Phnom Penh - 3rd week

  Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Saturday, June 23, 2007

Friday
 
Rain, at last, rain. We've had two hot, dry weeks after starting out with rain every day in Hong Kong, Burma, and Thailand. In the middle of one still night in Bangkok I got up to go to the bathroom and through the open window overlooking the front of the house could hear the rain off in the distance coming closer and closer and I stood by the window listening and then it was raining hard into the window.
 
Today when we left work the skies were heavy with dark clouds. In a few blocks it was raining harder and harder - a huge storm and the electric in the van went out but it kept going and we were home in the downpour. Five hours later it was still coming down. For the first time since we left home, we're truly cool. Night -Night.

01 Rainy streets

 
Hak Nam - a place in the Walled City - Just finished Idoru for 3rd time.
 
Saturday
 
Vanida flew in from BK via Luang Prabang today. She said she was coming in at 9am, but at breakfast Davie said the Air Asia flight BK-PP always comes in at 8, so I hurried away on a moto - which got lost and then the transmission started slipping so we crept along the side of the road and got to the airport after 9. Vanida was already outside. We got a tuk-tuk to the Okay Guesthouse (where David stayed for awhile). Her room was fine and after checking in we went for a walk along the river right above where the Tonle Sap River intersects with the mighty Mekong. We ended up at the National Museum - a beautiful building full of religious and cultural artifacts. Then we took a tuk-tuk to the Russian Market, walked around in the heat and then to where Leslie and I stay. We ended up back at the Okay, having a good lunch of curry, ginger chicken and spring rolls.

06 National Museum

 
I came back to our room and we got dressed for part 1 of David's birthday party. Sokhom, Juedi, Mony, and Sophea were dressed up and had had their hair done. We had classic Khmer curry (except less oil and fish sauce) with cool noodles, pickled vegetables, and French bread; then cake and fruit. At the table were Samnang, Leslie, David, Mony, and Sophea. Sophea sat next to me, which was nice, because she finally began talking some. Much of the dinner was filmed so there is a film record of my less than good hair blowing in the wind of the fan right behind me. That was just great.
 
The party ended with karaoke - the first time for Leslie (duet with Mony - "Oh Carol, I am but a fool. Darling I love you, though you treat me cruel") and the first time for me (Hotel California with (air) guitars by 9 year old Sophea and 62 year old me). It was a great party.
 

11 David and the family

After that party it was of to the Intercontinental Hotel where some of David's friends came for part 2. It was an international gathering for sure:
o Jenny and her 17 year old daughter Jane are Chinese from Indonesia. They live at the hotel so that Jane will be safe while Jenny is working late or out of town.
o Andrea is a missionary from the U.S. and has been here for >3 years.
o Rith and Sophea are from Cambodia, both working in travel industry.
o David is Khmer-American.
o Leslie and I are from Texas.
o Ces is from the Philippines and works as an HIV/AIDS prevention consultant.
o Igor, Sheila, and Kial (short for Ezekial) are the band Blue Avenue - they play 6 nights a week at the hotel and live there as well. Good band, nice people.
 
It was another good time and everyone was very nice. I was touched by Jenny saying that their living situation was the best ever (since she and Jane started on their own >16 years ago) because of Igor, Sheila, and Kial, who have watched over and been friendly and kind to Jane.
 
Sunday
 
Another day of showers and naps - simple pleasures for simple people. That night we had dinner with Dan, Elexa, and Cornelia. Dan is the new hospital director, Elexa is his wife and works in administration, and Cornelia is a surgeon from Switzerland. It was a warm and stimulating evening. Elexa came to the U.S. when she was 12, speaking no English. Her brother taught her to say, when she didn't know what the other person was saying, "You bet!" or "So what?"
 
At one point, Cornelia, who had been in Rwanda right after the slaughters, said (I wrote this down right after she said it), "It's very difficult working in a genocide situation." When she said it, it was EXACTLY like an old vet saying, "It was a hell of a battle." Her time in Rwanda had a huge effect on her and out of her experiences there, has ended up here for 7 years, committed to the mission of HOPEworldwide - bringing hope, of course. Anyway, there we were in high company again. You Bet!
 
Monday
 
Monday was the Queen Mother's birthday so we worked half a day. We had lunch at a small patio restaurant (dog sleeping next to a table, the works) on a corner near the market. Some children came by to beg and we finally moved away from the edge of the patio - did I write something about "no more turning away" the other day? One of the waiters then gently shooed the children away, but of course they came right back. A few more people came in the restaurant and the waiter kicked the dog out of the way, which gave a loud cry. Leslie immediately said/almost shouted in a very loud voice, "Stop that!" In a quiet, strained voice, I said, "Leslie, don't." Later, David said he was shocked when:
o The man kicked the dog.
o Leslie said, "Stop that!"
o He realized that at first, he agreed with me.
And that's Cambodia for you. David also pointed out that awhile back I intervened when a woman was whipping a boy. Busybodies.
 
This week I'm working on some planning and resource development things for palliative care and for Nursing Service. It's interesting and exciting - tremendous potential here at Hope.

Random notes:
 
It feels so good to leave our room and leave the aircon on and come back 30 minutes later to a dark, cold room. Ahhhhh.

16 Street in front of Okay GH

 
Traffic signals, lanes, and so on are just suggestions. When drivers come to an intersection they never stop to check oncoming traffic - just move on through the intersection adjusting as they go. Big things trump little things - from the bottom up: pedestrians, bicycles, xyclos, motos, tuk-tuks, cars, SUVs, trucks ... the bigger always has the right of way - until the smaller gets an edge, and then, like sparrows, the motos or whatever, flood through. The other day two small children on foot were stuck in the middle of an intersection and car after car pressing by them and nobody letting them by until Dara, the best hospital driver, stopped, beeped at them and let them walk in front of us. Good work, Dara.
 
Fruit we've eaten this time around: soursop, mango, dragon fruit, mangosteen (my favorite), lychee, watermelon, longan, papaya, rambutan, banana, grapes, jackfruit, guava, pomelo, apple, and a couple I have no idea what the names are.
 
Our room has about a queen-size bed with 2 feet between the wall and foot, 4 feet between the wall and bed on the side and up against the wall on the other side and the head. In the evenings for about the past week Leslie, David, and I have been piled up like bunnies. Every evening Mony comes in for about 30 minutes and snuggles up next to Leslie. David is on the other side and I'm at the foot. One night David's electricity was off and he stayed with us - these are good times.
 
I'm in an internet café right now, hot, no fan, raining outside.
 
Wednesday

17 Cousin and Thanh

Picked up Vanida at the Okay GH on the way to work (she's just back from 2 days at Angkor). She spent the day at the hospital, touring the hospital with me, then Leela. Vanida went to lunch with Leslie, David, Miriam, and me at Hagar (lettuce, clean, safe lettuce). Leslie and Miriam are two peas in a pod - so much in common - justice, quality, etc. Too bad Leslie hasn't been placed with Miriam in infectious diseases. Back to hospital where I did a SWOT analysis (thanks, Carol), which very well.
 
And speaking of people with things in common - Phalla is the person I work with the most. She and I have very close values and aspirations. Seldom have I had a better working partner.