilarious laugh. He sounded like and evil cartoon character. Thanks to my mom's cooking genes I did very well and was especially proud of the rose that I made from a tomato as a garnish.

Anyways back to today, I woke up and went to my favorite little spot near our hostel for some Thai tea and more Pad Thai (I am either addicted to it or they spike it with MSG). I love the mornings here because they are quiet and provide excellent time to ponder life and its wonders. Again, I find myself smiling as I reflect back on my life, which has been (so far) and incredible adventure. I had We had to split up today because Lori didn't want to go rafting being pregnant and all, which is understandable so she left to train elephants. Brent and I, on the other hand, REALLY wanted to go rafting. The tour picked us up and two hours later we were riding elephants through the jungle towards our rafts. I was taught how to operate an elephant and led our little train through the jungle. Before, I thought that riding a horse was an ultimate power trip but a 1.5 ton elephant trumps that any day. I sat on his neck and controlled him using my feet on his ears. So cool! Next we reached our rafts and went through the brief instructions. Our boat was the "American" boat with Brent, Brian (a lawyer from Philly), myself, and the guide. We ripped through rapids, careened over waterfalls, dove in and swam through some of the rapids and down the river; all the while splashing and dunking the other boats' patrons. By the end of the trip we were soaked, muddy, exhausted, and grinning ear to ear. Life. Is. Good.

And a very special shout out to my dad! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Thank you for always pushing me to be/do my best. Thank you for all of those wet and freezing nights cheering me on along the sidelines of my soccer games, thanks for sitting through the sweltering heat timing at my swim meets, thanks for all those late nights helping me with my homework and most of all thanks for always being there. I love you very much and hope you have a great Father's Day!

Tigers and Thai Cooking [Take 2]

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What a day! This is hard not to repeat the same stories that I had from last time I went on this adventure but it was a blast. We got a Tuk tuk to the Tiger Kingdom. It was an incredibly funny feeling as I faced the prices $80 to see all of the cats again because I found myself saying. "Well, I will never get another chance to... wait.. this is the second time I will get to do this. It was in that moment that I again found myself in deep appreciation of my family. My mom and dad for giving me all the opportunities in the world. This may sound simple but after living in El Salvador for 3 years I have found the only thing that separates me from any of my poorer farming friends were the opportunities provided to me. Mom, Dad if you are reading this I owe you everything and I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also wouldn't have a clue which direction to go without my trail-blazing sister. Rach you are so amazing and inspiring. Thanks for all of your current and continuing support. And where would I be without my moral compass? Ben I hope to grow someday into the man you currently are. I am truly blessed with the life and family I have.

Anyways back to the Tiger Kingdom. We got tickets to see all of the tigers including the newly born <1 month olds. They were all great! The babies were so cute they were the size of full grown house cats at 1 month and medium dogs at 2-3 months. We saw tigers from babies to small, medium, large, and HUGE. I rubbed their bellies, and laid on top of them. It was a rush. Then we went to a snake farm which was less than fun. They had a snake show which was very impressive and terrifying. They would hurl the snakes out of their boxes and then snag them inches from striking audience members. I had an 80 lbs boa wrapped around my shoulders.

After we got back from Tiger Kingdom we went straight to our Thai cooking class. This one was very nicely set up. I made spicy red curry, coconut soup, pad thai, and banana spring rolls. I am a master Thai chef, even my garnishing flowers came out beautiful! I have loads of pictures and I wish I could write more but I am exhausted and we have elephant riding and whitewater rafting tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Trains, busses, and Shrapnel

Sorry I haven't been writing but we have been traveling for what seems like days. But before we left we had one more day at the clinic. I had already promised the Chinese students that I would give them the OR for the day so I stayed out and helped diagnose patients. Again, I am torn between medicine and surgery. We saw all sorts of illnesses and conditions; cleft palates, broken bones, skin conditions, and more. The most memorable for me was this gentleman who came in asking if we could take out a piece of shrapnel from his tricep. I asked him were he got it and he explained that it came from one of the US bombs dropped in 1973. He preceded to explain what had happened and how he'd lost several close friends in the explosion. He was not angry towards me, which surprised me. He explained that they were political bombs and also that he had witnessed the US apologize for “acting foolishly”. We continued with the examination and once we scheduled him for surgery he started asking if we could remove all of the other shrapnel too. He had 15 pieces in total throughout his body! I felt embarrassed and angry towards my country's foreign policies which were compounded by by some of the books I have picked up recently. Don't get me wrong, I understand why we do/did what we do/did but it still sucks. The worst part of this current line of thinking is that there are few if any solutions... I need to get new material to read.

