A day at the lake

With many of the children visiting family for the Khmer New Year, we wanted to do something exciting for the kids who are stuck with us!  Caroline, a French nurse expat working in northern Cambodia, is a committed member of the Wat Opot family.  She visits frequently and the children love her so much.  She came for a visit with her daughter, Alice, and Alice's friend, Chiara who were on holiday from London.  Caroline had the wonderful idea to take the kids still around to Tonle Bati (Bati lake) for the day to get out of the April heat and have a little fun!  With the Anders family having recently donated money for occasions just like this, they and Caroline treated the children (and us volunteers!) to a great time.  There were 38 children, along with myself, Melinda, Caroline, Alice, Chiara, and Monica and Claire from Australia.

The ride to the lake was only about 20 minutes, but the children never ride in cars or buses so for some of them who discovered car sickness it was a LONG drive.

The bus didn't leave until 9, but everyone was up super early SO excited to go! 

The kids put on their best clothes for the trip.  Some of the boys who have 2 nice shirts wore both,  and the two of the little girls wore a nice skirt over a dress.  When they dress up, they go all out.  Of course they ALL wore their new TOMS!!!  What fancy outfit is complete without them?!

When we arrived, we rented 2 huts on the water and inner tubes.  I've never seen kids strip down and jump into water so fast!  We had just given out new pairs of underwear so everyone had something to swim in.

Baby Ratana wasn't too sure at first, but eventually got in and had so much fun

As soon as a child would get out of the water to take a break, they would put their TOMS back on.  It's so sweet how much they love them.

Srey Nith, 4, decided from the first minute she was NOT getting in that water!  Always the lady, she most likely didn't want to get her plastic pearls dirty or mess up a new coat of nail polish.  She made herself busy though, folding and refolding towels, arranging and rearranging bags and water bottles, and doing and redoing my hair.  In this photo, I caught her with a few pairs of underwear/swimmers as she was dipping them in the water to wring out and hang up.  Once she had finished the row, she would dip and wring them again.  She must have done each pair 10 times.

The Cambodian speedboat

Lunch time.. we brought our own rice and purchased fish, beef, and soup there.  I'm always amazed at how much these little bodies can consume.

Srey Nith ready to go home after she ran out of busy work on the huts.  

Socheat

Chanthol

Sister and brother, Kunthy and Touris

Srey Nak and Vinat

Chaney

Lan Krome, brother of Kunty and Touris, had a wonderful time.  He had been very sick with tuberculosis and had a terrible reaction to the medication.  He lost a lot of weight but is bouncing back nicely.  Being in the water and moving around was so great for him. 

Srey Lec

Phanya

Nak and Somnang

Chai takes a nap on his tube

Virak gets some coconut water from Melinda

Me and Srey Lec

The boys negotiating a boat ride.  They got to ride it to the other side of the lake for about 25 cents each.

Kimseck

Rong

Monica and Chaney

We got Kunthea a tube so she could take a nap.  Her hip was hurting her a lot and she wasn't very happy :(

They convinced me to get in after lunch.  It was very refreshing!

Packing up to go home.  Everyone was exhausted.

Srey Nith

Somnang put on an impromptu dance and rap performance on the way home.  I have no idea what he was saying but everyone was clapping and laughing.  It was so funny, he is such a character :)

We got back shortly before dinner and then everyone PASSED OUT.  Thank you Caroline and the Anders family for our amazing day!  The Anders have donated enough that we'll be able to do another trip sometime in the near future... Cora, we'll wait for you to get here so you can go too :)

"Modern" medicine

After I graduated from nursing school last year, I didn't stick around long before I was off volunteering for 2 months in Cambodia.  Those 2 months turned into 5 months, which is now turning into over a year here.  I didn't have time to take boards before I left last summer, so returning to the US and taking them in February was a challenge.  I hadn't touched a textbook in 9 months and had only been working with a few skill sets.  As I did practice questions before the exam, I had to remind myself that, no, the first step in inserting an IV is NOT to remove your shoes at the door, and I had to study terms that had become foreign to me, like "gloves," and "sterile."  Medicine in Cambodia and medicine in the United States are two very, very different things but still I am learning so much every day, and today was no exception.