So we began our trek towards Ching Mai via bus. Last night we drove to Siem Reap, it was a long 6 hours on a very bumpy road but we made it and stayed at Siem Reap Guesthouse which is one of our favorites. Though I met a very cute Cambodian girl on the bus and we chatted most of the way and she promised to show me around Phnom Phen when I get back. She emailed me today and asked if I wanted to be her date to a traditional Cambodian wedding too! I am excited to see Cambodia through a local's eyes. This morning we got up early to be picked up to be brought to the bus. We waited 1.5 hours for the bus (#1 stop/wait), then 1 hour later we stopped at restaurant (#2), then we hit the border were it was hot, humid, and filled with confusingly long lines. We made it through reasonably unscathed and waited on the other side to be picked up 2 hours (#3). Finally, they came to pick us up but it was a sh***y van to take us to the “bus”. But instead it took us to another restaurant for an hour (#4). We had now officially been waiting longer than traveling on a bus. Ugh..

On our last bus I met a gorgeous Brazilian woman traveling with her husband and we chatted most of the way to Bangkok, they gave me some great places to visit when I go to Brazil. I think I may try to get down there for the World Cup or Olympics!

As we passed through the streets of Bangkok I was in awe by how much the city has grown in one year. There are skyscrapers popping up all over like flowers during springtime. The infrastructure here is starkly different from that of Cambodia, the streets are cleaner, the prices are higher, and things are organized. We finally exited that cursed “bus” and took an overpriced taxi to the train station. It was busy and we purchased 1^st class tickets on the next overnight train to Ching Mia (on which I am writing to you now). The 1^st class train is nice, we may even get some sleep tonight. I can't wait to be petting tigers, whitewater rafting, and riding elephants again.

Well, our train was 4 hours late arriving into Ching Mai but that was fine because our beds were very comfortable. It wasn't too hot either so we just relaxed and planned our next week! Pictures soon!

Humbled..

Today was a fantastic day in the clinic. we got there early and I made the rounds saying "good morning" and "how are you" to all of my patients and the staff. Everyone is really warming up to me. We only had 5 surgeries scheduled but I ended up working on the two longest and most challenging. But before that I started with my favorite anesthesiologist I had been 3 for 3 on IVs and today my batting average was shot to hell. I must admit I was feeling cocky and asked to put an IV in a 1.5-year-old. Don't worry! They were asleep when I tried. I missed and but got it on the second try, then I attempted to place another in a man with "shifty" veins. I would insert the needle directly over the vein and then it would roll off to the side. I poked him 4 times before someone else tried. Then, I told the doctor that I wanted to intubate again, he brought me over to a 3-year-old and I could not for the life of me find her vocal cords (its that damn tongue that I can't seem to get out of my way). After an unsuccessful attempt he let me try on an adult. I could not get the tube in and felt terrible until he himself couldn't. All of the morning surgeries went off without a hitch and I was scheduled to scrub in with the chief of surgery in the afternoon.

Over lunch one of the Chinese medical students asked if I wanted to help her teach some of the kids, in the pediatric ward, origami. I leaped at the chance and we strode in and had a blast with the kids. The one in this picture still has my first sutures! We gave him a neck and it looks great! Soon the all of the other family members were standing around and laughing with all of the kids as they threw their new paper airplanes (the only origami I know) at me in a collaborative attack.

This afternoon was one of the scariest I can remember. We started with a humorus repair that got ugly because this patient had had 3 surgeries in the same location prior. Though the chief was always in good spirits and kept asking us (the Chinese medical student and I) if we agreed with what he was doing. The surgery was fascinating and time flew by (2 hours). Once the pins were set he began suturing the muscle and asking us if we knew how to suture. I said that I have done the skin quite a bit and the other med student hadn't done any so far. Once he finished the muscle and started the subcutaneous layer he asked if I had seen that type of suture before, which I had. "Ok! You finish now. One here, here, and here (indicating only 5 more until i could close the skin)". Then he stood up took of his gloves and gown and left! Only the nurse, an anesthesiologist, a young Chinese med student, and I were left in the OR. Of course as soon as he left I drew a blank as to how to do a continuous subcutaneous suture, so suture a layer of simple broken ones. But I didn't draw the skin close enough so I added another line of subcutaneous stitches, still no success. By this time the anesthesiologist told me I had 20 mins before the patient would wake up and all of the other Chinese medical students had wondered into the OR and were all watching me like sports announcers. On the third try I stitched more superficially and FINALLY the top layer came roughly together. Because the base stitches were terrible the skin was not perfectly lined up like I was used to so this made my "easy" skin sutures tumultuous. They looked God awful and I was in shaky panic mode the whole time but I finished. Sure it was 4 minutes before the patient woke up, 3 minutes before the chief walked back in wondering where I was, two minutes before the nurse was about to take over, and minute before I passed out from panic. As the title suggested, I was/am humbled. But what a day!