Little Kunthea had fallen and hurt her hip before I even arrived 3 weeks ago.  She couldn't walk and has been in excruciating pain that seemed to get better one day and double back the next.  She was taken to the local clinic twice for an X-ray but the first time a doctor couldn't see her (still not sure why), and the next time a district-wide power outtage meant they couldn't do anything for her.  I've been doing my best to care for her, but as she quickly went back downhill we decided it was time to do more.

Kunthea rests in the Wat Opot health center.  I spoiled her with special treats and DVDs on my macbook (shh don't tell the others).  Here she is visited by her brother Chanthol (seated) and Vandy. 

With the Khmer New Year this week, the country has shut down to celebrate, including the local clinics and referral hospital.  To get Kunthea seen, I took her to Takeo hospital about an hour away with Long Dy, an 18 year old Wat Opot resident, to translate.  When we got there Kunthea was examined by the doctor.  First thing I learned: health histories and chief complaints are really irrelevant.  They didn't care about anything except that she had trouble walking and it was her left side that hurt.  6 years old, HIV positive, medications she's taking... does anyone want to know?  Nope.  Okay that's fine, moving along.  Next we were lead into the X-ray room where I had to lay her down.  At this point she was scared and in a lot of pain so I sat next to her on the table to relax her.  The technician moved around and did his thing and disappeared for a second behind a curtain. Second thing I learned: X-rays are like photo booths, anyone who wants to be in the picture, can!  He had taken the X-Ray with me on the table, and my leg in the picture, and didn't say anything.  "No sir, I'm not pregnant, and lead shields were never my thing so thanks for not asking me to wear one," I thought to myself.  Maybe I'm being dramatic, it just really caught me off guard!  Third thing I learned: radiation is an urban legend.  It worries me that the technician takes no precautions.  The only thing separating him from the machine was a linen curtain.  I had Long Dy tell the man that he needed to protect himself from the X-ray machine but the technician looked at me like I was crazy.  We said something to the doctor as well but nobody seemed too concerned about it.

I carried her back to where she had been examined to look at the images.  The doctor decided she had bruised the bone and prescribed her paracetamol which we had been giving her anyway.  Next came time to pay.  I had brought $100 and my credit card in case it wasn't enough, not having any idea what it would cost.  The grand total including the exam, X-ray (they only charged us for 1, I guess mine was free!), and medication was a whopping, bank breaking $5.00.  I couldn't believe how cheap it was.  You can't even park at most American hospitals with $5.00 and here, the whole thing cost that.  Unreal.

The whole adventure was wild.  The people in the village around Wat Opot are used to me and the other volunteers, but in Takeo hospital I provided a great deal of entertainment to the locals.  They were so curious as to what I was doing there, and kept asking me if Kunthea was my daughter.  I finally started saying yes just to give them more to gossip about.

I'm hoping that Kunthea starts to do better soon.  I've been trying to get her to move her legs as much as possible because she's so stiff and sore.  I hate seeing her in so much pain.

Her trip today was covered by a generous healthcare grant provided by the McConville family from Damascus.  With their contribution, we have been stocking up on new medications, replacing expired supplies, and treating the strep throat outbreak.  A big result of the McConville's donation is the resolution of chronic ear infections of two of our little boys.  Nak and Wey were started on a new ear drop course recommended by Deb, an American nurse who volunteers at Wat Opot each year.  I'm happy to report that their infections have made big progress and look great!  Thank you McConvilles :)

Wey is so happy to have clean ears :)

On a sadder note, today two volunteers left Wat Opot after a 10 day stay. Monica and Claire are sisters around my age from Australia who had been volunteering and traveling through Indonesia and Thailand.  I really enjoyed meeting them and hearing their incredible stories.  Wishing you girls a safe trip around Cambodia and back to Australia!  Can't wait to see you again some day!!

Wat Opot gets TOMS!

TOMS shoes have slowly been making a big mark on modern American fashion.  Men and women around the world have been wearing TOMS brand since 2006 when a man traveling in Argentina wanted to give back.  He started TOMS with the promise that for every pair of shoes purchased, they would give a pair of shoes to a child in need.  We read about and see things like this all the time.. but are they ever real?  In TOMS case, they are!!  This weekend, Wat Opot got in a shipment of TOMS shoes for the children and they have been a big hit.  With Khmer New Year at the end of this week, our children have one by one been going home for the holiday with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.  Before each child left, they got a new pair of shoes.  Everyone else who will stay behind got theirs today, and I took lots of pictures.

Anxiously waiting in line for their shoes.  As soon as these guys got theirs, the news spread quickly and the office was swarmed with excited kids.

Thy

There were all sizes ranging from the little little ones to the teenagers.

Virak's TOMS.

Virak was so excited to get his new shoes.  His feet are turned out, so having these shoes will be huge for his walking and foot development.

He's so happy!

Such tiny shoes :)

Samnang modeling his new TOMS

Rith and Chai

Socheat, Rith, and Chai

Srey Mao

So many people in my hometown wear TOMS.. maybe one of them contributed to this pair

Off to play in their new shoes

They were small enough even for baby Ratana

We gathered a bunch of kids for a group pic.  Nak on the left just wants to go playyy!

Srey Mao and Ratana

Ratanas itty bitty shoe fit in the palm of my hand, and I have little hands!

Thank you TOMS :)

Spread the word about TOMS and help other kids around the world get shoes.  Check out their website to learn more and purchase a pair of your own.  Thanks TOMS!

Countdown to Wayne!

I've been back at Wat Opot a little under 2 weeks now, but that's old news.  The children are over my return and are waiting for the big arrival... WAYNE!  All day every day, all the children talk about and ask about is Wayne.  When is he coming home?  Why is he taking so long?  Most of them know he is coming back April 15th, the day after the Khmer New Year.  Today, however, someone decided to stir up false hope and spread a rumor that he was coming back this weekend.  To put these rumors to rest and give everyone something to relax them, Melinda made up a calendar to count down the days.

Ms. Kunthea got the honor of placing the first sticker on todays box

Melinda explaining the calendar to everyone

Good job Melinda, and our volunteers from New Zealand and Australia who drew Wayne!

Hanging on the office door where everyone can see it.

Even with something to see, I'm sure the kids will be asking about him all day tomorrow, and the next day until they finally get him back.  Hurry home Wayne, hurry home!!!

Life is Like This

Wayne, the co-founder and director of The Wat Opot Children's Community left for his family's home in the US a few days before I arrived and will be gone another two weeks.  He left because his mothers health was failing and she passed away shortly after he made it home.  The children here have all been so concerned about Wayne.  They know what it's like to lose parents, and worry about their "Pa Wayne."  From Michigan, Wayne posted the following entry to the Wat Opot website.  I'd like to share it with you.  It captures what makes Wat Opot so incredible, and maybe those who don't understand why I wanted to return so bad will after reading his words.


Life is Like This

Mother Knows Best

My mother used to tell me that everything happens for a reason. She would say it after something hadn’t gone my way to help ease the blow but it was never what I wanted to hear.  Of course when you’re growing up, your parents don’t know anything!!  I would think, “what does she know?!?!”  Through my travels, and the people I’ve met along the way, however, I’ve learned that no words are truer.  Last fall after 5 failed attempts to book a trip to Hanoi (power outage, lost credit card, visa office closed, travel agent system crashed twice), I gave up and stayed at Wat Opot.  Sure I was frustrated and upset at first, but decided to see what this blessing in disguise would bring, and what a blessing it was!  Had one of the things that kept me from Hanoi not occurred, I would never have met Zurich’s finest pediatric nurse Ms. Olivia Steinmann, whom I now hold very very close to my heart.  We shared a few days together at Wat Opot, and then had an incredible trip to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.

Me and Olivia, mein haexli <3

Ancient ruins of Angkor Wat.  Viola, myself, and Olivia.

This philosophy proved itself true once again on my way back to Cambodia last week.  To make a long story short, I missed my connecting flight from Chicago to Los Angeles and failed to make the standby list on the last two flights out that night.  Just as I had started to panic about being stranded in Chicago and missing my next connection to Taipei, my dad back home contacted his best friend in Michigan City, Indiana who came to my rescue.  Jim Burris and my father have been like brothers since before they could walk, and he and his wife, Donna, and their daughter Amy have always been so special to my sister and me.  We used to visit them every summer but with jobs and school and always running out of time, I hadn’t seen them in 5 years.  I was still upset and teary-eyed when they picked me up.  I worried about my ticket to Asia being non-refundable, I worried about my luggage, which was already en route to Los Angeles, and I worried about whether I would EVER get back to the kids at Wat Opot.  All of my worry and sadness disappeared when I walked into the Burris’ familiar home and gave hugs to people I had missed and love so much!  I made calls and got everything taken care of, getting listed on the next flight out of LA two days later for a reasonable fee.  I spent two nights with the Burris’ and loved every second of it.  What started as a nightmare ended in an unforgettable side-trip that I now cherish. 

Jim!

Mom, you were right.  Everything does happen for a reason.  There were so many small factors that added up to me missing my flight in Chicago and even being routed to Chicago, and had one of them not occurred, who knows how long it would have been until I saw the Burris’!  In the end I made it (and my luggage, too!) back to Phnom Penh.  I immediately got in a tuk tuk headed straight from the airport to Wat Opot an hour away.  It was a long hour, but I arrived just before the weekly family service at the Pagoda next door and was greeted with big hugs and smiles.  I had no idea how much I missed these kids until I was back here.  Suddenly anything I had stressed about: the delays, the extra cost, the headache… all seemed so stupid.  What could I possibly have had to complain about in the end?!  I’m back at Wat Opot with the children I love so much, and nothing else matters :)

Melinda sent a tuk tuk from the village near Wat Opot.  He was standing outside of the airport holding a sign that read, "WELL COM KAT"

"KAT CHMA KAT CHMA"

I missed Chai and his famous smile :)

Phnom Chisor

March has arrived! I'm anxiously waiting to make my big return to Wat Opot, and am looking through pictures nonstop getting more and more excited. One album I just rediscovered was our trip to Phnom Chisor back in November. Olivia, a volunteer from Switzerland, Chihomi, a volunteer from Japan, and I took about 25 of the kids to Mountain (or Phnom) Chisor which is about a 45 minute walk from the main campus. On the top there are ancient ruins, vendors, lots of trouble for kids to get into, and wild monkeys. Everyone was so excited about it, especially the little ones and we had such a fun day :)

We passed by this beautiful little home in a village on the way to the mountain.

Samrat and the boys. On the way we practiced Khmer and English with each other and they tried to trick me into saying naughty things. Good thing Chihomi picked up Khmer very very well and saved me. They're all wearing long sleeves and it was so hot!! I kept asking if they were okay, but they insisted they were comfortable. By the time we came down, however, I ended up carrying an armful of sweatshirts while their eyes were peeled for a stream to jump into.

A bunch of the kids (and me somewhere in there) once we got to the top. They were already exhausted but still excited to play around in the ruins.

Exploring!

Chihomi! I miss her so much :(

Taking a rest on the ruins. Some are still smiling, but most of the kids were wiped at this point. I was too, those 500-ish steps to the top were a lot for someone who was totally out of shape!

LongDy checking out the view. He's also recovering from a scary run-in with a monkey. I got it on video but no pictures.

Chaney! So sweet :)

Olivia, Mr. Chai, and me.

Some of the ruins overlooking the view

We stopped for a hammock break before making the descent down and the long walk home!

On the way there, everyone was in groups and happy and laughing, and jumping on each other. On the way back they're in a single file line, no words, no smiles... miserably tired :(

Long Dy rode his bike back with some of the little ones, and recruited other big kids to come back with bikes and motos to scoop up the others.

Vandy and I brought up the rear, making sure everyone was accounted for. We took our sweet time getting back. It was a looooong trip home!

I'm looking forward to many more trips to Phnom Chisor, especially with Cora Marshall my very close friend from home who is coming to Wat Opot to teach for 2 months :) I couldn't be happier about her decision to join me and the Wat Opot family this summer!!!!